The khaki-Campbell duck Thread !!!!!!!!

700

Ducks are very top and very bottom. (Lucy and Gabby) 4 in between are drakes.

700

Ducks on left, drakes on right.

At 14-15 weeks, I've come to realize that the only way to tell the sexes was to be patient. Voices were my first indication, pretty early on. Now colorings are definite and finally seeing drake feathers too. Bill colors are all different, and feet are all the same.

I have a pending home for 3 drakes so will name the remaining one after they're gone. It will be sad to see them go.
 
I am so glad Carcajou. I know how you feel, as much as I love my little mudpies I have to chase them down to put them up for the night and since I don't want to upset them needlessly I don't try. I will feed two of the three by hand but the one who was attacked by the weasel wont even come that close. I do love them so but it looks as though I am being forced to give them away. The groundskeeper for the trailer park will call the lady I rent from and have the trailer pulled out of her tomorrow. I am so upset over this. He wants me to feed them at the ponds edge after leading them down there and leaving them. What do I do? Let them be eaten by a fox? Or give them up and never see them again? If I lead them to the pond I doubt they will stay there anyway. More than likely they will come right back up looking for their swimming pool. I see out the window that they are in it now. How can I enjoy them from there either? Answer I cant. They are so cute- so funny. And I understand whata they want when they talk to me too. When they are waiting for me to change the water or feed them frozen peas or corn. I have learned to "read" them.
Hope Buffy continues to improve and that you will be able to enjoy her for a long time to come!
 
I am so glad Carcajou. I know how you feel, as much as I love my little mudpies I have to chase them down to put them up for the night and since I don't want to upset them needlessly I don't try. I will feed two of the three by hand but the one who was attacked by the weasel wont even come that close. I do love them so but it looks as though I am being forced to give them away. The groundskeeper for the trailer park will call the lady I rent from and have the trailer pulled out of her tomorrow. I am so upset over this. He wants me to feed them at the ponds edge after leading them down there and leaving them. What do I do? Let them be eaten by a fox? Or give them up and never see them again? If I lead them to the pond I doubt they will stay there anyway. More than likely they will come right back up looking for their swimming pool. I see out the window that they are in it now. How can I enjoy them from there either? Answer I cant. They are so cute- so funny. And I understand whata they want when they talk to me too. When they are waiting for me to change the water or feed them frozen peas or corn. I have learned to "read" them.
Hope Buffy continues to improve and that you will be able to enjoy her for a long time to come!

It's so difficult to give them up but it is even harder when they are attacked and injured or killed. I personally am leery of leaving your ducks down by the pond and hoping they will come back to their pool. With my first flock they got to the point where they wanted to stay on the pond at night and not go into the little house I used then. I gave in and let them stay there a few nights. Wasn't long before an owl picked on off at night. I then had to change my strategy.

Yes, you can learn to "read" them and they can be so funny at times!

Thanks for your wishes for Buffy. She had a stroke in June 2013 and though I pray she will be with us for a while I realize that her life will be shorter than the others her age. I am not sure she is molting properly and that could mean a tough winter for her requiring extra TLC.
 
As I had read here, it's all about consistency with ducks. As soon as mine went out to the stream, every evening at dusk I went down and corralled them into their house for lockdown. It helped that I had used some garden stakes and 3" chicken wire to fence in a small area to limit their movements. Every night like clockwork they were herded in their house. I never left food in there because they would always make a mess of their water and foul the bedding.

Anyway, after 7-8 weeks of my insisting, they return to their house at dusk now. Even when they jump the fence during the day they have a spot where they can swim under it and return home at night.

I'm also expecting to see some eggs sometime soon. I got them early April and culled the extra drakes last month. The remaining one is feeling his wild oats trying his luck with the girls. I'm hoping I can get some eggs hatched for more ducklings next spring.

 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom