The Migratory/Ornamental Waterfowl INFO Thread

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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They will eat it as they walk threw it, no 1 particular area. How big is this avairy? How many birds total do you have in it?
Reason I ask, is grass was never a problem for me, they killed it all off pretty much within 1-2 seasons for the most part, even in 10,000 square foot ones

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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I have mixed hatches all the time on all sorts of breeds/species. I set the temp at 99.5 and forget that, never touch it again regardless.
Also I run my humidity at 50--60% all the time anyway for everything even the bantams, any lower and they stick for me. Last few days I bump it to the high 60's or even 70% even if it's a staggered hatch, few high days doesnt hurt them, once those are hatched, just lower it to normal. But no I wouldnt lower the temp to 98 for a few days hatch, that probably will cause problems for the later hatchers.
Great job on the pens too by the way

 

[sgt_dane]

Yeah im not exactly going for looks here, more for the comfort of the birds and what i have to offer them. I was going to build this big elaborate pen made from individual panels and set them up on flat ground out in the open, then decided that the birds would probably like this treed area a bit better. Cant exactly build square panels and put it on uneven ground.. so it looks a little tacky but i think theyll be happy in it.

Thats awesome with the temp and everything. The humidity is now up to 65% relative. Its a forced air with heat lamp. Keeps temps and humidity perfect, only fluctuates by about 4 tenths of a degree. Im just gonna wait and see how it turns out.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Matapatos,
You had asked my that question about broodingin the PM .
Finally got a second though I would answer it a little here.
As for natural over boxed brooding Obviously the hens do all the work in the natural form. The risk with that invovle uncontroled wondering of the babies, possible escape from the pen and some thing getting them, drakes killing them etc.also the hens are done laying for the season at that point where they would possibly lay again if you did it.
The pluses of it, the ducklings parent raised, barring any of the above problems, often do much better, arent in a messy brooder (that you have to keep clean) You dont have to constantly watch the lights (and pay the power bill for them) and you dont have to worry about them being water logged when first introduced to water.

Boxed brooding has 2 forms wet and dry. Dry is what most people use and is the same as any chicken brooder. Here they are safe from being killed or getting lost and are in a more controled enviroment. You do have to be dilgent on cleaning it to prevent bacterial growth that may rarely cause problems, but you need to that anyway.
Wet brooding is the same, but they are given water to swim in which helps with feather condidtioning, and is pretty much manditory with some diver species like the stiftails.
Commercial set ups are the same, just larger more expensive set ups,

As for the question of abbandoment , large broods, and small broods.

Any of them can abandon a nest, not too many will abandon a brood though.
Treeducks were always the worst for me on "nesting" anyway, most just did the drop it and forget it aproach. Wood ducks, mandarins, ring teal, were all great broody moms.
They treeducks will lay probably the most eggs per clutch, 15 is'nt uncommon for them and they are the most protective mothers if they do decide to raise them, hottentot teal ruddy ducks, any of the small guys really, 2-4 is a good number for them.
Most of the normal sized puddle duck species will do 6-12 on average, most divers 2-7 on average.

Hope that helps a little on that.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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I think you'll be just fine with all that, sounds very good to me

 

[1lpoock]

Okay, so I really want to build some more aviaries or even just one big one! I put a pic on here of an aerial shot of our property, we have 11 acres. The red line is what we own and the shaded blue is the creek that runs through our woods. The shaded yellow square is where our current 12'x30' aviary is, just to give you a little idea of how big the property is. The green line is where I want the next aviary, somewhere in that area. It is our land behind our woods and right now it is where we have our garden and three rows of evergreen trees. Other than that, it is all grass that we mow all the time! Currently, we drain our pond in the aviary into the creek. Also, we pump creek water up into the pond. I would like to use creek water for the next aviary too. I really wanted to have either a big pond or running water in this new aviary, however, their are no natural springs around there

...does anyone have any ideas on what I could do. I just figured running water would keep the ponds cleaner for longer. Plus the land (in the green lines) naturally and gradually slopes from the farthest left side, to the middle woods. Any ideas would be appreciated and any avairy designs would also be great!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Location would be a personal preference to you. Personally, I'd put it on the same side as the house where I could see them all the time.
As for designs, my big ones were 200 foot long 50 foot wide as 12 foot tall. had natural trees in as well as 14 foot tall 4x4 post in the centers to hold the netting up, with small cables run across them to prevent sagging of the netting. Each had multiple concrete ponds of various sizes and shaped scattered threw them, about 50/50 water area/ land.
They were then filled with trees and scrubs to make it closed up and secure feeling to them. All the ponds had about a 4-5 perimeter of river sand around them, helped to clean their feet a little to slow down dirtying up the water. All the ponds either had 4" drains in them or sump pumps to empty them, though a good sloped land and a drain is the easiest way to go for sure.
Around all the ponds, we got lime stones and river bed rocks and lines them around them to make it more natural looking, provided stuff for them to play and perch on, we also piled drift wood up in areas, had larger pieces, draped over the smaller ponds, or sticking out into the larger ones. I made one with and Island in the middle and laid logs across it like a bridge too, they loved to perch on stuff like that out over the water, looks good too.
Each pond had pvc water supply run to them with garden spray nozzles on them. I'd always keep the nozzles on to where they'd blow a fine mist out over the ponds, they really liked to sit in these areas especially the seaducks and divers, also in the winter it makes some cool ice cycles that they love eating on, made me cold just watching them.
Anyway, with them, the more water area and thicker cover the better. I wouldn't be scared to get into that tree line a little with it too if it were me. The trees will be natural cover, and netting support and give them shade and shelter in the summer.

 

[OSUman]

WOW BBB that is an amazing history you have with waterfowl. I have one question that i have heard a couple different answers for. Is it possible to have 1 aviary with mallards, wood ducks, and mandrins together without them interbreeding?

OSUman

 

[Matapatos]

The pen is 14'X26'X7' high... The pond isn't big, its a 150 gallon pond, preformed from Lowes. I just don't have the water resources to go bigger and the land to go deeper... Its about 14" deep. I have another pen in the works with about the same size pond, but 2' deep. I'm still working on that one. Wood ducks, mandarins, and teal, how many of these ducks can I fit into the 14'X26' pen? I don't want to overcrowd, but I don't want to under crowd, I guess, either. So its 364 sq ft and I've read somewhere that they should have 100 sq ft per pair... I guess that depends on the ducks and habitat. My other pen will be 14'X16'X7' high. I don't plan on having any more than 10 pairs of ducks between the two pens together, all different kinds. Sorry if any of that didn't make sense, I've been out in the sun all day on the airboat and hiking islands in the Great Salt Lake!

I'm beat!

OSUman,
The woodies and the mallards can and will cross, and it makes for an ugly duck, imo. The mandarins and woodies cannot, its been said, interbreed. Just genetically impossible, I've read and been told. I don't know about the mallards and mandarins, I don't think I would like to see it.

BBB,

Have you ever messed around with hybrids? Some people really look down on it, but for other reasons I would like to try the mallard/Pintail and the mallard/wigeon hybrids. Both of these are beautiful birds! Also the Spoonie/Bluewing teal cross is neat! And thank you for the info on brooding! Looks like if I want to make money, I need to box brood them. We'll see if it comes to that... Thanks again!

Travis

 

[sgt_dane]

Ok so i changed the duck coop a bit, moved it so its not going to be an 8x12, itll be 8x16, extra 4 feet will make a load of difference for them

. They will get more sun in the new location and be more in my view when i just glance out the window. Heres the beginning of it, it gets a whole other 8x5.5 panel added onto the 8 ft one thats there.

Im trying to make it the best i can for the little guys.. They will have an 8x4 pond in there too.
The one on the left is for the pheasants, and right is for the ducks