The Migratory/Ornamental Waterfowl INFO Thread

[KansasKid]

Thanks for the link, hopefully when i go tomorrow to my friends and look at the netting he'll have something for me. right now my pin design is 30X40. its sad because thats almost 3 times the pin space i have now. I don't have room for my ducks to live comfortably in there pin all day except for the mandarins. So for now since im home all day and i can watch em, they get let out all day and get put up for the night.

 

[Matapatos]

That is a good sized pen! How many ducks and what kind of ducks are you planning on having? I imagine you can fit quite a few in that big of a pen. Good luck! Hope the birds are all well! Keep the raccoons away from them, my neighbor just had all of his ducks taken eaten, dang coons!

Travis

 

[KansasKid]

-had raccoons earlier this year. The pin is that big because once i get it built im going to divide it into 3 pins or 4 because i want to be able to separate my drakes from my hens and separate the different breeds of drakes (because they pick on each other), and still a decent size pin for 4 mandarins(which i know doesn't have to be very big) The number and breed of all of them right now is in my signature, plus one of my mallard hens just went broody for the second time this year today. (plus i seem to come home with another duck every other day, and my sister has been begging me for some white calls)

 

[Matapatos]

Saw something on the local classifieds... A guy was selling mandarin pairs for $90! And he sold them all within a couple days! I just couldn't believe it, how can some people justify selling or buying them for that? He said he would have some juvies this fall for the same! Wow!

Travis

 

[KansasKid]

Ya earlier this year i started a thread about mandarin prices and kinda created an uproar. So without starting another one im just going to say this. Some people just want to have them without having to go through the process of searching the internet trying to find low prices and that is fine, quick and easy. but i had a lot of time to get on my computer and shop around, and i eventually found some, for a decent price, within a respectable driving distance. (save on shipping, get a free mini-vacation lol)

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yep, yall know how I feel about that, $90 unreal. I was the one who got the uproar started in KansasKids other thread, so dont want to get one here, BUT! I
was contacted by a BYC 'er a few days ago who is needing to sell out all his stuff. He said he had 40 or so mandarins all for $20 each, a normal and fair price.

People can still say what they like and think what they like, but the internet (auction sites mainly) is the reason for the sudden price explosion. Some have said it's feed bills as feed has gone up, well it's only up a few dollars per bag, that doesnt justify doubling all the waterfowl prices on the common stuff, especially when the rare stuff is falling in price. Example, smew used to be $1200 per pair, now they are $500 all day long, same with countless other species. All it boils down to is, the internet makes it easy to advertise what you have and there's not a thing wrong with that. Here's where the problems start for everyone though.

New guys sees your stuff, has no idea about what it is or what it's worth, just knows it's pretty. Bad seller #1 (see's how bad new guy wants them)says well they are $100 a pair, new guys says I want it!! Not knowing they are really $40 a pair on average every where else,(I persoanlly was done this way as a child when I was getting started so not just making this up) well before long, guy #2 see's this, so he wants to try it, and the trickle down effect begins and before you know it, every one is jacking their prices up, just because their neighbor is doing....End result, we all have to pay twice what they are worth just to have some. This is not supply and demand by no means, this is people taking advantage of others who dont know the market of a particular species. Due to the rush of new hobbiest, it's becoming more and more common too, sad. Another example is the Impeyan pheasant, for decades they were $180 per pair, well same story happened with them, now, for the same birds, you have to pay $350-$400 for a pair, justify it how you feel, but think I'm pretty much on the right track. Eggbid was a huge contributor to all this.

anyway, I'm sure a lot wont agree with me here, but these are my views on the subject, said what I wanted to say on it, and now I'll get off my little soap box and move on back to the original subject matter ,

 

[Matapatos]

I don't care who you are and what your reasons are, $90 for a pair of mandarins is outrageous! Just taking advantage of people lack of knowledge... Oh well, I'll never pay that.

BBB,
What are some publications that gamebird hobbyists, waterfowl breeders, etc, need to know of and be a part of? Gamebird Gazette is one, I'm sure. But what other organizations are out there to help the propogation of wild birds? Any that produce mags for info, conservation organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited, etc? Nationwide, of course. Too many in each individual state to get into that, but I guess we can help each other out through PMs to get more specific.

Also, is the gamebird gazette region specific as far as the bird breeders classifieds go? Or just blanket the Nation?

Travis

 

[KansasKid]

Ok, i have yet ANOTHER question about my birds. If i decide to advertise my birds on the internet in the spring (don't worry I'm not gonna ask more $20, that is plenty for mandarin) how do i go about shipping them fast and warm to ensure there safety?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
Those are all great , the other one would be the American Pheasant and Waterfowl Society (APWS) It's like the Gazette, both are nation wide classified ads, just look threw the 10 or so pages of them to find some near you.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
LOL
Ask any price you want, but yes $20-$25 each is average in my book,!
As for shipping, are you talking day old ducklings or several month old started birds?
Day olds can be shipped in cheap chick boxes like the hatcheries use, I get mine for about $4 each.
Older birds must be in biosecure boxes like the Horizon brand. They run about $20 and up depending on size. In all cases, Express Mail is the best route, it's the only way you can ship the threw the P.O. after they are a day old. Several pairs can be placed in one box too. If it's large orders, send them air cargo threw the air ports is the cheapest way to do it, but you'll be a while before you get that big with orders. For the most part people use the Bio boxes and the Express Postal Service. 1 pair and the box usually averages $60, cheaper to have mulitple pairs for the buyer as it only goes up just a few dollars with the added weight.
In all cases you do have to be N.P.I.P. certified to ship out of state for any poultry other than pidgeons, so keep that in mind too, this goes for eggs too.