The Migratory/Ornamental Waterfowl INFO Thread

[kangababy]

Quote:
Thanks! That is what I was thinking..
So far the ones I have had die are the species that the male and female look alike...

I figured it was worth a shot since I have ot replace them one way or another!
and if it is a hen I will keep them to make sure the mate doesn't join them!! They could be heartbroken

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
Exactly what are you looking for on them?
They are ground nesters
male female look a like
breed easily the first year.
ground nesters
lay several cluthes of 6-10 eggs usually per year if you pull the eggs and incubate
no permit is needed
love ground cover for nesting in as all species do
a 10x10 is decent min. pen size for a pair
no massive pond is needed, but they do need swimming water of some form
not bad about mix breeding
can be trioed but do best in pairs


pretty much it

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

for the ivermectin wormer

it is best to give at least 2weeks before breeding, it is guessed to sterilize eggs for that long, right now you would still be fine for most of them.
I'm not sure on powdered doseing
injectable is about 1/4 cc per bird on the small species 3/8- 1/2 cc on the bigger ones.

IT IS NOT WATER SOULABLE! Must be given orally to each bird. I see so many threads on here where they say just to mix it in drinking water. Well that does nothing but waste your $50 bottle of wormer as it will sink straight to the bottom. Safeguard is a good water mixing wormer, 3 cc per gallon for 2-3 days, but even it, they need to be thirsty, it will only stay suspended for a couple hours, then it too will fall out of solution and settle on the bottom, about the same withdrawal time on it.

Wazine can be used at any time and will not sterilze eggs, is readily mixed in water, but it only gets large round worms, nothing else, where the other two pretty much get them all.

Thing with waterfowl though, being on water most of the time, and drinking so much water all the time, they seldome ever get intestinal worms, so as long as you have good water, clean pens, and not scrawny looking birds, you should be fine. A sure fire tell tale sign of worms in poultry is yellow foamy poop. If you see that, they need to be wormed reguardless of the season. Other than that, you're fine.

I do all the game birds and bantams here in Jan and Oct.

 

[waterdog]

Quote:
We raise them and ours have always been cavity nesters same box as a woodie or mandarin uses I would provide both ground boxes and elevated boxes.

 

[seaneduck]

Quick question.
I have a pair of wood ducks, and expect they'll have babies in the spring. According to my state permit, if I'm wanting to sell the babies (once they're grown) I have to either pinion one wing, clip the hind toe on one foot, tattoo web on on foot, or put on leg bands. Anyone have experience with the toe clipping?

Also, where is the best place to get leg bands. I don't want to do zip ties.
Thanks!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
We raise them and ours have always been cavity nesters same box as a woodie or mandarin uses I would provide both ground boxes and elevated boxes.

Really? Huh that's good to know, mine always had boxes but none ever used any...

 

[waterdog]

Quote:
We raise them and ours have always been cavity nesters same box as a woodie or mandarin uses I would provide both ground boxes and elevated boxes.

Really? Huh that's good to know, mine always had boxes but none ever used any...

Yea aubrey we keep multiple pairs and have for many years they almost all use the woodie boxes, although we had an apricot woodie nest on the ground in open end box she had woodie boxes available but picked the ground box.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
yes , everyone who has ever raise any should.
At hatch, just take a pair of sissors or nail clipers and snip off the right hind toe on the back of the leg, or if pinioning ,the very tip (hand) joint of just one wing (again the right one)

At a day old, these very seldom even bleed a drop as it's just skin at this point. Nothing to it.
I never banded any of mine, but it's not a choice of bands, you have to use seemless waterfowl bands, not the store bought snap on ones.
Now if banding for ID purposes is your goal, go here, they have wing bands and leg bands

http://www.nationalband.com/nbtpoult.htm

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Quote:
Really? Huh that's good to know, mine always had boxes but none ever used any...

Yea aubrey we keep multiple pairs and have for many years they almost all use the woodie boxes, although we had an apricot woodie nest on the ground in open end box she had woodie boxes available but picked the ground box.

wow, I had about 30 of them, and they never once laid an egg in a box, not even ground boxes, they all got in the grass and brush and nested similar to pintails.
Ring , sharpwing, chestnut breasted, chilean, and grey teal were the only ones of 18-19 teal species I had, to ever use elevated boxes, now alot did use the ground ones, but not many in the elevated ones. Funny how they do different in different set ups.

 

[waterdog]

Quote:
We use the same bands used for pigeons they are seamless have numbers and year issued also each year they are a different color which makes it nice when holding birds over from the previous year you can see from a distance by the color of the band whos who we get them here http://www.npausa.com/