The Migratory/Ornamental Waterfowl INFO Thread

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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I wouldnt put them in til they are fully feathered, 4 weeks is way too early for me. Give them another month, especially the little one.

it is possible for a molted male to still breed, but his fertility will be WAY down, doubt seriously anything would come from it, maybe 20% fertility at best.
With any kind of wild or game bird, once they molt for the year, their sexual behaviors drop. In males the testosterone pretty much goes away, thus fertility stops, and he will go about a normal life of feeding and playing, his job to him, is done for the year.

 

[kangababy]

Help me decide..

How are Magellan Geese in a mixed collection?
ans should I get a pair

Granted this weekend I am get 5 (3M/2F) eytons, 2 pairs of black belly tree ducks and 2 pairs of sharp wing teal.. I have got to start selling some birds

 

[chickenlisa]

2 mandarins are hatched and we got to see them pop out! We woke up to 4 eggs zipped overnight, and 2 of those are hatched already! What adorable little wet babies!
1st duckling...sitting with its little butt in the shell trying to get out and then finally out and resting

more pics to follow....

 

[kangababy]

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yeah for babies!!!!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

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you dont need an answer, you know you'll get them anyway, LOL
YOU'RE AN ADICT!!

Maybe Shawn will see this as he got some this spring. I think they are pretty good from what I've heard, but never had them personally

 

[kangababy]

Quote:
you dont need an answer, you know you'll get them anyway, LOL
YOU'RE AN ADICT!!

Maybe Shawn will see this as he got some this spring. I think they are pretty good from what I've heard, but never had them personally

I'm just getting stocked up so when your ready! ;-)

I have his number so I may call him

 

[kangababy]

6 Baby Fulvous's today!! 1 more in the incubator! Mom, dad and all the tree ducks ganged up and attached us getting them out of the box. I got video of mom chosing my son and him running!! Priceless

 

[4-H chicken mom]

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After a few sleepless nights, I would like to share with you my first hatching of 6 Mandarins ducklings. Although I can't take much credit for them, I didn't incubate them long. My DD did help one get out. It was fully zipped but a few spots of the membrane were still attached and would not break so she took a pair of small sissors and sniped the membrane and it popped out. I read egg yolk mixed with meal worms is good to get them eating, which is what I did, but can they eat the whites as well?
I want to say thanks for all the encouragment.

 

[chickenlisa]

yay! They look adorable! They could be my baby Mandarins' clones! They grow so fast tho! I don't know about the egg whites- I've just crumbled up the hard boiled yolk and cut up (ewww!) meal worms and added it all to their feed. They eat it all up pretty quickly that way. Maybe someone else more experienced knows about feeding them egg whites.

Congrats on your first Mandy babies!

Lisa
here's a pic from this morning- my 7 dwarfs and snow white (I don't know who is who yet...)

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

they can eat the whites but there's no real value to it, and this yolk feeding alone is just for the first day or two, just til they learn to eat and eat the crumbles, be sure you are mixing feed in with it all and get them started eating it as soon as they can. Meal worms can be fed any time all the time. They are a great source of protein for them, but on mandarins arent required after they learn to eat either.
Stuff like mergansers, and smew as well as golden eye and bufflehead do need them for a much longer period, at least tile they get off to a good start eating a good protein feed.
They are usued to only eating live food sources in the wild, so the wiggle in the feed is what attracts them to it. That and the mealworms suplement the high protein intake they have from eating minnows and aquatic creepy crawlies