The Quack Shack

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Yup, that was my understanding as well, that's why I only metioned dry paper.

I talked also with some people locally and it seems that "stop overthinking it, the ducks knows" is the most sensible approach (while having an incubator available as a backup in case the ducks does know but does not care).

That's the right approach!
Always be yourself, except if you can be a duck. - Then always be a duck!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Here's an article about the acid approach and the fermenting appproach
https://modernfarmer.com/2018/02/jerusalem-artichoke-sunchoke-recipe-prevents-gas/

So, there is a good chance that this would produce something delicious?

• digging up a lot of fartichoke tubes
• thoroughly cleaning them from all remaining soil
• running the clean tubers through a food processor
• squeezing the sweet (?) juice out the the chopped tubers
• boiling down the juice together with some acid (Vitamin C)
• feeding the remains of the tubers to the dux

Results: Happy dux and sweet, non fart producing Syrup

 

[Supercow]

So, there is a good chance that this would produce something delicious?

• digging up a lot of fartichoke tubes
• thoroughly cleaning them from all remaining soil
• running the clean tubers through a food processor
• squeezing the sweet (?) juice out the the chopped tubers
• boiling down the juice together with some acid (Vitamin C)
• feeding the remains of the tubers to the dux

Results: Happy dux and sweet, non fart producing Syrup

It looks like it should be possible yes... just not sure whether it would be sweet - "You can mix the syrup containing inulin with the normal fructose syrup to your liking and thus an individual, optimal balance between sweetness and rich inulin supply"

https://www.topinambur-manufaktur.de/Jerusalem-artichoke-syrup-inulin-bio

However,

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41685/

 

[Supercow]

Here's a guy talking at length about using fartichokes as a pesticide ?? -

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

It looks like it should be possible yes... just not sure whether it would be sweet - "You can mix the syrup containing inulin with the normal fructose syrup to your liking and thus an individual, optimal balance between sweetness and rich inulin supply"

https://www.topinambur-manufaktur.de/Jerusalem-artichoke-syrup-inulin-bio

However,

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41685/

Slow cooking a mix of starch with water for hours with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) hydrolyzes the starch into glucose and fructose and produces a sweet syrup. So i guess there is a good chance that the same will happen to an inulin solution.
The slow cooking is the essential part of making a delicious syrup and gives the acid plenty of time to do its job.
We will see how the harvest is this year, i have ordered just 30 tubers…

 

[Supercow]

Slow cooking a mix of starch with water for hours with ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) hydrolyzes the starch into glucose and fructose and produces a sweet syrup. So i guess there is a good chance that the same will happen to an inulin solution.
The slow cooking is the essential part of making a delicious syrup and gives the acid plenty of time to do its job.
We will see how the harvest is this year, i have ordered just 30 tubers…

That was my impression also originally about hydrolysis but I was thrown off by that page mentioning hey you should maybe mix it with fructose syrup ... maybe it's a translation issue (they also say Reach instead of rich).

 

[Canadian Wind]

@Supercow Sorry for any confusion about wiping the eggs. I only do that (barely) when I put them in an incubator. Otherwise, Momma knows best as previously mentioned!

 

[Canadian Wind]

My hope is that either the fartichokes or the yacon will be able to take over my whole hill-site from the broom-grass and provide me, the dux, the bees and the wildlife with an infinite source of carbo-hydrates. Just in case things go really wrong in the …

THEY WILL!

 

[Jenbirdee]

THEY WILL!

what is yacon

 

[Luv Ducks]

I wipe the majority of the much off as best as I can with a slightly (barely) damp paper towel That's it. Ducks are notoriously messy, yet their eggs hatch out fine with a momma on them.


See above.


A larger egg ensure the duckling will be able to develop properly and give it room to move at that crucial hatching moment.


For those left in the duck house, only pick the larger ones (without them being overly large, like a double-yoke).


I've never had issues with leaving the drake in with the ducks.


It may... It takes a duck several days before she starts sitting on the eggs she's layed, you may have some that are feeling the pull of broodiness. That being said, KC are not known for this trait, so that may be as far as their mothering instinct goes.

Good luck, let us know how it goes!

My Best Momma Duck is my little Mallard. She was less than a year old and made a nest when it was still cold out, early March in Ohio. She hatched out 11 baby ducks. She was great with them but I did separate the drake. He had previously carried a baby out of a nest that another duck ended up abandoning and killed it. All drakes are different. I rehomed him. The only problem I have with her is she throws off drakes. Out of 30 some ducklings only two were females. Good luck with your decision, My only other duck to go broody was a Muscovy.