The Quack Shack

[Canadian Wind]

As a young duck, Violeta and her sister Olivia were quiet, shy ducks. That changed after they went broody for the first time. This is Olivia Duck in April 2020, just a year and three months old then:

She started getting a bit more vocal today. I figure once she's settled in, I'll see her true personality!

Matcha Duck does not look like a Swedish Duck. She similar in size as Mochi Duck. Ralphie Drake and Fried Duck here are significantly larger than Violeta, Boots and Sandals are almost Pekin size - but that might be a hybridization side effect. My guess is that Matcha is a Magpie. Does she have a large white bib on her chest?

She doesn't have the body shape for a Magpie. She looks more like a Pekin mix to me. She does have the bib. My Magpie are slim and smaller than the other breeds.

You need one of these collapsible hoses. - As do i, i am always too lazy to roll up the heavy-duty hoses after use and then they get punctured.

Still wouldn't be able to use it, I don't have an insulated tap outside. And I doubt my daughter would get one.

Their plumage might not improve before their spring molt, but then they will shine.

Oh, I figured! The Muscovy will suffer from bad plumage until Autumn most probably, as they rarely moult in the Spring!

Be prepared! - My right boot became stuck today and i had to walk on my sock to the next shovel and back…

Yes, the weather is getting milder, but March is a very deceptive month. April too at times. But I just got myself some winter rubber boots (I could have used those at the start of the season!) and have regular rubber boots, so I should be fine. My main concern is slipping. I do that regularly...

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Just stumbled upon Hoover's Hatchery's web-site, they have two unusual breeds of ducks in their shop:

• Dark Khaki Campbell, cousins to the Khaki Campbell. Never heart of such a breed.
• Golden Cascade, developed by Dave Holderread of Oregon. I always wanted these but they only sell straight-run and a minimum of 15 ducklings.

And of course they do drop-shipping of Metzer's Muscovy Ducks, also unsexed and also minimum 15. Is there any reason why nobody is selling sexed Muscovy ducklings?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Just curious, but why would you want them? They aren't hardy in your zone, from what I read.

Well, thanks to @Magnolia Ducks i am now addicted to Sorghum Syrup and as producing Sorghum Syrup isn't going to work for me (lack of equipment) and Corn Syrup is highly unhealthy, i am searching for alternative sources of plant based sugars that i can turn into Syrup…
According to Wikipedia, the Yacon is »traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina« if i remember my geography classes correctly, the Andes is a Mountain range in South America. On mountains, so my assumption, the weather can be pretty cold, so these plants should be able to withstand some frost, at least the underground parts. I mean i am not living as close to the north-pole as you. My neighbors don't use reindeer to pull their trucks…
And Yacon is very different from Yuca, aka Cassava, which in fact is a tropical plant that is »extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions«
Not to be confused with the different kinds of Yucca, which indeed are not frost resistant: »They are native to the Americas and the Caribbean in a wide range of habitats, from humid rainforest and wet subtropical ecosystems to the hot and dry (arid) deserts and savanna.«

Hope you are confused now!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

She started getting a bit more vocal today. I figure once she's settled in, I'll see her true personality!

She will be loud! - All my Buffs have been loud…

She doesn't have the body shape for a Magpie. She looks more like a Pekin mix to me. She does have the bib. My Magpie are slim and smaller than the other breeds.

A dead give-away for the Magpies are their delicate legs, When they run, it almost looks like the legs are rotating like in some older comics. If Matcha has strong legs, she is more likely to be a Black Swedish [mix].

Still wouldn't be able to use it, I don't have an insulated tap outside. And I doubt my daughter would get one.

You can build a frost resistant tap, just some scrap-wood, some insulation material and a heat source like heat-tape, heat-cable or an incandescent light bulb. I am using a heat-cable and covered the outlet with some old packing material - which the ducks enjoy ripping apart…

Oh, I figured! The Muscovy will suffer from bad plumage until Autumn most probably, as they rarely moult in the Spring!

Really? They do that only in fall. I didn't knew that.

Yes, the weather is getting milder, but March is a very deceptive month. April too at times. But I just got myself some winter rubber boots (I could have used those at the start of the season!) and have regular rubber boots, so I should be fine. My main concern is slipping. I do that regularly...

This year is crazy: The Roses are starting to grow leaves and flower buds here! So do the Peach and the Plum tree. Tomorrow i will have have have to spray the roses and all fruit trees and berry shrubs with the anti-fungal stuff. Once they have grown their leaves its too late. And i hope that after the deceptive March there won't come a fools April.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Just stumbled upon Hoover's Hatchery's web-site, they have two unusual breeds of ducks in their shop:

• Dark Khaki Campbell, cousins to the Khaki Campbell. Never heart of such a breed.
• Golden Cascade, developed by Dave Holderread of Oregon. I always wanted these but they only sell straight-run and a minimum of 15 ducklings.

And of course they do drop-shipping of Metzer's Muscovy Ducks, also unsexed and also minimum 15. Is there any reason why nobody is selling sexed Muscovy ducklings?

Your best bet for Muscovy are from local breeders. I've found most hatcheries only offer the white colour, too. BLEH!

 

[Canadian Wind]

Well, thanks to @Magnolia Ducks i am now addicted to Sorghum Syrup and as producing Sorghum Syrup isn't going to work for me (lack of equipment) and Corn Syrup is highly unhealthy, i am searching for alternative sources of plant based sugars that i can turn into Syrup…
According to Wikipedia, the Yacon is »traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina« if i remember my geography classes correctly, the Andes is a Mountain range in South America. On mountains, so my assumption, the weather can be pretty cold, so these plants should be able to withstand some frost, at least the underground parts. I mean i am not living as close to the north-pole as you. My neighbors don't use reindeer to pull their trucks…
And Yacon is very different from Yuca, aka Cassava, which in fact is a tropical plant that is »extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions«
Not to be confused with the different kinds of Yucca, which indeed are not frost resistant: »They are native to the Americas and the Caribbean in a wide range of habitats, from humid rainforest and wet subtropical ecosystems to the hot and dry (arid) deserts and savanna.«

Hope you are confused now!

No, I looked up the link you originally gave, lol. I thought I'd read that they weren't tolerant of freezing, and last time I checked you still get freezing, even if no neighbours have caribou!

 

[Canadian Wind]

She will be loud! - All my Buffs have been loud…

Can't compare to Panic Duck! There's a reason for her name!

A dead give-away for the Magpies are their delicate legs, When they run, it almost looks like the legs are rotating like in some older comics. If Matcha has strong legs, she is more likely to be a Black Swedish [mix].

I'm going to have to watch mine now! That sounds very interesting. But no, Matcha is a very solidly built girl. I'll try to get better pics of her standing and such.

You can build a frost resistant tap, just some scrap-wood, some insulation material and a heat source like heat-tape, heat-cable or an incandescent light bulb. I am using a heat-cable and covered the outlet with some old packing material - which the ducks enjoy ripping apart…

Too much work and trouble! Especially having to power it. We have few enough outlets outside, the ones we do power my trailer and my freezer.

This year is crazy: The Roses are starting to grow leaves and flower buds here! So do the Peach and the Plum tree. Tomorrow i will have have have to spray the roses and all fruit trees and berry shrubs with the anti-fungal stuff. Once they have grown their leaves its too late. And i hope that after the deceptive March there won't come a fools April.

Yeah, I saw a maple tree in bud the other day. Way too early around here for that! Around the property here though, all seems normal for this time of year. Which is to say, too much snow and ice, and the trees are all bare.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Your best bet for Muscovy are from local breeders. I've found most hatcheries only offer the white colour, too. BLEH!

I would not mind having a small flock of white Muscovies, 3-4 ducks, one drake. They will have plenty of ducklings and as far as i know colors will emerge very quickly.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

No, I looked up the link you originally gave, lol. I thought I'd read that they weren't tolerant of freezing, and last time I checked you still get freezing, even if no neighbours have caribou!

According to that original link, section "cultivation": »Yacón can easily be grown in gardens in climates with only light freezes.« - Here, even the potatoes that i (and the dux) miss will grow in the following year. If the ground freezes, it will freeze only 1-3cm deep and this winter the ground never really froze. So the Yacon should be fine.

 

[Supercow]

This year is crazy: The Roses are starting to grow leaves and flower buds here! So do the Peach and the Plum tree. Tomorrow i will have have have to spray the roses and all fruit trees and berry shrubs with the anti-fungal stuff. Once they have grown their leaves its too late.

Better to try and find resistant / tolerant varieties. It's the only thing that works for me since there are so many things I want to try, so many roses, fruit trees at I'd like to plant, and only so much time... Kordes Rosen in Germany specializes in no-spray and I believe they also have USA representation, for example - https://www.chambleeroses.com/catalog/roses/kordes-roses/

Over here snowdrops are almost done, the first daffodils are opening up and the apricot trees are almost ready to start.