The Quack Shack

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Our Mr. Drake has finally figured out the concept of a pool today - after 2 months, and after 2 years of living without one in his original home.

He was super motivated because his favorite duck, who is not that happy about being favorite, kept escaping into the pool.

He's still quite clumsy, doesn't use the provided fruit tray steps, just kinda hauls himself in over the edge like climbing a fence... but he does get in

Wait until Mr. Drake figures out how much fun it is to use the ducks as floats or surfboards in the pool…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

How about Alkmene as a modern alternative / successor to Cox's Orange? It is said to be quite disease resistant. We don't grow it yet as I haven't yet decided to assimilate another bit of the field into the orchard

https://www.orangepippintrees.com/trees/apple-trees/alkmene

About the expensive Ribes family plants -- even if the first one is expensive you then grow a horde of them out of that one... Raintree nursery?

Thank you very much for the link, i haven't found that web-page and the nursery that is actually growing and shipping their stuff (https://www.cumminsnursery.com/)

And yes, i know Raintree Nursery, they haven't gotten the message:

I have called them last year, sent them the link to Kanawha County's web-site, all in vain They don't ship to West Virginia.

And it has turned out not to be too easy to grow cuttings. At least not from my Gooseberries.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I'm happy I found gooseberries growing here on the property. I should try to gather some clippings this Spring and make a small area of just those.

Not sure what the regulations/laws are in Canada, but if you manage to grow lot's of these you should be able to sell them on the local (½ legal) street-market.
If i manage to grow as many tomatoes as i did last year, i will try to sell them here on the local P&R market.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Not sure what the regulations/laws are in Canada, but if you manage to grow lot's of these you should be able to sell them on the local (½ legal) street-market.
If i manage to grow as many tomatoes as i did last year, i will try to sell them here on the local P&R market.

It would be a while before that, and honestly, I'd want to make jams or other preserves to last through the winter. But, it's an interesting thought.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

It would be a while before that, and honestly, I'd want to make jams or other preserves to last through the winter. But, it's an interesting thought.

I had the idea last year, when i was suddenly overrun with Tomato plants. In theory i could plant acres of vegetables, but you can only eat and freeze so much stuff, even when the dux are "helping". Last year i had overfed them with tomatoes, whenever they saw me with some red or yellow berries in my hands, they took off.

I bought those 6x2 seedling starter trays for 10¢ a piece, soil i have for free thanks to the dux, seeds from my own plants, so if i sell a tray of six plants for $3 (75¢ per plant) i make $2.25 per tray. I bought 120 trays…

 

[Luv Ducks]

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.

Frank where would you get your Muscovy Ducks from? Metzer sells them unsexed and I can find them on CL all of the time here. That is where I ended up getting mine from. Two were ducklings and I got a Male and Female so I ended up rehoming the Male as he got up to 15 pounds but was too hard on my Hens. I found a 3 month old blue eyed beauty Hen on CL that I traded a Mule Duck Male for and that made my other one Happier since her mate was gone. Good luck on getting yours if you decide to get any. They produce great eggs.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Frank where would you get your Muscovy Ducks from? Metzer sells them unsexed and I can find them on CL all of the time here. That is where I ended up getting mine from. Two were ducklings and I got a Male and Female so I ended up rehoming the Male as he got up to 15 pounds but was too hard on my Hens. I found a 3 month old blue eyed beauty Hen on CL that I traded a Mule Duck Male for and that made my other one Happier since her mate was gone. Good luck on getting yours if you decide to get any. They produce great eggs.

I would buy immediately from any hatchery, if they would offer sexed ducklings! - No hatchery does, which makes me think that Muscovy ducklings cannot be sexed or that it is very difficult.
I have a permanent search on CL, but so far nothing came up but these pesky Leonard Building offers… Rumor has it that there are some feral Muscovy Populations around here, so maybe some of them will decide to like my place, like the Mallards did.

 

[Luv Ducks]

I would buy immediately from any hatchery, if they would offer sexed ducklings! - No hatchery does, which makes me think that Muscovy ducklings cannot be sexed or that it is very difficult.
I have a permanent search on CL, but so far nothing came up but these pesky Leonard Building offers… Rumor has it that there are some feral Muscovy Populations around here, so maybe some of them will decide to like my place, like the Mallards did.

We have quite a few that people see in our Rivers here in Ohio and we are just right next door to your state Frank so hopefully they will.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Trudy Goose lad her first egg of 2024 today!!
(its always so eggciting to see that first egg each year!)

 

[Luv Ducks]

We have quite a few that people see in our Rivers here in Ohio and we are just right next door to your state Frank so hopefully they will.

When I looked up why hatcheries don't sell sexed Muscovy ducklings it said it hurts them to be sexed. That makes sense so it said to buy more mature birds so you will know what you are getting. My one was three months old and they told me she was a Hen and she is so I was lucky with being able to make a trade to get her.