The Quack Shack

[Supercow]

One thing that i experienced with my CCI was, that if the eggs are approaching hatch day, they start to produce their own heat. Lot's of heat. So the high temperature alert on my styrofoam-box went off over and over again - it was also very warm outside, so i ended up having to regulate the temperature by opening the lid more or less, like the windows in a green-house.
Keeping the eggs on the cold side is better than over-heating.

Thanks, I'll be careful about that.
Everything in this process is so new to me... But then so many others have done well with it so I have faith it will work out. I do also have jitters along the way

 

[Canadian Wind]

What color are your Call Ducks may I ask? Mine are Pastel that I just got from Metzer. My one has pasty butt but is doing just fine, eating and drinking so hopefully it will be alright. It is very active and runs around like crazy so it must have been just from the stress of getting here. I have it on Save A Chick and regular Purina duckling food that I raise all of mine on. I am amazed at how much they can eat being so tiny, lol.

Plain ol' grays.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Thanks, I'll be careful about that.
Everything in this process is so new to me... But then so many others have done well with it so I have faith it will work out. I do also have jitters along the way

We all get the jitters when hatching.

 

[Canadian Wind]

I was thinking that maybe it's a realistic idea to have one Muscovy in the flock who would then be everybody's broody mama. Her own ducklings would be sterile (I think?) but they would also look different so the situation would not arise where I give/sell somebody a "good layer" and they get a mule.

... Actually as it seems now (reading along) a mallard-family drake and a female Muscovy create a hinny which does lay eggs although they won't hatch; I wonder what kind of egg production a Khaki drake would bring into the mix - would it be Khaki superstar level or not.

Getting a Muscovy or two is never a bad idea!

And don't listen to Hillbilly, mine are absolute darlings. Or rather, I don't let them get away with anything!

 

[Luv Ducks]

And that's where your thinking went a bit off track: Wild Mallards do not just lay an egg a day or so. They carefully select a nesting location, then lay a clutch of eggs and start sitting.
Momma Mallard will defend her nest with her life, going on the attack against predators twice her size, pretending to be injured to draw the attention away from her eggs, doing everything in her power to make sure that her eggs and later her ducklings will survive. That includes walking her offspring to a certain HillBilly who is dumb enough to make weird noises when he spots the little ones and hands out large quantities of free food.
There is nothing wrong with going for the best available equipment if you can afford it and it is important enough for you.

My Mallard hen will make awful noises whenever she leaves her nest just daring someone to come near it. The rest of the ducks have always left her alone with the exception of one year when only one hatched and somehow it landed out in the middle of the duck pen after a big rain drowned. I blamed it on the drake I had at the time because he wanted to mate with her again. After that she deserted the nest and gave up on it. They make great Momma's but I have had mine leave her ducklings as early as 3 weeks when it was still cold out but they all huddled together and survived just fine which surprised me.

 

[p4PaDuck]

Omg. I went to TSC. Bad idea. Bought 4 guineas. I know nothing about guineas. The TSC person said I could feed them duck starter. Anybody have guineas advice?

They eat layer feed/all flock, they are usually the bullies in the flock and are extremely loud. If you don’t want them flying off in the distance keep them in the run and coop until 4-5 mouths. Clip their wings. My friend has guineas and some wild turkeys stopped by and the guineas went with them!! Very good free rangers and will forge well. You can keep them with chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys. I have found that guineas and geese don’t fight and have had the least problems keeping them together. If you have male guineas and roosters get rid of one species males. I have had guickens a chicken/Guinea cross so there’s that too. They also make very good alarm birds, but are extremely stupid and will have their faces in a predators face!! Overall they are good birds just really loud.

 

[p4PaDuck]

Omg. I went to TSC. Bad idea. Bought 4 guineas. I know nothing about guineas. The TSC person said I could feed them duck starter. Anybody have guineas advice?

Don’t feed them duck food. Chick started is good for them it fits their nutritional needs better.

 

[Supercow]

And now for something completely different...

Is there a body of knowledge about how/what drakes communicate?

Ours just keeps murmuring all day long. It's a nice pleasant sound, like a very small but talkative frog. But it goes on and on. We enjoy it but are curious as to what he could be "talking about".

 

[Luv Ducks]

Getting a Muscovy or two is never a bad idea!

And don't listen to Hillbilly, mine are absolute darlings. Or rather, I don't let them get away with anything!

Mine are really sweet also and are some of my friendliest ducks. They will eat out of my hand and they have chased a duck or two in their lifetime but never hurt anyone.

 

[Canadian Wind]

And now for something completely different...

Is there a body of knowledge about how/what drakes communicate?

Ours just keeps murmuring all day long. It's a nice pleasant sound, like a very small but talkative frog. But it goes on and on. We enjoy it but are curious as to what he could be "talking about".

Yeah, ducks tend to be very talkative as a whole. Some of my drakes talk more than the ducks!