The Quack Shack

[rjohns39]

Hi everybody.

Good morning Lisa, have a great day

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hi all. Hope you’re all having a good one whatever it is. I’m sitting on the patio watching the ducks enjoy the pool and all the mud puddles they’ve created this afternoon out by the lemon tree. They get so excited
@WannaBeHillBilly I was wondering if you know about what age the white layers start to lay? Just curious, but I’m getting excited to try duck eggs! The Runners should start by around the beginning of June.

From my experience the White Layers start to lay a bit earlier than the Runners, maybe a week or 10 days. But they need some time to go from pigeon-eggs to goose-eggs and back to duck-eggs.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Good Afternoon, Evening, Night, Morning or Day to everybody on the beautiful blue marble planet!

 

[igorsMistress]

From my experience the White Layers start to lay a bit earlier than the Runners, maybe a week or 10 days. But they need some time to go from pigeon-eggs to goose-eggs and back to duck-eggs.

Thanks! The white girls are a couple of months younger than the Runners so I’m not expecting anything soon. I’ve read a bit about the Runners and there seems to be quite a spread in opinion on when they start to lay.

 

[Pyxis]

The turkeys are on my crap list.

So I have a goose, Lacie, that I raised as a single gosling and she imprinted on me. I adore her. She's eight now. She always goes broody every year if she gets even three or four eggs in her nest.

This year is no different. She's been on a nest for a little over a week now. As I was out there today, she came off the nest and I saw that her leg was really bothering her. I caught her and it seemed fine, so I figured I'd keep an eye on it and if it wasn't improved in a couple days we'd go to the vet (yep, she's one of the only 'poultry' birds I have that I will take to the vet).

Well, I was doing a project today, putting up new netting over the bantam duck pen, so I was out there watching for a good while. She came out when she heard me changing the pools, then stopped right out of the coop and laid down, poor girl.

Cinnamon, the new turkey hen, ran over and started hassling her. Apollo, good gander that he is, ran over and started hissing and trying to get between her and Lacie, but these are small geese and Cinnamon is bigger than he is. Poor Lacie gave up trying to get away and laid down.

At which point Cranberry, the tom, came over and hopped on her and started attempting to mate. Well, I think I discovered the source of the leg injury. And as Cranberry has her pinned down, Cinnamon started attacking her face.

So of course I ran over and knocked Cranberry off and picked Lacie up. I ended up deciding that she'd need to go into the bantam duck pen to heal. So I put her in there. She got into their little pool to have a splash around, at least.

But that means I had to take her off her nest. So the eggs are now in my incubator, sigh. I'll set up a new nest in the bantam duck pen and put some fake eggs in it and see if she'll settle, and if she does she can have the real eggs back.

I was halfway to tossing all the turkeys in with the emus. I would have, too, if the coop in that pasture was in shape for habitation (it's not, another project). Boy, would they have learned fast about who the big birds around here really are.

I've decided that they ARE going in with the emus, as soon as the coop is back in shape. Them and the guineas.

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

I'm more and more convinced geese get such a bad wrap, poor Lacie. Interested to see how CIara takes to the turkeys.

 

[Pyxis]

Here are the troublemakers:

Please excuse the mud, we are right in the middle of mud season.

 

[igorsMistress]

Here are the troublemakers:

Please excuse the mud, we are right in the middle of mud season.

But, but, but look how cute they are!

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Here are the troublemakers:

Please excuse the mud, we are right in the middle of mud season.

so innocent looking!

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

@duluthralphie where are you?