The Quack Shack

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Thank you!

I also found (on Quora) an answer from a retired vet which says that a single mating can be enough for 10-14 eggs, so basically an entire clutch the hen would assemble before sitting, if she were inclined to sit. The link seems long, I hope it works.

https://www.quora.com/How-many-eggs...&share=371023a5&srid=5yMXF&target_type=answer

Trust me - and the drake: It won't be just one mating…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hi guys. Missed you all. Took a break and it will probably take me a week to catch up. Had a stray dog attack and lost 6 hens and all my drakes. Oh the positive side, I got my first goose egg today! So tomorrow is clean the other coop and separate the ducks and geese. So all the people that decided to get doggie during the pandemic are abandding them. they leave their collers on but take off the tags. If chipped, they just don't respond. Packs of dogs roving. I'm seeing5 or more a day. Pretty sad. The shelters are all closed to new submittals.

Irresponsible dog owners… I can only recommend triple »S«…
Sorry to hear that you have lost your ducks - again.
My new neighbor seemed to be more responsible than the last one, she said they had installed a wireless fence - shocking collar, bla, bla, bla. It didn't work as expected and a few days ago somebody drove into the creek to avoid a collision with the dogs. Passenger had to be airlifted to the hospital. If they have no insurance for these dogs we get new neighbors again.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Yep, not the coop but the electric fence. I know it was dogs because they were all p!ayed with to death not a bite out of anyone but the one survivor. She's been to the vet is on antibiotics. Clorohexidrine wash. But has some toes that may need amputation. The kicker is she's crested and I don't even want her. I gave my neighbor some runner drakes and hope I can trade her for one if I can get her well first.

Told you, get a neon-transformer and set up a trip-wire outside of the fence. That will keep everything away that keeps its nose close to the ground.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So sad. They broke into your electric fence boy they must have really been wanting them bad or maybe the charge wasn't strong enough to keep them out? Better super charge that fence.

The issue with electric fences is that the charge is pulsating, so if the dogs (or something else) are fast enough the push the fence down and are being hit just once, twice or not at all. Electric fences are designed to keep the poultry inside, not to keep predators out.
A neon transformer applies a permanent charge to a wire that is a way more painful experience than one spark per second. Trust me a, after touching the output of a cheap 10KV transformer the appetite for a duck-dinner is gone for a very long time. If you're really spiteful, attach some bacon to the high voltage line.
Just as a precaution, turn on that neon transformer only when you're away or over-night. Burn-Blisters at the part of the body you're supposed to sit on are a terrible experience…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Dang, that's rough. It just makes me hate people in general all the more. Poor dogs...

As well as your poor flock. I'm surprised there hasn't been any issues with abandoned dogs out here. Just that fox!

Don't
jinx
it!​

Here there are a lot of stray dogs and plenty of them have been stung by my air-rifle…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

They make awesome omelets .

I like dux eggs better! - If i remember correctly the goose-eggs' yolks were somewhat of a disappointment for me. Best eggs i ever had were the ones from the Bantam Xickens, almost no white.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Mr. Limpy had a generous day: He invited the wild Mallards over to a nice dinner:

All twenty-five of them…

 

[Supercow]

Are you sure, that you want to go through with ducklings at this time of the year?

At this point I'm just collecting "technical information" - we would start incubating the eggs one way or another in March or more likely April when we can count on having user-friendly weather at the time of hatching.

Your points about ducklings are very valid. I realize that even though one is prepared rationally any serious problems, as well as managing surplus drakes, feel different and very acute when they actually happen.

So it's not a 100% decision yet but we felt that having a drake in the flock seems like a good thing whether we move forward with ducklings this year or not, especially since he's a really fine specimen and the KC breed is for some reason relatively rare in our country.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Mr. Limpy had a generous day: He invited the wild Mallards over to a nice dinner:

All twenty-five of them…

Was that Blanca in the background screaming about giving those freeloaders all *her* food?

 

[Luv Ducks]

Mr. Limpy had a generous day: He invited the wild Mallards over to a nice dinner:

All twenty-five of them…

Your feed bill is increasing daily it seems as the wild ones join in. I bet you will have some mating with yours in the spring soon too. I saw those drakes and Mallard drakes love to mate. That is why mine got rehomed. They were too rough on my girls. They will also try to drown them while mating so hopefully your hens will be safe in the pond. I don't know if they mean to do it or if they just get carried away, lol.