The Quack Shack

[Luv Ducks]

Holy Cow!
I was not aware that these t-posts are available in eight foot length!
I have seen them in stores only in 4' length which is sufficient for fences but not to support any overhead structures. - So 8' t-posts plus a sycamore tree trunk attached sounds like the new plan.
Thank you very much!

You are most welcome. I get mine from our local hardware store, that way I could drill them into the ground far enough to make them really sturdy. Hopefully you can find them there. I just bought some 6 and a half foot ones the other day as they were heavy ones also. They have the cheaper ones but I need them to be able to hold up snow when it comes. They will be easier to drill into the ground for me when my back feels up to it again.

 

[Supercow]

@Miss Lydia @WannaBeHillBilly our ducks have a free run of about 3000 sqm (3/4 of an acre) of mostly orchard. There are also bushes to hide in.

However... the big drake has become proficient at hunting down the ducks that he particularly likes. So the ones that are not eager for his attention have learnt to just stay away from the main flock all day (except for pea time . If he sees them he is for sure able to pin them down.

We are providing some discouragement in the form of picking him up, pressing him down and generally showing him that he is maybe not the alpha. But this lesson needs to be refreshed every so often and in any case we don't consider it to be surefire and definite.

Based on everything you told me, I'd say the situation is this:

- it's quite likely things would turn out well (esp considering that we are out of the main mating season);
- however, if they don't, there's the potential that they go catastrophically bad;
- so if at all logistically possible, it would indeed be a good idea (erring on the side of caution) for the (not so) little ducks to be maybe 4-5 months old before we could merge them with the others without extra worries.

Correct?

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is what I would do if mine.i use a dog exercise pen to put my young ones in when I can’t be out with them. If I can be out I let the young ones mingle and keep watch on the drakes.

 

[Jenbirdee]

That's what i meant with "circumstances"…
And of course it all depends on the individual drake: Mayhem Drake here lives up to his name and the ducks avoid him where on the other hand Harry Duckhini attends his ducknagers when Sunny is busy elsewhere. Some drakes are just drakeholes…

do you think that drakes who were handled a lot by their person the first 2 months of life will be calmer and nicer boys ? i am hoping this since i have now one pekin drake 11 weeks old and one cayuga x drake 6 weeks old. So far they are nice babies .

 

[Canadian Wind]

do you think that drakes who were handled a lot by their person the first 2 months of life will be calmer and nicer boys ? i am hoping this since i have now one pekin drake 11 weeks old and one cayuga x drake 6 weeks old. So far they are nice babies .

If you keep handling them, there's a good chance they will. Although all bets are off once the hormones hit!

 

[Canadian Wind]

So my turn for sad news. Lost 8 juvenile muscovy (including the ones I planned on keeping!) when something broke into their pen in the middle of the day! There were 17 in the pen, and I found out about the break-in only because I found one of the ducklings peeping under my trailer. Their pen is downhill at the other end of the property and can't be seen from here or the house.

I thought the little one had just found a way out so went to inspect, and found the pen destroyed. Eight had sought the shelter of their coop, but I've yet to find any of the others... No blood or feathers/fluff anywhere.

 

[Jenbirdee]

So my turn for sad news. Lost 8 juvenile muscovy (including the ones I planned on keeping!) when something broke into their pen in the middle of the day! There were 17 in the pen, and I found out about the break-in only because I found one of the ducklings peeping under my trailer. Their pen is downhill at the other end of the property and can't be seen from here or the house.

I thought the little one had just found a way out so went to inspect, and found the pen destroyed. Eight had sought the shelter of their coop, but I've yet to find any of the others... No blood or feathers/fluff anywhere.

oh no
what kind of predators are in your area that could destroy a pen?
i’m so sorry.

 

[Jenbirdee]

on a cheerful note- i just have to show y'all Calliope’s odd brown head feather poofs. the side one looks like a gill and the little top one is a tiny crest. she now has a full name : Calliope Gillcrest.
the breeder i got her from said she’s not 100% ancona, but i don’t know how she got those

 

[Miss Lydia]

So my turn for sad news. Lost 8 juvenile muscovy (including the ones I planned on keeping!) when something broke into their pen in the middle of the day! There were 17 in the pen, and I found out about the break-in only because I found one of the ducklings peeping under my trailer. Their pen is downhill at the other end of the property and can't be seen from here or the house.

I thought the little one had just found a way out so went to inspect, and found the pen destroyed. Eight had sought the shelter of their coop, but I've yet to find any of the others... No blood or feathers/fluff anywhere.

Do you have bears? for the pen to be destroyed sounds like a bear

 

[Miss Lydia]

I had a muscovy duckling who I had to take in becasue mama didn't want him and tried to kill him. He was my baby up until he died this past March at almost 13 yrs old, Sweetest boy until 4-5months hit and hormones began. I went and got him 3 females 2 are still living just turned 13, But he was sure a handful once puberty began. Just to me though becasue I was his mama. He was loved by his females. Even though he was a stinker I sure do miss him. All of my drakes that have been raised by mama ducks have never been aggressive.