Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[Marty1876]

Hi Marty! Sorry to hear of your troubles, but wow what a nice selection of new birds. Got any pics of the blue cochins???

I can take some, they are like 10 days old now. Kind of grayish looking, actually.

 

[bellah1]

I love geese. I used to have a formula for checking goose eggs that had a goose setting on them. It goes like this:

1. Approach goose and listen to her hiss for a minute.
2. Extend hand and let her bite the side of it. She'll do her best to twist it off.
3. After she gets a good grip, raise your hand high enough that she has to stand to keep a good hold on you.
4. Examine eggs quickly, you have a 20 lb bird trying to take your hand off!
5. Lower hand and back away in a crouch, she'll usually return to the eggs very happily at having run off such a predator!
6. If she does get wild and try to follow you a bit, just trot away so she can feel victorious.

Never had one leave the nest over doing that, never cracked an egg. OTOH, Ida and the kids would just flip out and swear the bird was going to kill me. I told them the geese were a bit small for that, but they didn't like that big bird being outraged at me a bit. Try it with caution, your mileage may vary, no warranty express or implied. LOL. And don't blame me for the blue spot on your hand, either.

Still, it beat trying to catch them off the nest and checking for rotten eggs then. Approaching a nest that they've left for a minute just drives geese crazy, or it did mine. They'd run all the way from the pond, screaming their heads off if they thought anyone or anything was near the nests.

I did hatch a fair number of goslings though you really have better luck with setting them under hens. As I said before though, the hens have a tendency to dislike a chick that large and you can get some that will kill the goslings very easily if you aren't there to rescue them.

I love this! I have a black runner duck that went broody & her ducklings are due in a couple weeks but I put 1 call and 2 trout runner shipped eggs under her too and she was a lunatic! She stands crouching over her eggs then rears her head back and strikes! She got me once and it bled so I scooted the 3 shipped eggs with a broom to the edge of her nest and walked away, looked back and she brought all 3 under her. My husband started calling her black mamba!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Wow, that is bad luck. If you hatched them yourself, no chance someone unloaded a bunch of boys as "straight run."

This is my favorite thread, too. No drama and everyone is nice!

Even worse: the first cauyga from my eggs is hatched tonight, and the second. They aren't mine, but belong to the student I'm mentoring. They're probably girls too. Pfft.

I'm afraid I might have killed my Seb eggs with temp fluctuations. I'm not sure, though. They definitely started developing, but they look sort of funky. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

I love geese. I used to have a formula for checking goose eggs that had a goose setting on them. It goes like this:

1. Approach goose and listen to her hiss for a minute.
2. Extend hand and let her bite the side of it. She'll do her best to twist it off.
3. After she gets a good grip, raise your hand high enough that she has to stand to keep a good hold on you.
4. Examine eggs quickly, you have a 20 lb bird trying to take your hand off!
5. Lower hand and back away in a crouch, she'll usually return to the eggs very happily at having run off such a predator!
6. If she does get wild and try to follow you a bit, just trot away so she can feel victorious.

Never had one leave the nest over doing that, never cracked an egg. OTOH, Ida and the kids would just flip out and swear the bird was going to kill me. I told them the geese were a bit small for that, but they didn't like that big bird being outraged at me a bit. Try it with caution, your mileage may vary, no warranty express or implied. LOL. And don't blame me for the blue spot on your hand, either.

Still, it beat trying to catch them off the nest and checking for rotten eggs then. Approaching a nest that they've left for a minute just drives geese crazy, or it did mine. They'd run all the way from the pond, screaming their heads off if they thought anyone or anything was near the nests.

I did hatch a fair number of goslings though you really have better luck with setting them under hens. As I said before though, the hens have a tendency to dislike a chick that large and you can get some that will kill the goslings very easily if you aren't there to rescue them.

Love your stories! I'd be afraid of putting my hand in the mouth of any goose. Especially the attack geese where I work.

[/URL]

A couple of our first ever ducklings, they hatched on Friday, 3 days later than expected. My sons are delighted!

I love this! I have a black runner duck that went broody & her ducklings are due in a couple weeks but I put 1 call and 2 trout runner shipped eggs under her too and she was a lunatic! She stands crouching over her eggs then rears her head back and strikes! She got me once and it bled so I scooted the 3 shipped eggs with a broom to the edge of her nest and walked away, looked back and she brought all 3 under her. My husband started calling her black mamba!

I slipped some chicks under a broody hen sitting on ceramic eggs once. I wil never go near a broody chicken bare-handed ever again.

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Here's a couple photos that the student I'm mentoring sent me. He's got two cayugas and another working on escaping it's egg.

 

[bellah1]

Going Quackrrs where in western, wa are you? I'm about 25mins south of Seattle

 

[Pyxis]

Well, she's better today, so no need for this post Not sure what was up, but no more crackling sounds!

 

[ChristineR]

the best thing in the world is seeing a child with an animal and the delight that comes

enjoy!

x2 That's a precious picture of the boy and duckling.

I love this! I have a black runner duck that went broody & her ducklings are due in a couple weeks but I put 1 call and 2 trout runner shipped eggs under her too and she was a lunatic! She stands crouching over her eggs then rears her head back and strikes! She got me once and it bled so I scooted the 3 shipped eggs with a broom to the edge of her nest and walked away, looked back and she brought all 3 under her. My husband started calling her black mamba!

Yikes, I've never had a duck defend her nest like that!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Going Quackrrs where in western, wa are you? I'm about 25mins south of Seattle

I'm in Kitsap County. Port Orchard.

 

[bellah1]

I'm in Kitsap County. Port Orchard.

I just saw ur name is Kelly, are u the "the duck lady" at upton family farm?

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

I just saw ur name is Kelly, are u the "the duck lady" at upton family farm?

Yes, and you can thank my husband's exaggerations for "the duck lady" title. I'm actually a little embarassed he brags me up as much as he does.

Have you gotten ducklings from us? Maybe Black East Indies last year?