Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[Kevin565]

I've got a few new fluff balls this evening.


Bantam Lavender Ameraucanas. What in the world would you ask for these cute little things? Not going to start keeping chickens and they were a bonus with my silkie duck eggs.

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

I just went out to lock the ducks in their house for the night and my black east indie duck was laying in the mud and struggling to get up. Leg injury. Perfect end to a ridiculous week.

Neghbors up the road are throwing a loud party. Can't hear it in the house, but can hear it fine from my duck yard. Idiots. No wonder the ducks were all freaked out and the dog too.

Took injured duck and put it in a pet crate upstairs in the hatching room. Gave some sav-a-chick in her water and did my best to make her comfortable. She's always been a skittish little thing, so I covered her temporary home with a towel in the hopes of keeping her calm. Fingers crossed it's nothing severe and a bit of rest away from the flock helps her recover.

I have this sneaky feeling that the silkie duck I have is also a girl (not used to the sounds of bantam ducks), so now to hopefully hatch a male and a female from the eggs I have now. Farm silkie needs a new girl and my little girls need a boyfriend. I'd offer to buy farm silkie, but then I'd be breeding father to daughter which would be bad. Not that I would intentionally breed a silkie to a bei, but they do deserve companionship.

Ugh, I'm going to bed.

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Oh, and did I mention that I apparently have to attend a wedding on silkie duck hatch day?

Okay, now I'm really going to bed.

 

[Wulfandwyn]

Well I have now seen at least one skunk in the duck area...it is fairly small and was able to squeeze through the chain link dog kennel so I now know at least one place I need reinforcing.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Goin ... $5 - $7 each straight run is the usual asking price on the Lav Am

Wulf, weasels, raccoons (very young), skunks, and opposum can all get through chain link openings. It is reccomended to back side attach hardware cloth to it from the ground up going 2-3' high. It is also good to use it as a skirt across the ground (most burry it) 8-12" out away from the bottom of the chain link. Hog rings and the pliers to close them make the best way to attach hardware cloth to itself or another wire.


Iain.... Glad the vet gave a good check up last night. What fencing are you using on your yards? Make sure it isn't something like chicken wire that bends easily. As they get bigger they can and often will walk right over it. Also be careful with the younger outside without cover. You would be surprised what predators are around you never thought you had.

 

[Marty1876]

We are back from the vet! My injured buff girl is doing great. The swelling is gone and everything looks nice. We are to finish up her antibiotics, but otherwise she got the all clear for turnout tomorrow to live with Barley and company. Yay!!

As for Spirit.... vet thinks she is doing better than she expected. Her hips and legs are staying nice and straight, she does a good job keeping her club foot under her, and has overall very good balance. Vet trimmed her nails to eliminate them accidentally catching on things. She is at good weight, but approves my cutting her back to 16% mazuri only (which I did a few days ago) and no additional supplements necessary. She thought she was building callous well, and said to not wrap foot for better traction now as it is important she develop a solid callous on club for long-term traction. She said it was good for me to hobble her last night to avoid the overnight laying in a side split position, but to avoid using hobbles whenever I can and instead more carefully control exercise time.

For now, she must continue to live inside house in her small brooder pen (with a companion) and we are to take her outside for 30 minutes per day for important sunshine vitamin d, exercise and callous building on club. Vet said it is really important for sunshine to build bone and callous on club for better traction, but we must keep her restricted and quiet to lower risk of tearing muscles/tendons.

Vet said she will have her good days and bad days, because she is growing so fast which changes her center of gravity and weight bearing load that we must take it slow. We will bring her back in 2 weeks for follow-up.

Vet was full of smiles and quite pleased with both of my girls. Hope we continue to have good progress!

So glad spirit is coming along well. Go baby spirit!

 

[Wulfandwyn]

Thanks for the info Celtic. I had already bought hardware cloth but have been too sick to install it, so now I will really have to get cracking. It was just shocking to see it squeeze through with my own eyes.

Wulf, weasels, raccoons (very young), skunks, and opposum can all get through chain link openings. It is reccomended to back side attach hardware cloth to it from the ground up going 2-3' high. It is also good to use it as a skirt across the ground (most burry it) 8-12" out away from the bottom of the chain link. Hog rings and the pliers to close them make the best way to attach hardware cloth to itself or another wire.

 

[Iain Utah]

Thanks, guys!! Spirit looks good this morning. I think she has fully recovered from overexerting herself the other day. I look forward to starting her on her new physical therapy program today. We have a goal to build better callouses and leg strength by our next appt to hopefully increase outside time.

Quackers, very sorry about your rotten day. The lavender chicks are precious! Sure you don't want to keep them? I'm not a chicken person, but I'd be hard pressed to sell those adorable babies. What is hatch date on your silkie duckies? I wouldn't go anywhere on that day, if it were me. They are your birthday babies!

Celtic, my goslings' yards are fenced with 4ft tall 14g no climb fence. Alpha gander (boy, does he ever want to adopt every single gosling.... greedy bird) spends most of his day guarding perimeter of fence and our dogs are also outside a lot, too (they share back fence line which is double fenced with 12 g field and 14 g no climb. There are shelters in the yards, but they don't seem to use them.

We got our 1st predator alert yesterday. A raccoon is trying to get my neighbors' chicks. So he set a trap last night and we moved our bachelor duck flock back into coop to secure them at night. Hubby and I are debating on separating our cayuga breeding pair and leaving the rest in the coop as they are still young vs separating them into boys/girls. Either way, we took the warning seriously and will make them more secure. We are also in planning stage to make a secure pen to lock up the africans at night (at least my favorite pair, No. 1 and Ebay), as I would be heartbroken to lose them and No. 1, being so much slower than the rest, is the likeliest target for a predator. I think the africans know something is up, because they have been sleeping on driveway in front of garage overnight recently.

 

[Wulfandwyn]

Here are some photos of the new babies and the "'incubator tester" eggs I bought.


One Muscovy Duckling and two mini silver appleyard ducklings,



The newest muscovy duckling unless more of those eggs hatch...mama duck abandoned the eggs after the first three were born. I will have to get some photos of those soon too. The incubator has already come in handy.


The new mystery eggs I bought...at least a mystery to me. I sent off an email to find out what I was sent. The picture colors are not quite right for the next two photos.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123#ht_1270wt_1185



More of the mystery eggs.


Penciled Runner "incubator testing" eggs

 

[Iain Utah]

Wulf, your mini silver apples are precious!! Congrats!!