Washingtonians

[Chicken Rustler]

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Thank you and Sorry to say that The frog is sold. I think jbear bought it along with my crow/raven on the fence post. Again THANK YOU very much to all who bought any of my items. Also anything that you missed out on I can make again.
Also if you bought something I would REALLY like to see pics when you get it home and put up.
Also if you stopped by and looked at my work I would like to talk to you so please PM or e-mail me after the show.

 

[KazAnder Farms]

hey to the 2 people we bumped into at the show, We were bidding on the Midget White turkeys but unfortunately those 2 4H kids wanted them something fierce and were tied up in a bidding war. Nice looking birds, but not so central to our program. Well till the next show then!

 

[poularde]

Bump
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Thank you for this post. I written a couple emails. I hope everyone is aware.

 

[cheryl98117]

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Just from my own experience. Make sure your drake knows that people are above him in the pecking order! Muscovy drakes get BIG! Ive told this story befor and I tell it again just as a reference. But my 21 pound Muscovy drake took down and flogged my husbands 150 pound Nubian doe! They can and will do damage if protecting one or all of their girls! He was the worst in spring when breeding season started, but then mellowed out. But be aware, that just like with roosters, you have to watch them, as they will attac if they feel the need to.

Other than that, if you spend alot of time with them, they are VERY friendly ducks. Oh and dont get between the mommas and the newly hatched ducklings, they can give one heck of a flogging too. I hope you enjoy your flock of Scovies as much as I did. But be prepared for stinky messes when it comes time for brooding.

Wow! thanks for the info! That's incredible! So, how do you become the top Duck? I mean, how do you establish that pecking order, especially if they haven't been handled? I do intend to work with the babies when they come and hopefully the hens I have, but, I don't know much about poultry/ duck behavior, I thought if you don't work with them as babies there's not much you can do with adults? Any suggestions? These are very pretty ducks and I hope to have some nice babies out of them. Anyway, I certainly appreciate any advice the seasoned poultry keepers here on this thread could and do give!

I started out with ducklings. But I would emagine that the adults will come around, but it may take some time. Just sit out with them give them treats, talk with them, and if one gets pushy, get pushy back, dont ever let that drake think he has won a battle with you. Pin him down, and carry him around IF you can get ahold of him. Dont let the drake get away with flogging you or anyone else for that matter. They are incredibly smart. And remember that the Muscovy ducks can and will fly! The drakes can too when they are younger, but once full grown they can barely get 4 feet off the ground. Remember these are heavy bodied ducks.

Oh and remember to do your best to NOT grab them by their legs, without holding down their wings first! You may wind up holding the part that will tear you up, but those wings will bruise the crud out of you, and be forwarned! Block your eyes when having to restrain a flailing Scovy! Feathers hold all sort of nasty bacteria! I speek from experience, and am permenently partially blind in my left eye from getting hit in the eye with a wing feather of a baby Solomen Island Eclectus "sp?". Now remember this isnt JUST for ducks, but for ALL birds! Also be prepared for theit bills. They are not smooth on the inside, and can draw a little blood if they mean too, and if they get a good enough hold on you.

Im trying to think of anything and everything else that I learned that could eventually help you out. But I am no expert on the breed. I had 7 to start with, got rid of 3, then last May wound up with 28 in my yard! The ducks make great mommas, and are quite prolific layers and stubborn setters.

If you have anymore questions I will do my best to answer what I can! Good luck with your Scovies!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
Thank you for this post. I written a couple emails. I hope everyone is aware.

Very well put! Hope it helps! It's unbelievable the amount of freedoms that are being taken away from us! We need to stick together and fight to keep what we have!

 

[pettec63]

Quote:
Wow! thanks for the info! That's incredible! So, how do you become the top Duck? I mean, how do you establish that pecking order, especially if they haven't been handled? I do intend to work with the babies when they come and hopefully the hens I have, but, I don't know much about poultry/ duck behavior, I thought if you don't work with them as babies there's not much you can do with adults? Any suggestions? These are very pretty ducks and I hope to have some nice babies out of them. Anyway, I certainly appreciate any advice the seasoned poultry keepers here on this thread could and do give!

I started out with ducklings. But I would emagine that the adults will come around, but it may take some time. Just sit out with them give them treats, talk with them, and if one gets pushy, get pushy back, dont ever let that drake think he has won a battle with you. Pin him down, and carry him around IF you can get ahold of him. Dont let the drake get away with flogging you or anyone else for that matter. They are incredibly smart. And remember that the Muscovy ducks can and will fly! The drakes can too when they are younger, but once full grown they can barely get 4 feet off the ground. Remember these are heavy bodied ducks.

Oh and remember to do your best to NOT grab them by their legs, without holding down their wings first! You may wind up holding the part that will tear you up, but those wings will bruise the crud out of you, and be forwarned! Block your eyes when having to restrain a flailing Scovy! Feathers hold all sort of nasty bacteria! I speek from experience, and am permenently partially blind in my left eye from getting hit in the eye with a wing feather of a baby Solomen Island Eclectus "sp?". Now remember this isnt JUST for ducks, but for ALL birds! Also be prepared for theit bills. They are not smooth on the inside, and can draw a little blood if they mean too, and if they get a good enough hold on you.

Im trying to think of anything and everything else that I learned that could eventually help you out. But I am no expert on the breed. I had 7 to start with, got rid of 3, then last May wound up with 28 in my yard! The ducks make great mommas, and are quite prolific layers and stubborn setters.

If you have anymore questions I will do my best to answer what I can! Good luck with your Scovies!

Hey thanks! that's good to know, the drake is a year old, I think the hens may be a little older. I will clip wings before I turn them out, they are in a coop now, getting aclimated and settled down. I haven't gone in with them completely, but have sat on the outside and talked quietly with them. Didn't know all the stuff about the feathers and bacteria. I guess I know as a vet tech, birds in general are not the cleanest, although they clean themselves a lot. Thanks again!

 

[KlaHaYa Gardens]

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Hello,

We are neighbors!

(Psst, the peacock in my avatar -- be on the look out for him. He's roaming and it's time for him to come home.)

 

[Zgoatlady]

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Love the pictures, the first one the little (biggest one) is sure giving you the eye..

 

[cackleberrylinda]

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These are calicos....and not closely related. Harriet is actually a year older than the rooster. I sold their latest "son" to someone else on the BYC boards at the show in Monroe. The one you're seeing on my website in the photo gallery is one of my first hatches from Harriet and Rufus. I sold him last fall. I have two breeding pens of bantam cochins...one was calicos and one was milles. Now I have two pens of milles and I've sold all of my calico birds.

Here are a few photos of my foundation roos....and no, the white one didn't count. I had a neighbor buy him at the 4-H auction from a little girl (he was fair champion) because he felt sorry for the little girl....then he brought him home to me! LOL I ended up selling him to another little 4-H girl.

Anyway, the one on my website that looks similar to the roo you bought is picture here, but he had more black in his hackles, and man was he RUDE!

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/Equibling/Mille Cochins/cochinroos.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/Equibling/Mille Cochins/cochinroos2.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/Equibling/Mille Cochins/cochinroosdark.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/Equibling/Mille Cochins/cochinroosmille.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/Equibling/Mille Cochins/cochinroosmille2.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/Equibling/Mille Cochins/MilleRoo3.jpg

You can see Harriet here--I had them all running together for a while in the winter....

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/Equibling/Mille Cochins/MilleRoos_2.jpg

Oh and this is Rufus. I sold him to someone in Oregon.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m53/Equibling/Mille Cochins/MilleRoos3-1.jpg

They are all so pretty! I want them all!

How old is Harriet? I may stick the 5 eggs I have from her now under my EE who won't leave the nest box. Boy she grunted and growled when I lifter her to change out the shavings in the nest box! She pecked at my hand so hard she drew blood!

It was a beautiful day here, I got off work at 1 and spent the rest of the day in my yard - should've taken my camera out there too. All the LF hens were running around the yard eating all the wormies and tender plant shoots. The tweens were exploring their run, and I moved the brooder into the tween room in the coop. I tried putting the little OE's whith the tweens, and they looked so scred, huddling together in a corner. The tweens checked them out, but were not really aggressive, a few little pecks, nothing major, but the OE's were so freaked out that 2 of them started fighting each other! I put them back in the brooder and they all calmed down.

I did not let the bantams out of their enclosure because there was a pair of coopers hawks nearby, one kept perching in an alder on the edge of my lawn. Luna ((Olivia finally named the Light Sussex) kept pacing in front of the little roo. She did not seem aggressive, I think she just misses the company of a roo. My other hens have not clue what a roo is, and a couple of them tried to fight with him through the fence. He was crowing a lot when the hens were around! After the hens realized they weren't going to get to be on the same side of the fance, they wandered off to explore the yard. They segregated themselves ... the 2 boff orps wandered one way, the SLW's another, my black Australorps and the BCM took off for the garden, the 3 red/brown hens somewhere else, and the Light Sussex had no hen friend since the white EE has gone broody and won't leave her nesting box. Soon enough she found a friend too; Flumpers, my fuzzy white cat! Luna and Flumpers explored the yard together, Luna would stop and dig for worms whenever flumpers decided she needed to chew on some grass, then they both plopped down next to each other and sunned themselves on the coop porch! What a couple! I'll have to video next time!

Now that is too darned funny and cute!

 

[Greg Richardson]

Great morning.
Worship with fantastic message.
Then out to the garden.
Then God's sense of Humor showed up........... again..............

It's SNOWING big time here!