Waterfowl Forum Information

[mahsmaj]

Any Waterfowl Breeders?
Lets start a thread with Waterfowl-- pics, Questions, ideas, housing, anything really........

 

[mahsmaj]

I got this idea from the "Quail Forum Information" and thought maybe it would be a hit like the quail version...


Anyway. I have 6 white pekin ducks. 1 drake, 2 hens, and 3 of their babies that I hatched myself!

 

[redhen]

good idea!..

 

[Gloria]

I have 4 ducks about 7 to 8 weeks old. They have been in a cage in the chicken coop for about 4 weeks now. When can I let them out of the brooder into the free world with the chickens in the coop? They seem to be fully feathered now, I think. But I'm worried about a few of my brat hens and Mr. Roo bothering them.

Also one had started quacking just before I brought them home and the other 3 still aren't. Does that mean they are all going to be males? I have been watching for the curl on the tail, but nothing yet. Please tell me that isn't going to happen! If they are all male and just the one duck, what should I do? Will they hurt her when they get old enough to do the deed? Will she be ok?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[miss_jayne]

Gloria...if you get three drakes, you have to trade me back one! i think i have ALL ducks! no curly tails and six girls!


waaaaah!


yes! duck forum!

 

[Gloria]

Ha ha! That is so funny! I was going to just ask you but I didn't want to bother ya. And here you are the first one to reply.

I thought a duck forum would be a really great idea too!! I could really use the help, ya know? Isn't that strange only the one is still quacking and no one else? Doesn't that mean the other 3 are going to be drakes?

 

[Fudgie]

I am all for a duck forum. I have both Chickies and ducks. The ducks I have are
1 pilgrim goose.
1 White Chinese gander(she is a rip)
2 pekin duck hens,
1 pekin drake,
1 pekin baby girl! She is my baby and loves me!

2 white call drakes
5 apricot call drakes
1 apricot hen
2 snowy hens
1 east indies pair
1 chocolate hen
1 grey pair
2 (i think) grey babies they love me too. They were so wild when I got them and now they cannot wait for me to get them out to go for a swim in the bathtub. They are sooo cute! NewChickenMom I will try to get a pic of them tonight and put them out there so you can see your babies growing up. I think they are both hens not drakes! GOOD DEAL!!!!

 

[conny63malies]

I have 3.3 muscovy ducks, soon to be 1.3. Hopefully they will lay fo me this spring and hatch some pretty babies. My drakes came from a fellow BYC'er Ahbee01 (Brenda). I am working on a cover for them that is open on the front but closed on the sides. I cant make it more than 3x5ft . But that should be enough for 4 ducks. They wont even go into the doghouse at night. Eventhough it is getting cold and is hs been snowing a bit too.

My question can i use flexwatt heat tape or heat rope somehow on the outside of a bucket to keep the water from freezing?

 

[TerrasCritters]

I am in, I think LOL

I have call ducks in Pastel, Blue Fawn, White, & Gray, I also have Black East Indies, (another bantam duck) and my son has Buff Calls.

Quote:
Gloria, you can probably let them out supervised to make sure your chickens wont hurt them, there might be some sort of pecking order at first, but as long as they are not hurting them real bad they should be ok and will figure out where they stand in the coop.

I am guessing you have 1 hen and 3 drakes, what breed are they? The hens will QUACK loud while the drakes will have a raspy type quack, if you pick them up you might hear it, or pick them up and take them a little out of site of there friends and they will try to talk to them to find where they are at and you could hear it then.

Sometimes hens will get the curl, and sometimes the drakes will look like hens! I have never had a hen with a curl but I have had a drake that looked like a hen. He from what I understand, I got rid of him, was not fertile. It doesnt happen to often I dont think.

If they are infact all male, looks like your friend is willing to trade you for a hen, that would be a good deal and idea, come breeding season you might find your hen with missing head and neck feathers and tore up back feathers from breeding, but then again maybe not. One drake can cover quite a few hens. So that might be a good idea to add another hen or 2.

Good luck!

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I have a cayuga mix drake named "mcquack"