The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: faith0504 on July 10, 2011, 07:23:04 am
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We started off with 2, mavis and matilda, my indian runner and alyesbury, then came charles, camilla and diana, the 3 khaki campbells, and yesterday we went to pick up 5 call ducks, and came home with 9, so we now have giggs and co, they are so cute,
Happily wandering round there new garden this morning,
I do love my ducks
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I adore my ducks, too. I'm loving hatching my (white) IRs, three eggs are pipping at the moment!
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oh gosh i have some duck eggs in the incubator as well, they are due in 2 weeks, good luck with your new arrivals :wave:
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Yes they are addictive! I love the whole social antics that go on with them, they're great therapy to sit and watch. We had friends looking after our smallholding this past week and I said our Muscovy ducks would be hatching probably towards the end of their stay here - they were desperate to see them - unfortunately we discovered only 30mins after they left that one of the Muscovy's has just hatched overnight, so our friends have missed it, what a shame....I love little call ducks, they're just so perfect looking, they'd get eaten here unfortunately. Good luck with them I'm quite jealous :D
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I'd love to hatch more, but i'm worried in case they are all drakes this time - I got 3 females last time
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Now dog, I recently heard a true story about a hen that turned into a cockerel - it was over a year old and had been laying - seemingly it can happend to one in every thousand!!!!!???? Anyone out there back this up? ....hmmm, wonder if it can happen to a
drakeduck ;)
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Yes, I had one that did that. I believe it can happen in most bird species. And humans too? Well not the laying eggs bit ::) but having both sets of organs.
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I love my ducks too :) Somehow I've got flotillas of both calls and runners at the moment. Will have to find some homes (and put some drakes in the freezer) before the winter :-\
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Yes, I'm loving our Indian Runners. No eggs yet, but they're almost fully grown, so it can't be long now :).
They are terribly flighty and nervous though, so I was wondering if anybody could suggest another tamer type of duck we could keep along with them? Sad I know, but it would be really nice to have a few animals who would come along and say hello to me occasionally, rather than running away all the time!!
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When they are resting, go and sit as near as they will let you - err on the side of caution.
Don't look at them.
Arm yourself with something irresistible like mealworms or sultanas. Throw some down, between you and them.
Don't look at them (ducks are prey and humans have front-facing predators' eyes).
Repeat as often as you can, they'll get tamer. Ours run away if I'm walking but now come fossicking around if I sit down :)
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Hi Womble, the call ducks i have just got are not as flighty as my other ducks, they have only been here a day and they let me sit at the edge of there pond while they had a water fight with each other, and soaked me in the process.
Jaykay, i will give that a try and see how friendly i can get giggs and co :&> :wave:
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I have just registered and lost a whole afternoon reading all sorts of posts!!! Keeping it very short for now as i need to run rather rapidly to collect my "human" brood from school. I need as much advice as possible about incubating aylesbury eggs. Temp, humidity, length of incubation etc. I will be back shortly to explain my history so far with my mummy and daddy ducks!!!!! xxx
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I have just registered and lost a whole afternoon reading all sorts of posts!!! Keeping it very short for now as i need to run rather rapidly to collect my "human" brood from school. I need as much advice as possible about incubating aylesbury eggs. Temp, humidity, length of incubation etc. I will be back shortly to explain my history so far with my mummy and daddy ducks!!!!! xxx
Know the feeling - should have been out with my dogs. Off out now then classes at night so will read up on you late evening. Welcome to the forum meantime! :wave:
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Now dog, I recently heard a true story about a hen that turned into a cockerel - it was over a year old and had been laying - seemingly it can happend to one in every thousand!!!!!???? Anyone out there back this up? ....hmmm, wonder if it can happen to a drakeduck ;)
its common enough in gamefowl, the type you mentioned is known as a staghen, a superb shamo pullet that had started laying turned into a poor quality cockeral, grew hackle feathers and started crowing.... to say i was disapointed is an understatement, it was the best hen id ever bred, turned down 300euro for her, ended up selling her/him for 50euro >:(
in gamefowl there is also a highly sought after type of cockeral called a hennie, they look just like a hen but are male
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....is anything simple anymore? ::)
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Now dog, I recently heard a true story about a hen that turned into a cockerel - it was over a year old and had been laying - seemingly it can happend to one in every thousand!!!!!???? Anyone out there back this up? ....hmmm, wonder if it can happen to a drakeduck ;)
its common enough in gamefowl, the type you mentioned is known as a staghen, a superb shamo pullet that had started laying turned into a poor quality cockeral, grew hackle feathers and started crowing.... to say i was disapointed is an understatement, it was the best hen id ever bred, turned down 300euro for her, ended up selling her/him for 50euro >:(
in gamefowl there is also a highly sought after type of cockeral called a hennie, they look just like a hen but are male
I have actually heard the story of the hen turn cockeral too. Cant remember the outcome of the story though sorry but thought i would back you up on that one. If a story can spread across the nation there must be something in it?????
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I love ducks too. I was new to duck keeping about 10 months ago. Moaned every day DH's & DD's 'hobby' left to me when they are at work/school etc...but then I lost them all to DVE about 2 months ago and missed them all terribly - even the sodding drake! After much cleaning, movement of house area etc I'm ready to get some more IR's in the next couple of weeks. I'm even getting another drake as want to start incubating and hatching.
Ducks are addictive and great characters!
Good luck with yours
Mx
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As much as I love the hens - the ducks are favoured hugely here! They are personalities! Watching them is therapeutic ;D ;D and they come running every time approach from the veg plot - in case I am bringing some slugs and snails ;D
Does the transgenderism work the other way round? I'm still hoping one of the drakes might one night have turned into a girl ;D but they are a few years old now and I probably should give up hope now ;D ;D
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I am smitten with the call ducks, are they so funny, what characters they have, they dont seem as flighty as my big ducks, and they seem to get on better with the hens, i havnt had any eggs off them yet, but i think we have a moult going on.
I have the big ducks in the front garden with there wee pond and the call ducks and hens in the back garden, with 2 wee ponds, so far the gardens are holding there own, we will see how it fairs over winter :&> :&> :wave: