The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: northfifeduckling on February 04, 2010, 05:16:30 pm
-
how do they get on ?? I know we had this discussed a few times here, but over the last 2 weeks, since the hens are free roaming, I have noticed that the chickens are hogging the food!! Sometimes they do not let the poor ducks eat, so I have to keep them in the run longer in the morning and shut them away early...fine if I don't have to go anywhere!! Maybe that's why the ducks are not laying yet, the hens eat all the food! :&>
-
Kerstin I 'm still getting no duck eggs either. Hens are greedy though...
-
My ducks haven't laid since last October!
-
One of my ducks has just started to lay again, but I do find that the chickens wont let the ducks into the food so I have to let them out 10-20 mins before the chickens.
-
Our ducks began laying just after New Year as the weather returned to our normal[RAIN]. We find that they tend to take it in turns at the feeder;but we do supply several different feeders in different spots around the place. Our ducks range in age from 2-5 years of ageand do seem more than able to cope with the hens.
-
I let the hens into their run at 8.30 and the ducks into the garden an hour later. The ducks get up so late because I don't want to hunt for eggs all over the garden! It used to work unless one went broody...Do hens go into their nesting box when broody or do they choose a spot in the garden, too? They seem to be really good with going back in to lay at funny times of the day, but the ducks lay outside if I'm too early... :&> :chook:
-
I was always told not to let my ducks out till after 10am so they laid inside in the clean straw, otherwise if they laid outside the eggs would be mucky. Seems a good idea to me. But until I see that first egg from them they are allowed at the same time as the chooks.