The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: nooshab on March 29, 2020, 11:13:34 am

Title: Hatching duckings.
Post by: nooshab on March 29, 2020, 11:13:34 am
Hi,
I was just wondering how hatching ducklings differs to chicks? I've also been told that white pekins can't fly, how true is this? Thank you  :)
Title: Re: Hatching duckings.
Post by: twizzel on March 30, 2020, 09:33:36 am
Been a while since I hatched in an incubator but the humidity needs to be much higher especially during the final week. Ducks take a week longer than chicks to hatch and are totally disgusting to rear in a brooder- they grow very quickly, need a lot of space and water yet still can’t go out until 6 weeks old at a minimum. Ducklings need non medicated chick crumb as they eat so much, if the food was medicated they would overdose.
Title: Re: Hatching duckings.
Post by: nooshab on March 30, 2020, 10:35:21 am
Ahh, Ok, thank you!
Title: Re: Hatching duckings.
Post by: Womble on March 30, 2020, 11:13:37 am
Ducklings are also far cuter!

Most domestic ducks don't seem to bother with flying very much. We've had Pekins, Khaki Campbells, Indian Runners and Welsh Harlequins, and none of them have ever flown over a 2.5ft fence.
Title: Re: Hatching duckings.
Post by: Fleecewife on March 30, 2020, 12:03:37 pm
Maybe Muscovies are different because they can certainly fly - or at least the females can very well  :D .  If ours were being bothered by the drakes, they would take off and fly straight towards a fence, then at the last minute nip over the top, leaving the drakes to crash in an unseemly heap at the foot of the fence.  Oh yes, Muscovies also have a dark sense of humour  8)   They are the only ducks we have kept and they raised their own young prolifically, so I have no advice on incubation, sorry.
Title: Re: Hatching duckings.
Post by: Womble on March 30, 2020, 12:30:50 pm
TBH Fleecewife, Muscovies have more in common with geese in most respects than ducks.


Our geese used to do practice take-off runs up and down the field to stretch their wings every morning, but never tried to fly......
...... until one day, Gandalf was caught by a sudden gust of wind, which carried him, airborne, over the fence into the next field. The problem then was that he couldn't work out how he'd done it, or how to get back to his ladies!
Title: Re: Hatching duckings.
Post by: Fleecewife on March 30, 2020, 12:36:07 pm
TBH Fleecewife, Muscovies have more in common with geese in most respects than ducks.


Our geese used to do practice take-off runs up and down the field to stretch their wings every morning, but never tried to fly......
...... until one day, Gandalf was caught by a sudden gust of wind, which carried him, airborne, over the fence into the next field. The problem then was that he couldn't work out how he'd done it, or how to get back to his ladies!


 :roflanim:   The Muscovey ducks couldn't manage that bit either.  Our geese do definitely have a sense of humour but it's usually to do with success at plucking the hens' tails - they laugh a lot then  ::)
Title: Re: Hatching duckings.
Post by: twizzel on March 30, 2020, 01:37:50 pm
I didn’t believe everyone that said Muscovies fly until I witnessed my own pair take off one evening and fly around the farmhouse chimney then come down to land. And definitely forgot to clip their offsprings’ wings- last summer one took off around the parish at dusk... how we got it home I do not know  :roflanim: 


Note:Muscovies  can definitely fly
Title: Re: Hatching duckings.
Post by: macgro7 on March 30, 2020, 05:57:53 pm
Muscovies are clever though! They fly around but always come back. Never fly away to run away.
People had muscovies disappearing for 5 weeks and then coming back with a dozen ducklings!

They are my favourite ducklings! My ones are mating like stupid atm lol

They are however quite difficult to hatch in the incubator- firstly muscovy eggs take 5 weeks to hatch - 35 days!

Once you hatch ducks after couple of days they are fine to be outside as long as its relatively warm and they are dry. It is much more difficult to keep them inside a brooder. They will definitely not need any heat after couple of weeks anyway - max 3 weeks. They are much hardier than chicks. And grow like mad! Especially the commercial white types which are basically broilers - weigh 2kg after a month!