The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: MAK on February 15, 2012, 04:33:53 pm
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The snow has started to thaw and this time last year we had 16 degrees before it gradually warmed up to a warm spring. Since the ducks have been laying almost daily do you think it too early for me to leave them a clutch. They have a 4 feet high shed with straw in a south facing pen. No heat lamp.
Any thought about the muscovey having little ones this time of the year?
Martin
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The trouble is the duck won't leave them in their cosy nest, she'll drag them about with her through all the snow, rain and freezing weather. I should wait until mid-April at the earliest :)
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I was tempted with my muskies, but then thought about the snow and ice.
Muscovy egg omelet is the most delicious thing ever! :yum: :yum:
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I must say that although they are not good lookers they keep popping eggs and ours are good mums. The egg yolks are big with hardly any white. The meat is fantastic with the boys weighing in at 3 kg all cleaned and ready for the kitchen.
I guess if I were to give them a couple of weeks to get a clutch then 30 odd days to hatch that may still be too early in the year for the ducklings. Maybe in 3-4 weeks I will leave them alone to start a clutch.
Another question - Any thoughts of how will they react to new mates?. Someone is giving away some Muscovies and it would suite to put them all together.
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I must say that although they are not good lookers
ahh they are beautiful!! :D :D ;)
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I'm going to wait a month too, and I will hopefully be adding another one soon, i'll let you know :wave:
They are not the brightest though are they?
I have had mine for 8 months, and TODAY they found the brook/river that flows 10 yards from the front of their house ::) (I say found, I actually mean got picked up and deposited in said brook, then realised what was there and went back later ALL BY THEM SELVES!!) ::)
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We clipped their wing but one managed to fly over the fence after growing new feathers. Three more escapes before we had scissors to hand - just to make sure the OH clipped both wings. The bugger can still fly of course and she enjoyed another chase thru the sprouts today.
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arent you only supposed to clip one wing, so they feel off balance when they try to fly, or at least just go round in circles?
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Yes only clip one wing as this puts them off balance. Clipping wings works on all my poultry except the Appenzellers, those buggers could fly with no wings :o