Ducklings - your experience please.

[sun burn]

I've got two ducks sitting on eggs now. Soonish they will start hatching and I am going to have to start managing them i guess. I've just read the section in the raisiing ducks books. It looks pretty involved.

I figure i will have to
1. Build a special house to house the ducks and their offspring separately to keep them secure from predators and also from the other grown up ducks and chickens.

Will i have to keep these two ducks and their ducklings apart too?

2. Buy special food including niacin.

3. Organise all sorts of special feed trays and watering trays and things.

Please tell me all your tips and strategies that are good and easy. I do want to keep the mothers involved as much as possible as i think that will minimise my effort and keep them all happier too.

When they start hatching, can i move the whole nest all at once as I am afraid if i leave one of htem where it is, predators might move in fairly quickly. I'm thinking say snakes and maybe white tail rats.

[paradisi]

what sort of ducks - some can be left more or less to their own devices

muscovy drakes will kill off most predators - I had one that killed a fox

[sun burn]

They are muscovies.

what about snakes.

[tropicalexotics]

muscovy drakes will kill off most predators - I had one that killed a fox

I had one that loved to kill his ducklings...till I got really mad and cut his head off with a cane knife.

Snakes ..well unless you have a very secure pen with 10 mm mesh (the heavy guage ,aviary style ,square stuff is the best by far.)then you are going to lose both adults and babies as well...larger amethystine pythons will push a hole through shadecloth unfortunately. So will white tailed rats..
Even if you just make a small snakeproof /ratproof area to lock them up at night it saves the heartache of losing your precious pets.
Better sooner than later.

Scott

[Stingray]

Hi sunburn,
As you've read elsewhere, we have just been blessed with a clutch of 18 ducklings hatching :)
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2280-2/06112010426.jpg
We have previously had Appleyards and they were noisy ducks so found their way under the knife ;)
Back then we also had one muscovy, and from our experience with her, we decided this time around we would stick to muscovys, as they are a "quiet" breed (relatively)
We suspect we got the ducklings at about 2 months of age, in March this year, and in September she started laying some eggs (19 or so in total), so as this was her first lot, we decided to let her "clutch"
She started "sitting" on them about the beginning of October, and they hatched about the 3rd Nov, so they are about 3 days old now :)
I have separated the Drake into a side pen (just some mesh/bamboo sectioning off my potting bench area) :)
The only problem really that we have had is, when letting the Drake have the yard to browse in, while she was on the eggs, he would get very defensive?/randy? (LOL) and chase my partner kaety around nipping at her (he also did this to my daughter once after the ducklings hatched and she went out without me)
I separated him, because previous experience with the Appleyards showed they tend to trample the ducklings. So wanted to avoid that.
I have decided I should be bloggin this experience (well the whole permaculture thing to) so will be doing a blog site with photos etc from the last 2 years worth of yard work :)
until then some photos from today are here (http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/v/permaculture/)

[sun burn]

I'll have a look at hte blog in a minute and yes its a good idea to blog your experience, especially with detail that others may find helpful.

Your ducklings are totally gorgeous. How can you not want to spend 24 hours a day with them? The problem I've got is that i've got two ducks sitting on eggs. I managed to get the other two off theirs. But i need to figure out if i need to keep these two separate and how will hte other ducks treat the ducklings. Not to mention the chicken and her teenage offspring.

At this point in time, I've only got one very secure caged area and i think the chickens need to stay in there. I can separate a bit off for the ducks and their ducklings and kick all the chickens out during the day but it will be a tight squeeze.

Also i need to figure out how to get the mother ducks and their hatchlings up to the chicken house without incident. I guess I can march them all up together. Its a distance of about 100m. But its a long way for brand new babies. I do'nt want to move them before hatching in case the mother rejects them. I tried that a few days ago with one duck and her eggs. She didn't seem to realise they were her eggs. Not that i really cared that she didn't want to sit on them. I don't want too many ducklings.

I did buy some duckling food. What are you feeding yours? Are you keeping them penned up 24 hours a day.
I love that little bath but I do'nt have one and haven't seen anything like it in any shops around here either. But that's really teh least of my concerns.

[annette]

Hi stingray

thanks for sharing your photos. Your set up looks really good and has given me some great ideas, so thanks again. those ducklings are just gorgous...........

sunburn, if you can rumage around garage sales you should be able to find some things for a pond. I am a garage sale queen and have found lots of stuff that can be used. Old baths tubs, old clam pools etc. I was reading if you get an old bath tub for them to swim in make sure you put a plug in it and have a little trench for the water to drain away down to the veges.

I also read somewhere that you shouldn't let the ducks out till about 10 in the morning. I work full time and was wanting to let them out early say about 6 in the morn and then put them back at night when i get home. I hope that will be ok.

cheers
Annette

[Stingray]

havent started the blog (yet) .. just set it up last night to start it :)
that link is to my gallery with more pics i took of our yard :)
between all of us i think we'd sit out there cuddling ducklings all day if i wasnt strong enough (LOL) to say no... :)
we've only got the pair .. so havent had to deal with multiple ducks sitting on eggs yet... and havent tried moving a duck and her eggs yet - tho if we expand then maybe i'll come across that - and be watching for your experiences with it :)
I've a'ways kept the chooks and ducks separate, because when i 2st introduced the ducks to the chook pen, the chooks were pretty violent to them .. i know they prob would have sorted out a "pecking" order at some point and then got along, but as I could, I separated them...
their pen was in the middle of the yard to begin with, (as its just mesh and star pickets - so it could be put over vegi beds ) but when they were old enough to start laying, i moved it to a more permanent position, so once ducklings arrived i wouldnt be movin it again :)
we havent purchased any "duckling" food, mostly i put the seed mash the ducks/chooks get into a flat try and some water to make it a bit mushy, as well as alot of weeds from garden, they seem to love stems with lawn seed on them, as well as other leafy weeds, my partner also did a tray with leftover porridge (LOL) and weetbix soaked with water that they devoured quickly :)
oh and as always with them, (LOL) the ducks got left over multigrain bread - the ducklings went nuts over that int he pond water :)
as for the "bath/pond" have you tried free cycle (http://www.freecycle.org/)? I already had the kids "pond/sandpit" clams .. but i source other recycled material thru the local ones near me

[sun burn]

Yes I tried free cycle. There's nothing much on our local one.

With regard to what you are feeding your ducklings, it sorta runs contrary to what i have read about feeding ducklings - that is with regard to the chicken feed. For one thing they need more niacin. There are other special needs. I think the mash is also a bit of a no - no. I can't remember the details about it all but you might want to read up on it. Yes i have noticed that ducks like the grass seeds. My ducks didn't show any interest in multigrain bread but the chickens liked it. The chickens like fresh lettuces i get from a neighbour but the ducks don't go for that either. The chickens seem to eat a lot of everything.

I haven't seen any problems between my chickens and ducks. Fingers crossed it continues this way.

I hope you don't take this the wrong way. I am just sharing what i read recently in my raising ducks book in case you are interested.

[Stingray]

LOL.. no.. all good :)

basically coz we are just starting out down the "duck" path I wasnt goin to buy different feeds for diff animals ... LOL ..
my bad too.. just checked ... actually we have a coarse poultry grain mix now .. not justa laying "mash"
tho i just checked and it doesnt inc added Niacin ...
when i say multigrain bread its coz its the only bread we buy .. LOL... not into white bread .. ;) the ducks (and chooks) loved the leaves off the Kohl rabi i was growing :) well.. pretty mych any leafy veg too :)
can I as where in North Q ya are?

[sun burn]

Near Cairns. Glad I didn't offend.

I think i read that the cheapest source of niacin would be from brewers yeast. Anyway i hope you read up a bit about feeding ducklings. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them.

I can't imagine too many white bread eaters on this site.

[Stingray]

rofl @
I can't imagine too many white bread eaters on this site. yeah ..

will look into the niacin bit.. make sure they are healthy, as I'd like to sell some of the boys and most of the girls off :)


Near Cairns.
nice :) .. never been up there (yet) .. kaety lived up there for a few years before we met .. keeps rubbin how good the fishing is ;)

[sun burn]

Annette i missed your post before. Sorry.

the reason why people say not to let the ducks out early is so that you can find the eggs. They often do'nt lay till late in the morning and if you let them out early they will make a nest somewhere hard to find. Mine have been doing that. I did find them eventually. But it is better to keep them in. If you have to go to work, what you should try to do to encourage them to lay their eggs in the pen is to create hiding spots in the pen where they might feel inclined to go and lay. They like long grass. I like they like to hide from each other as well as us.

Ive noticed that they like to forage early in the morning and late afternoon.

My ducklings have begun hatching. I am no contemplating leaving them where they are because I read its not a good idea to put them with other poultry. So far I've not seen any snakes and for the moment, they might be ok. I will see how it goes and keep a close eye on them. I could even go and sleep down there tonight... not sure yet whether I will or not. Mum will definitley have a good go at defending her chicks.

[Stingray]

OK, its almosta week on, and the ducklings are still cute (LOL) .. how ever in the last 2 days .... we have lost 2 .. no sign of how.. no matter how many times i seal up gaps in their fence they seem to find a way out (LOL)
yesterday i woke up and all the ducklings were roaming the yard, so i let momma out and they foraged for about an hour or so before i herded them back into the pen ..
when we got home yesterday arvo, they were out again, and i think i worked out where they got out, so sealed that bit, then during dinner, they got out again so after dinner i went out and rounded them up, but we were 1 short.. after searching about there was no sign of it.. sealed where i thort they came out and then went inside coz it was dark (LOL)
This mornin they were out again, and after rounding them up were were another short.. so now 16 ducklings.
Cannot find any evidence they were taken by a hawk/cat/snake/rat .. no sign of any patches of down anywhere.. have found a couple of holes under fence they prob could have escaped thru .. but lookin over fence shows no sign of them.
even had neighbour searchin his yard (LOL) ..
they seem to stay in the pen during the heat of the day, but mornin and arvo they escape .. no matter that there is alot of feed and weeds in their pen ..
hoping to do some more patch work (LOL) to finally stop them escaping, this arvo....
- Daz

[sun burn]

I find it hard to believe they would wander away and get lost. These little baby animals seem mostly inclined to go back to mum periodicially. Maybe you don't need feathers to prove that a bird or some other predator got them. I would think htey'd just snatch them adn take them away to eat in private or something. Have you got any shade cloth or an old sarong. that might do to close off all exits. I use shadecloth on my chook pen.

[annette]

Thanks sunburn

If I put up a bit more fencing i could get a really good spot for them I think. Clumps of grass and logs etc. I'm champing at the bit to get these ducks but want them to be happy and safe. I had a bit of a chuckle about you going out there and sleeping there. You sound so much like me!!!!

[annette]

Sorry to hear about your missing ducklings Stingray. Good luck with trying to stop them escaping. Watch out for crows. When i had baby chicks I saw crows dive straight at them and carry them off with no sign of feathers on the ground or anything. that's why I'm really considering doing up the duck pen covered in some shadecloth etc to stop those crows using my ducks as breakfast.

Hope the rest stay safe.

cheers
Annette

[Stingray]

thanks :)
yeah annette .. just as it was getting dark tonight, i realised that somethings been digging under their "hutch" .. so i suspect a rat or snake is in their pen :(
so tomorrow is a "revamp" day .. LOL.. set their hutch on stilts (LOL) to raise it up about a foot, that way can see under there easily and make it not a hiding spot..
havent seen any crows hanging around .. but i do have some more shade cloth i can cover pen with ..

Question: I have separated the drake, would it be better to put him back in there with the mum and ducklings? would he be protective enough to stop them being taken in the pen? or would he attack the ducklings himself?
- Daz

[annette]

Hi Stingray

I learnt in my pdc that another way is to dig about 2 feet down around the pen and put some wire down so that if anything tries to dig under, it cannot get through the wire. May be easier than putting the pen up on stilts. I have read that you should keep the drake separate if he is a bit nasty, but haven't had the experience with ducks. I know my rooster was very protective (gorgeous silky he was) of the chicks. Not sure but I think the drake behaviour might differ between the breeds and of course the individual personality of the the drake itself. maybe put him in there and just watch and see how he goes.

cheers
Annette

[Stingray]

thanks annette :)
checked 1st thing this morning to find 3 escapees (LOL) .. - still 15 in total.. lol.. forgot to say we lost another in last nights post :(
put them back in and came inside for shower and coffee :)
checked again to find another escapee, this time he was in the drakes side .. and it looks like he is fine with them .. altho i did notice earlier he had a "red" mark on his back.. maybe blood? .. looks like what ya would expect if he had blood on his beak and then preened that spot.. (the ducklings are all fine)
i wonder if he's been attacking what ever's going after the ducklings .. and scored a win .. hehehe :) ..
thinking that's a pro for puttin him back with them all .. am @ home most of today workin on a clients computer .. so will be able to keep an eye out on them :)
Wish i had the mesh to do a 2' wire barrier .. thinkin for today ill jusr raise the hutch so theres no "hiding" spot in the pen :)
- Daz

[sun burn]

Gee stingray, i am glad you are staying home today. Sorry to hear that you are losing a few. About drake. Be careful he doesn't trample on them. ducks are pretty clumsy with their feet and i have read that they generally should be kept separate but i don't know for how long.

About my lot. There's only five ducklings but there's still a bunch of eggs. Does this mean they won't hatch now. This morning mum was sitting just outside the nest while the little ones were clambering all around in it. So if mum doesn't stay in the nest, those others won't be able to hatch. Stingray what do you think. Did all yours hatch at once. I did put some eggs in from another duck at some point but not this many. I am surprised how few ducklings there are.

Also i had a feel in the other ducks next yesterday adn there is only one egg! I am sure there were more. She never gets off her next except for a bath and feed and is just not far enough way for anyone to have stolen them. Perhaps they are there hidden somewhere. I will have another look this afternoon.

Stingray your experience has been very helpful i think. I have learned that from predators it seems when they get a little older is when they are more vulnerable.

I still haven't moved my lot yet. The mother is pretty defensive, understandably. I don't like upsetting her, but of course i will if and when i deem it necessary and move the lot of them up to the hen house. Gosh they are cute though.

[Stingray]

yeah , the trampling (lost alot a few years ago, the stupid parents trampled most of a double clutch of about 30 or so of appleyard ducklings) was the reason for separating the drake this time.
18 of a clutch of 19 hatched all sometime between, me feeding the animal at about 6:30am and gettin home from school run about 9:30am ... the last one never hatched .. i've left it in the nest still.. but I figure it was a dud (LOL)
good luck with them .. they definitely are cute :)
hehe .. all its doing for me is emphasising that I WANT to move to 5 or so acres (LOL) NOW .. :)
want to be allowed to have more than we have atm :)

[sun burn]

I think i must be a bad mother.

[Stingray]

I think i must be a bad mother.

why ? lol?

[sun burn]

Because it looks like i'm only going ot get five ducklings out of a lot of eggs and four ducks. By rights there should be quite a lot more.

[eco4560]

Call it selection of the fittest sunburn. It's good for the flock. Or something.

[Stingray]

well, its sunday night (10 days from hatching) and we are down to 14 ducklings,
still no sign of what's taking them, so I am assuming a crow, as we've had a few about recently, and there are no signs of feathers/down/mess etc in our yard.
Tomorrow will put some shade cloth over the pen and see if that stops them disappearing
Other than that, I purchased some mesh to put around the bottom to stop them getting out.
How ever I think they are getting to big (LOL) to escape, but still going to put it around the pen :)
all a good learning curve for moving to rural property next year :)
- DAz

[sun burn]

Found this elsewehre on the web. Sounds sensible. alhtough it doesn't specificaly answer the questions i was searching to answer, which is what (plants) do ducks like. I need to try to grow some things they would like to eat so they wont' want to eat my 'expensive landscaping" anymore.

Contrary to popular belief, bread and crackers are a dangerous food for ducks - occasional feeding of this is so-so, but your duck will suffer malnutrition if proper feeding is ignored. Chocolate is NOT safe for ducks and dogs. Avoid nuts and seeds. Duck have a different digestive system than most other birds and can't handle many of the same foods that are safe for some birds. When feeding corn try to only feed in the winter cause it will keep them warm all winter long, just mix it with laying pellets/crumbles

What they can eat off the menu: Aside from pelleted mash, their staple food (what they eat on a daily basis), they enjoy vegetable trimmings, algae, plants, snails, meal worms, night crawlers, coy food, feeder goldfish, and expensive landscaping.

Chopped, hard-boiled eggs are good for a treat. Some foods that are OK for adults are not particularly safe for a duckling, especially anything containing breads and certain dry foods, all mine love boiled squash also.

DO NOT feed medicated pellets cause they are only meant for chickens since ducks consume more then chickens they will overdose on the meds. E-mail me if you need any info about your ducks, Good Luck

WANT TO STATE THAT ISLE955 DOG FOOD IS A HUGE NONO I HAVE HAD 7 DUCKS GET FED DUCK FOOD BY A NEIGHBOR AND START PUKING IT UP IN LIQUID AND CHUNKS SOON AFTER THEY DIED, YOU CAN FEED A COUPLE PIECES OF CATFOOD BUT DO NOT FEED DOG FOOD

[Stingray]

...... they enjoy vegetable trimmings, algae, plants, snails, meal worms, night crawlers, coy food, feeder goldfish, and expensive landscaping.

Chopped, hard-boiled eggs are good for a treat. Some foods that are OK for adults are not particularly safe for a duckling, especially anything containing breads and certain dry foods, all mine love boiled squash also....


koolies, ours do get bread (multigrain only *blah* to white bread being allowed in this house.. urgh!)
and alot of weeds and scraps shared out between them and the chooks ..
they also (when i can) are allowed to free range around the yard :)
oh and :( we are down to 13 ... still no sign of whats taking them ....
on the plus side they are big enough not to get out anymore (yay!!) ...
the roll of mesh i got for around the bottom will be put aside and setup with the next clutch :)
- Daz

ooerr forgot .. (edit) .. planning to set a "pond" up to grow water cress/chestnuts and have small fish in it to control the mozzie lavae ... so i might get a "bag" of feeder fish to.. and release them into he ducks water :)
need a solar powered pond pump too .. hrmm .. freecycle and ebay here i come ;)

[sun burn]

Have you covered the top yet? If you have then it wont be a bird. If you haven't then its a good guess that it would be a bird. Have you not seen any birds hanging around in the trees? No kooakaburras - apparently they like ducklings too. Anyway this is quite distressing. I hope you don't end up with only 5 like me.

[Stingray]

unfortunately no.. between no time when my back is ok, and back playing up .. i havent had a chance to fix the shade cloth over it .. :(
hoping to get to it tomorrow.
Only birds i have noticed (that i would suspect) are the crows.
I didnt think the kooka's would got the ducklings - figure they were too big for kookas to bother, (saw a kooka the other night who looked like he was "eyeing" them off.. but he ended up snackin on a nice sized lizard), they seem content to feast on the abundant skinks we have :)

[sun burn]

I wouldn't be so sure. Someone mentioned to me that they like ducklings. You wouldn't think of turtles taking them but they do too. So don't take them swimming in the local creek. (if you have one).

[Stingray]

lol.. not lettin them go over the road .. hahaha :) ..

[annette]

hi there

well I got my ducks. a drake, 3 ducks and 12 6 week old ducklings. They have settled in well and am getting eggs already. One problem, the drake pecks at the ducklings and so I separate him at night so everyone can get a good night sleep. Well in the morning, the ducks carry on like it is xmas morning, all over him like a rash. Now i thought that it was only geese that are very attached to each other, not ducks. So big boy and his girls are very much in love. Now I could never separate them for good. Is it just me with lovey dovey ducks or is this normal?

cheers
annette

[sun burn]

I think it must be normal. I've got 4 ducks and a drake. Their is a fair bit of affection but there are also fights but between the women. Bertie only gets affection but I've noticed the girls don't exactly queue up for sex. He rapes them each time. He's very inconsiderate. He will even jump on them in the bath but i haven't noticed him screwing more than once a day as yet.

Instead of making him go it alone overnight, why not put the two not mother ducks with him and let the mother ducks and her ducklings be alone for the night just. Or don't you know how many mothers you've got or which one it is?

My chickens were 6 weeks old when i got them. They grew up really fast. Yours should start laying next spring i'd say.

How many eggs are you getting?

What's you yard set up like. I ask because i need to solve the ducks laying eggs problem. I did get one today but i don't know if either one of hte others have started laying again or if they are hiding them somewhere out in the garden.

[annette]

Hi sunburn

I don't know which one is the mum. My set up is pretty basic at the moment.
they are in an old chook house about 2m x 4m. This has 2 doors, 1 to go outside and 1 to a straw yard which is about 3m x 4m. As the ducklings get bigger I'm going to need more room. So I either extend out or get some other accommodation separate to this one. I have an old garden shed that can be used and I am also looking at 2 old avaries that are for sale on ebay. By the time you buy fencing and wire i may as well buy the old avaries I think. they are pretty big. I'm lucky I have a fair bit of room to put these things but most areas are on a slope so I need to plan pretty carefully.

As for eggs, I got the ducks on Wednesday and left them in there. I got an egg. Thursday and Friday let them out early. no eggs. This morning I left them in till 11am and got an egg. I have lots of long grass around as it has been too wet to whipper snip so there are probably eggs laying around somewhere.

[Stingray]

sounds like keepin them in until 11 forces them to lay where you want them .... have you dumped some hay in their for them to make a nest with?
I gave mine 2 lots .. one in their "hutch" (old dog house.. LOL) .. and another out side it under the tin roof i have setup ..
they squashed the outside one down to sit on (LOL) .. and she mad a nice nest inside with it and laid all her eggs there :)
I have been letting mine out int he morning (we are still @ 13 ducklings and holding .. LOL) - no thanks to the kids ,.. grrr.. they went into the pen without asking while it was open this arvo and play3d with a couple of ducklings, but it seems they were holding them in the water and they cot saturated and were having trouble swimming .. one ducking was submerged :( and only his head/neck were above water when i caught them ..
after quick rub down they were released to their mum .. but she really had a go at the one that got the wettest .. after holding him with 4 of the other ducklings to try to get some scent back on him she seemed to accept him more ..
They were all huddled under her when i check them late this arvo.. so will see how they go over night ..
have put shade cloth over the pen so i think thats helpin to stop the losses
If i let the drake out at the same time as the mum n ducklings he just seems to want to go root her constantly .. should i let this? will she start laying more eggs? is there a set time i should delay the next clutch?
Thanks

- Daz

[annette]

hi daz

i read somewhere that they get broody about 4 times a year. I don't know if this is right or not. I'm figuring when my ducklings are about 12 weeks I am expecting at least one of the ducks to get clucky. Time will tell.

I'm glad the shadecloth has stopped the losses. maybe it was some pesky crow hey?

In the house itself I have put down some bedding. It is just hay. I noticed the duck moved some around to form a sort of nest in which she laid her eggs.

I haven't seen the drake go after the ducks as yet. I'm sure he has and i just haven't seen it. The drake and ducks leave the house when i open the door and the ducklings stay inside. The grass is so long I don't tend to see them so much. I have heard that a drake should have at least 3 ducks to keep him satisfied otherwise he can get a bit nasty and really give the duck a hard time. If he is going at her all the time I would suggest givong her a break and keeping him away for some time during the day.

[sun burn]

Annette, don't you plan to let your ducks free range? Its so lovely. If you can do it, let them go. It will reduce yoru food bill. Of course at the moment while they are new to your place, everyone needs to get settled in but it doesn't take very long. And i think they are unlikely to wander too far away, especially if there's water for bathing and plenty of food. I let my 6 week old chickens out within a very short time i think. Less than a week i think. I just don't like keeping things locked up. If you are not going to let them free range, how come? My overnight chook pen for both chooks and ducks at the moment is 3x3m.

Yeah keep an eye on where they go if they are laying eggs elsewhere. By the time i find them, there are often more than 5. However, don't do what i did and just throw them out. Chances are they are still good but you can check them by seeing which ones float in water. If they float they are bad but they keep for up to two months i read when kept out of the fridge (less in a fridge belive it or not). It will be interesting to see if you can get two tomorrow.

Stingray. I am glad to hear you got a cover on the pen.

Keeping them in the pen doesn't always work. Only one of mine is laying in the pen so i've taken to letting them out. I thought maybe it was too soon after sitting on their nests but one went back to lay in the nest after letting her out and so does the chicken. I mean i kept hte ducks in till late for a few days and no eggs. then the first day out, i got an egg. Perhaps there were too many other ducks around - they like privacy apparently or is it a safety thing. The chicken and duck lay in the same nest which i think is cute. There is only one nest i might add. I don't really have enough straw and stuff. I used dry grass. But the bottom has sawdust on it. There are things i can use and i must do a bit more work on this aspect of my hen house i know.

tip: i do like having sawdust on the floor as its easy to pick up the poo with your gloves even daily and keep aside for your compost. I know most people do this sort of thing weekly but i find it easy and it keeps the pen smelling better and iwth all the rain i think its better that its a bit cleaner too.

swimming... my drinking bowl for the ducklings is big enough for them to get their belly sides totally wet. They seem to cope with that. They are unlikely to drown in it as they have to walk. they use the bowl as bit of a footpath too sometimes. Gawd they are the ultimate in cute aren't they? And i haven't even been allowed to hold one yet. Mum duck is still having a go at me when i go to fill the food bowls... how ungrateful... I even carry over a big tub for her to have a proper wash in. and its hard for the little ones to get in so its quite safe. I am sure your little one will be fine over night. Its now nearly two weeks old, though of course it might be colder where you are than here.

Yes it was a mistake to show Bertie where mother duck was wiht her ducklings. He didn't even look at the ducklings. He just immediately chased her off for a root. It was a little while before she got back. She got away about 50 metres. I waited to make sure all was fine till she got back of course. Since then the drake seems to have forgotten about her and so no more dirty interludes have come to pass. And no egg. I don't expect any. I can't imagine he'd want to root her more than once a day. If it is more, then you have got a too randy duck and maybe you have a bit of a problem. (how many ducks have you got? There should be more than one duck with a drake. ) I think its likely the mother duck might prefer the drake not to be chasing her so perhaps keep them apart rather than chase him off her. But if you want the eggs yourself, then you will have to get in there and get them. I don't think the rooting will make a difference to her laying eggs.

I recently asked here about how soon they'd start laying and someone said about 8 weeks after they've hatched. That ties in with what happened with my chickens. I think its because their hormones change. If my chickens are anything to go by , you will notice other behavioural changes with the mother duck too. She will stop being so motherly. The other day my mother hen was cock fighting iwth her son! They are vying for the highest rank in the pecking order. I don't know if ducks ahve such a pecking order but there's bound to be other changes.

[Stingray]

hi sunburn :)
only have one duck for the drake - not allowed any more (LOL) .. so will have to get rid of the ducklings soon..
i tried signing up for http://www.farmstock.com.au but never recieved email confirmation (emailed them for support - no go to)
i get a mega bale of hay.. costs me about $60 just fits on my trailer (LOL) ..lasts us about 2-3 months mulching gardens/chickens/ducks etc .. and internally rots down to a nice compost if left for while :)
mine love to free range :)
try to let them out atleast once a day .. they love ranging about in the morning .. with grass all dewy they go nut chasing all the lil bugs :)

- Daz

[annette]

Hi sunburn

Yes I do let them free range but I like to lock them up at night. With 16 ducks I thought the area of lock up may be too small when the ducklings get bigger. The big ducks seem to go out but the ducklings just hang around in the chook house and straw yard at the moment. I leave the door open for them to leave but maybe they are still a bit timid. The long grass around there may be putting them off.

It is hilarious watching them catch flies and bugs. Some of the ducklings just lay there and wait and then jump up and snapola!!

[Stingray]

Hi sunburn

Yes I do let them free range but I like to lock them up at night. With 16 ducks I thought the area of lock up may be too small when the ducklings get bigger. The big ducks seem to go out but the ducklings just hang around in the chook house and straw yard at the moment. I leave the door open for them to leave but maybe they are still a bit timid. The long grass around there may be putting them off.

It is hilarious watching them catch flies and bugs. Some of the ducklings just lay there and wait and then jump up and snapola!!

hehe annette .. love watchin them too.. (looking out window at them right now.. lol) .. the seem to really love wandering down the side garden here which is right outside my window :)
i didnt let mine out til just after they were a week old .. they seem to be doing really well hunting snacks down .. :)
Today dad is out with them, and he doesnt seem to be after the mum, so all's good.. thinkin i'll see how they go .. and let him back in with them all (so i get my potting bench area back .. LOL)

- Daz

[sun burn]

Stingray, what about getting rid of the drake and having two ducks instead. Are you allowed to keep the ducklings long enough to kill for dinner? (put em in the freezer) I know its hard to think about but it makes more sense. You should be able to avoid having future lots of little ducklings if you just take the eggs away. Is it your family who says you are not allowed to keep more than two?

Annette, snapola is a nice word. Wow you've got 16. I didn't realise you had that many. The farmer i got mine off had his 10 ducks in an area about 2.5 metres long and at its widest about 2 and at its narrowest about 1metre. So not very big but at night they don't do anything much. They seem fairly comfortable huddled up together at night. I think they feel safer. I notice my five ducks when together huddle in an area about 1 metre square. Though i guess if htey are going to spend the morning in they might need more space. I let mine out pretty early in the mornings at the moment and have taken to leaving them out till dark. The like foraging more in the mornings and later afternoon so it pays to let them do that if possible i reckon.

I'm thinking of only keeping them penned in the chook house during the snake season and during the cooler months, letting them spend more time in the duck yard which i've extended now in case i haven't mentioned it. Its pretty huge and with a good amount of shade now too. Also i am thinking of making them go from the chook house to the duck yard in the mornings (if i can) so they can forage and lay their eggs there instead of in the chook house. I don't know yet but that's what i am thinking about. The problem with the duck yard is that at the moment, there's a lot of weed mat down and its hard to dig up. So that means not much forage is growing there at this point so i liked leaving them there in the mornings. Also it was getting too hot.

[sun burn]

Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks by Dave HOlderread. I must say i really like this book and i can't absorb it all in two periods of library borrowing so i think i might have to buy a copy.

The thing about niacin that i mentioned was that they can end up with weak or bowed legs, stunted growth and large hocks. That's the severe case. In milder cases only some of the birds will develop these tendencies. They can't get the niacin from plants either but they can get the niacin from insects so if insects are plentiful, should be no problems. You can increase insect supply by burning a light for a few hours in the evenings in the pen. Niacin can be added to drinking water at a rate of 100-150mg per gallon of drinking water until 10 weeks of age. Niacin can be got from the chemist.

[Stingray]

Hi sunburn :)
Was planning to roast the drake (LOL).. but I've come to lilke him too much (LOL) .. so dunno now :)
Council says only allowed 5 "fowl" .. we have 3 chooks that supply us with enough eggs normally, so we dont need to buy eggs often :)
and yeah . the idea is to sex them and sell the girls and keep the boys .. i plan to keep the boy ducklings til "freezer" age - unless someone complains and council comes out .. hehehe
I have started letting mine free range mornin and arvo .. the drakes now allowed out at same time and today didnt seem to annoy the girl and ducklings .. so he's been allowed back in thier pen during the day
I put them in a lil earlier today than normal.. coz a large kookaburra was sitin on the fence "eyeing them off" .. LOL
- Daz

[annette]

Hi sunburn

You are in the same council area as me, Moreton regional council.. I didn't know we were only allowed to have 5 fowl. Is that just on a suburban block or is that acreage as well? I'm well away from neighbours so hopefully it is ok. eeekkkk fingers crossed

[Stingray]

yeah .. moreton regional council say 5 fowl on a residential block .. (no roosters) - i figure if your neighbours dont complain then its ok ;)
on acreage .. if you are listed as "rural residential" then its 20 .. and 1 rooster (i think) .. i got the pdf somewhere .. i'll go search for the link for you
- Daz

{Edit}
Pine Rivers Local Law 42 - Animals (http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/uploadedFiles/common/locallaws/LocalLaPolicyNo42.pdf)

the section for poultry states -
• Poultry
The keeping of poultry is prohibited on an allotment less than 600 square metres.
The keeping of roosters is prohibited on an allotment less than 6000 square metres.
The keeping of more than twelve (12) poultry is prohibited on an allotment less than 1200 square
metres.
The keeping of more than twenty (20) poultry is prohibited on an allotment less than 4000 square
metres.
Other than on an allotment greater than two (2) hectares the keeping of more than twenty (20) poultry
is prohibited except where a Permit is held.
----

note: 4000 sq meters = 1 Acre

[sun burn]

Well actually those limitations are quite sensible as they sound as though that's what the birds need for healthy free ranging. I don't think i would want more than 20 adult birds anyway. I am aiming for 10 chooks and not sure how many ducks. Maybe 10 is an ok number too. Otherwise things could get quite smelly and difficult to manage re the garden.

I think annette meant stingray when she said sunburn. I am in north queensland. I don't know what the limits are here.

Today I had a lot of pleasure watching the ducklings bathing altogether in the lid of an old worm farm. Its about 2 inches deep so no ones going to drown in there. They are thirsty little beggers too.

As time goes on i am really happy that i've been able to let them grow up on the edge of the forest. I think its a very nice spot for them and so far nothing untoward has occurred. I got some lettuces from my neighbour for the ducklings. They seem to love it.

[Stingray]

sounds nice sunburn :)
and yepp @ them making sense.. trying to work out how to sex ours atm so i can sell all the girls and some of the boys, as soon as poss... :) .. i dont want "20" either .. well.. not til i can find acreage ;)
didnt really plan this too well .. LOL.. was more a case of "awww - let them have a clutch" when we discovered the 2 ducks were a boy and a girl.. LOL

and yeah .. i figured she meant me ;) lol - oh wow.. just re-read what i posted to annette .. here in Caboolture shire its 5 poultry .. in her area seems its 12 .. lukky you :) (going to go back and recheck my area now .. LOL)

they are great to watch arent they :)

I never worried about them not floatin.. they had no issues swimming from day one :) - except from exuberant kids holding/playing with them in the water the other day seemed to "waterlog them :( but the 2 lil ducklings in question are fine now
Have opted to pretty much let mine free range all day now .. - with them being herded into pen after school so kids can do the stupid run about thing without me worrying they are harassing the ducklings :)

[annette]

sorry sunburn, got a bit mixed up with names. I don't think I will keep them all for very long. too many. the guy next door is going to help me prepare the ducks when it is time. i will give him a couple of ducks and eggs for payment for killing and preparing them. I am getting attached to them though. I have to stop getting so emotional about it.

[annette]

thanks daz i am rural residential so ok for the moment.

[sun burn]

Oh no i don't worry that they won't float ha ha ha. Just that they can't get out of the bath and drown from fatigue. Mother duck - Mavis - has a big deep bath. If a curious duckling fell in it it would be lights out for that little one. I want to put something in it in case one does get in out of curiosity so that it could climb out but there's not room and i haven't found the ideal escape tool yet. Its not big enough for a ramp and Mavis both. (not sure if i have already addressed her with another name above yet but i have four names and they are somewhat interchangeable as three of the ducks look alike. )

Hey its been nice having you two to talk about our respective babies with on this thread.

[Stingray]

sorry sunburn, got a bit mixed up with names. I don't think I will keep them all for very long. too many. the guy next door is going to help me prepare the ducks when it is time. i will give him a couple of ducks and eggs for payment for killing and preparing them. I am getting attached to them though. I have to stop getting so emotional about it.

LOL annette :) I am finding the same, it is very hard nto to get attached to the cute lil things ;)
everything i read says 12 weeks best time for my Muscovies getting the "chop" ..
on thursday they will be 3 weeks old :) .. only 9 to go .. LOL
-Daz

PS: oh and we still have 13 .. so looks like either the measures I am taking are working, or (LOL) they are getting to big for what ever was taking them :)

[annette]

Hi stingray

glad you didn't lose any more of them. My ducklings are now starting to follow me around, nearly into the house. sheesh. They are 7 weeks old and only another 5 weeks before the chop chop. Mine are pretty big already, however there is a little runt that is just the cutest little thing. May keep her. Do you know how to sex them?

[sun burn]

sexing is a tricky business. The book i mentioned gave a good description but said you can easily injure the ducks so you shouldn't do it unless you've seen it done firsthand. But your ducks are bigger. The book is storey's raising ducks. Have a look for it or others in the library. Even online it will probably describe it. YOu need to see pictures so i won't try to do it. I noticed with the chickens we were able to tell their sex at about 8 weeks. The roosters comb was red while the chickens were yellow still. I expect there will be some indicator on the drakes in this part of their physiology also so keep an eye on that. My dad was the one that noticed first (because I didn't know what to look for) and it came to pass that he was correct.

[Stingray]

no, i dont know how to sex them (yet) ... am waiting til they get a lil bigger ... and yeah .. we have a lil runt .. and same .. so cute .. cant see him/her getting big enough for *chop* .. LOL.. so add one to the menagerie that we have .. LOL
i think i read that at about 6-8 weeks the drakes start to get noticeably bigger than the girls ....
mine are now being left to free range almost all day (if i have to go out for any longer than an hour i'll put em back in whilst gone) ..
and today have started putting the chooks in their pen to start turning the mulch/dirt over..
wishin i was on a larger rural block to do all i need :)

[annette]

Think I may give the try at sexing them a big miss. They are getting the chop in 5 weeks anyway but I don't won't to hurt them. Gee ducks are messy aren't they? I fill up the water bowls and within minutes they are dirty.

I have taken to leaving them out all day till I get home from work. They tend to gather around the pen around dusk.

[sun burn]

They tend to gather round the pen at dusk. .... Yes i think they like being in a pen at night. It must feel safer. Even when i forget to shut the door as per last night, all the chickens and ducks stay in till morning.

My little runt just loves to dunk and dunk and dunk his head in water. He/she doesn't jump in to swim as much as the others but just dunks and dunks. They seem to be doing that slushing things that ducks do in the mud. Must be instinctual.

No one seemed to care much for the new hay i put in the pen last night. No eggs today.

[DonHansford]

Hey folks - I don't mean to be insensitive or anything, but you do realise the long-term ramifications for your flock of keeping the "cute little things", i.e. runts? In the mean and nasty 'real' world, they are the first to get the chop, leaving the gene pool stronger.

[sun burn]

One can avoid letting them sit on their eggs. I am starting to wonder if my little one has something wrong with it. It seems to drink constantly. I gave them all some fresh lettuces this afternoon. Everyone else made a beeline for the lettuces but the runt (i'll have to name it soon) went straight back to the water. I've taken my book back to the library so i can't look this situation up. I guess I will just wait and see who she goes.

[Stingray]

LOL sunburn .. ours got named yesterday .. so looks like the like runts staying .. (LOL)
this morning when i went to let them out, he was sitting, not moving, didnt run for any food like the others did, he looked ok, just a lil weak ... didnt want follow mumma out of pen and all that.. so mixed a some rolled oats with water and sat him next to it, after dipping his beak in it to show him it was food (LOL), he seemed to perk up and eat some .. so left him to it,
before we did the school run i checked on him and he was moving about *yay* ... just got home from being out all morning , and he's active and doin all thing ok.. so x'n fingers he is ok .. will see how he goes tomorrow :)
Don, I Know what a runt is and means, and that they normally kark it in the wild etc,
I do not plan on letting the drake breed with him/her .. it will be the kids pet :)
- Daz

[sun burn]

This has the potential to become the runts story thread.

I was watching all mine this morning. I noticed the size of the legs of the little one (wee wee? is that a good name?) are less than half that of the others already. (mine are a week old now). She seems wobbly too but is still such a little cutie pie.

I heard an owl today. Owls eat meat.

I noticed as you said about yours stingray that they have started to wander off further by themselves. I guess this will happen a lot more this week. But mostly i expect they will hang about together as even the grown up ducks mostly do too.

They do love the lettuce. Yesterday I gave them three or four and ate the entire lot and mum doesn't seem to eat much of it so that means the ducklings are greedy gutzes ... which is of course very good.

I am going to give them some boiled egg tomorrow. I think that's a good source of niacin. I think they may not be getting much insect life down where they are though its hard to tell. I think its the insect protein which is their main source of niacin. I haven't bought any yet. For some reason i got muddled up about the source of it and didn't get some in town the other day. Maybe out little runts need more protein to beef them up a bit. Mines a girl by the way.

[Stingray]

hehe ....
just checked mine before :)
and the lil one seems ok :) (*phew*)
was funny yesterday ... got home and checked them and they's all been down the side piggin out on nfi, but thier crop's were bulging out like basket balls .. heheh .. so they obviously found something tasty (even the runt)
have had some cucumbers that went yukk on vine today... so split them and fed them to ducks/chooks.. seemed to hoe into them
and have noticed the ducklings go into the chook pen thru the wire (LOL), and the chooks just ignore them :)
waiting for a "poo moment" (LOL) when one eats too much and cant fit back out thru the mesh .. hehehe
apart from that .. they are 3 weeks old and look to be healthy as ;)
still noticing the kookas hanging about (but then they did that before the ducklings), so think they are just after the lixzards/snakes :)
-Daz

[sun burn]

My little Lucy (I wasnt' serious about calling her wee wee) has bad eye. I've only just noticed it today so hopefully its new. At first it thought maybe she's blind but now i realise its just the lid is shut down. I've just been reading around on the net and it seems this is common and saline solution eye wash may be the go. This means i will have to go and catch her which will cause a lot of upset with mum.

This morning i made up some boiled egg and milk. The chickens gobbled up there share quick smart and the ducklings had a go at theirs but the Lucy didn't notice it was there. She's still drinking like mad. She doesn't get in and swim/wade much. She just hangs her head over the side of the lid.

I had better go and tackle this now.

[Curramore1]

Way back( for some of us) in the early 70's of last century as 12 year old boy I kept 40 or so white muscovy ducks in batches of 10 or 15 with one old and one young drake per harem. I used to have between 400 and 500 ducklings hatch every November on their own nests, but after the ducks went broody I penned them on their own with 15 or so eggs as they disrupt each others nests and the drake still pestered them. The broody ducks ate and drank very little over the 5 weeks incubation period. They normally grazed acres of grass pasture during the day after a breakfast of fresh whole cows milk and pollard and bran 50/50 mix. As soon as the ducklings hatched I put them away from their mums and dads under a light in groups of 25 and took care to remove and singly care for weaker special needs guys. I built the pens from bamboo poles woven with split bamboo and whatever I could lay my grubby little hands on.
Quite often the ducks would lay again and raise a second hatching. The ducklings were all fed whole milk and pollard morning and night with access to grass. All ducks etc .were folded at night to keep the foxes at bay. The main problem for me was if cane toads got in the water as the water is very toxic to ducks and the metabolic disease Ricketts, especially in the fast growing ducklings at 3-5 weeks old. We fed them Meggits linseed meal and table salt in their water which seemed to help in the cure??? They were sold for the table as soon as their pen feathers grew long enough to pluck. I bought my first watch, pushbike and pony with the first batch sold. I still have the first two, but the pony died at 30. Her name was Ducky!

[sun burn]

Interesting story curramore. I don't want to nurture individually the weak one but if there's anything i can do to add to her growth. A week after hatching, the others have grown to almost twice the size of my runt. I wonder if she will just die soon. The thing is to take her out of the nest and nurture her alone will require a lot of time i think. Its not that she can't get her share of food as there is plenty and not too much competition. I think she's a bit weak brained as well. At least she looks that way as she only seems to be interested in drinking water when she should be out chasing insects. Maybe I will take down some milk for her to drink and see if i can get her interested in that.

So far i haven't noticed any cane toads around where the nest is. And one can get into the pen either cause i've got it completely covered in shade cloth. They can no longer get into my pond either as i've fenced off my vegie patch with shadecloth (we have so much of it lying about).

[Stingray]

wow curramore... sounds great.. sorta story I hope my son Declan - 6 - , will have to tell :) (although .. i shouldnt be sexist .. LOL... I can see daughter Elise - 4 - doing the same .. LOL .. ) her sister Jacqui - 4 - (yepp twins) is a girly girl already (dresses etc) where as elis eis "shorts n tshirts..lol) ..

anyways .. sunburn .. the bad news is the runts gone :( .. (s)he looked really week on thursday night .. even after rallying and looking really well during the day ... when i checked them yesterday morning (s)he was gone... was expecting a body .. but the something that was taking them, has obviously returned to take him/her ..
anyways .. apart from that the rest seem really healthy ... each morning after a few hours free ranging their crops are so full they look to fall forward and not move .. LOL :)

havent seen any cane toads in thier water yet .. (we do get them in the dogs water bowl)

[sun burn]

Sorry to hear about your little runt stingray. Mine is still alive but she's not growing much. The others are ballooning in size. They are about twice as big. Have i said that already? Anyway i'm not sure what to do really. She's got lots of energy and other wise looks healthy. Their nest is getting a bit stinky. I worry now that it might attract the snakes. I guess I need to try to take all that smelly stuff away and put some sawdust down there. and some straw (now that i bought some.)

I haven't heard anyone mention this thing about crops before. I guess its the part at the base of the necks. Can you tell their food is in it? I just remember have you got any gritty bits for them to eat. Ducks and chickens need stuff like that to help with digestion. I think I read that. I don't need to worry about it here as there are little stones all over.

On a cute note, i saw one of the ducklings jump up for a leaf this morning from teh back view. As she jumped she spread her legs. A very cute image. Now i realise that good cartoonists actually watch animals.

I might go down and clean up that ducks nest now. Did i mention that another one has taken to nesting again somewhere. God this is driving me nuts. I fixed the duck yard so they cna't get out anymore and wonder if i should send them all back down there to live again though there is no shelter from rain. There is a lot of shade now since i've extended it. I think they like going in the chook house at night though. I wonder if i can herd them to and fro until i build a proper safe shelter for them at night. Its a reasonable distance between them too. About 200 metres so this could be challenging. I'd let her have the eggs to hatch except i am afraid there won't be many and it would be another month and more with no duck if i don't bring her back to the duck yard. I think i might go and try to sort this out now. I think i will keep them all locked up in the duck yard for a few days. This will mean also that i could put in the mum duck and her little ones too or I could move that lot up to the chook house for a while. hmmm not sure about that yet. If i put them in the chook house, there's no chance to forage. On the other hand i could keep them happy with lettuces. If i put them in the duck yard they need to have a good shelter made for them so that no one comes and steals them. Its quite big so i don't really think that the drake and others would cause any problems though i'd keep an eye on them all to be sure if i do put them there.

Anyhow i need to go and start doing this now i think.

[Stingray]

hehe.. glad yours is going well :)
yeah .. crop is like base of neck .. bulges out when they eat .. not worried about grit here as they forage free range most of the day .. so anything they need they'd get from yard :)
dunno if i've said it before, the ducks "hutch" is an old dog kennel :) ... and i have a length of corrugated iron sheeting that sits on the kennel and the fence .. giving them a "sheltered" area
love watching them race about, never realised just how many bugs were in our 1/4 acre.. LOL.. they seem to be having a ball constantly chasing bugs and munchin them ;)
- Daz

[sun burn]

Well i moved everybody. It took a lot of time and I think it was a bit stressful for everyone. In the evening mum tried to find a way to get back to her other nest and in the end i had to fence her in close to the protected shelter i made for her and the ducklings. Teh little ones can go through the fence but not mum. Hopefully they won't stray out again. I will let them out of this in the morning but i wanted to get them used to this spot because its got shelter from the rain. They should all be quite exhausted tonight even though the new nest isn't so far from the old one. Only about 40 metres i guess. But the terrain is pretty rough for small ducklings iwth lots of big leaves and vines and sticks all over.

I moved the other ducks down too. They weren't too happy about it I can tell. They didn't show too much interest in the mother and ducklings which is good. I also managed to find the fourth duck. Of course she's not happy that i am keeping her off her nest, wherever it is. I still haven't been able to find it. There's probably about three eggs in it.

I got lots of lovely fresh lettuces from neihgbour today. Everybody enjoyed those.

I must say i do find the ducklings mesmerising and i didn't get so miuch else done today.

[Stingray]

hrmm..though i replied to this .. LOL
any ways :)
hi sunburn :)
you'll prob find the hidden nest with a whipper snipper .. LOL .. off to the local F&V this arvo to see if i can get some vegie scraps for every1 :)
looks like the cute lil things are too big for what ever was carrying them off :) .. still 12 .. and yay .. they are 4 weeks old :)
cant remember if i already said this :)
got them up for sale .. plus waiting for a call from someone giving away their drake coz they are going away for a while ..
- add some more genetics to our "pool" .. lol.. coz I an going to sell our drake too .. so if any of the ducklings we keep are girls then its not their dad breedin with them :)
They are growing nicely and goin ballistic roamin around the back yard during the day .. its amazin how full their crops are at the end of the day just from "free-ranging"
still no idea how many girls/boys.. got told the drakes should start to look "longer" than the girls .. so x'n fingers i can id them soon :)
- Daz

[sun burn]

I can't figure out how to manage my lot. I know though if i sit down with pen and paper and do some pros and cons i can work it out. I am weak minded on this. One of the ducks has taken to sitting on one egg. I ask you! I know you i should not let this happen. How am i suposed to get her to have more eggs in her nest. The other two ducks haven't resumed laying eggs. I guess they will try to sit on them when they start laying again too.

Meanwhile, the little ones are growing bigger and bigger every day. The littlest one is still quite small. I've been watching her and she simply does not eat as much as the others. She's got a mind of her own. She likes to drink mainly. The others all move about together but this one is always last and sometimes first when somethings going on but never doing moving in synch with the others.

I can't keep the chickens out of the duck yard now since they are big enough to fly over the fence. I guess I could clip their wings. I wish they'd stay out of there as its not much good to me having them pooing all over teh duck yard instead of the garden.

I see from this experience that i'd find disciplining children very difficult. Its just as well i didn't have any.

[Stingray]

wow.. sounds full on there :)
i dont let my chooks roam the yard as they dig up my vegi beds and the gardens ..
the ducks are doing a great job at de-insecting the yad .. LOL... :)
i let the chooks into the duck pen once a week while they are raomin .. they do a good job of turnin over the duck poo etc
how ever .. with only being on a 1/4 acre .. i am finding i need to move thier pen and plant a crop there ..lol..
my chooks have clipped wings.. lol.. coz they kept flying out of thier pen .. :)
off to get some old avairy panels today to extend thier pen :) .. lovin freecycle :)
- Daz

[sun burn]

The chickens are attracted to leaf mulch. Most of our place isn't mulched yet. I have fenced them out of the vegie garden and so far they've stayed out. But i am definitely going to have to clip their wings soon. Luckily the chooks don't go out to the road boundary where i've been planting cause there is a bit of mulch there.

[sun burn]

http://www.photoblog.com/ShangriLa/2010/12/04/

[Stingray]

aww.. aint they cute :)
i been slack with my blog .. but i just quickly did Novembers .. and theres some pics of the Ducklings here (http://www.indigocat.net/darren/?p=94)
I picked up a new Drake yesterday .. and built a new pen for him ..
although i will prob move the ducklings into there (as its a lil more "secure") and the new drake into the main en with momma duck .. and see if she starts laying again :)
- Daz

[sun burn]

The ducks are misbehaving. Or rather Bertie is. He's kicking the ducklings out of the yard and so they are sleeping outside the fence tonight. Last night i let Mavis out with them and they went back to their first home for the night. I had tried to send Mavis and her brood to the tented house i had set up for them so i could fence them in safely and Bertie out but she wouldn't go. Frankly i think her interest has been rekindled in men and she's a bit torn between him and her kids at the moment. She hasn't abandonned them entirely but things are not as they were. At least most of them are quite big now, already. When i checked on them earlier, the Lucy, the little one was cuddled up in the middle. During the day things were a bit more settled and Mavis and her kids were left to get on with eating and drinking in the shade for the most part. Until the choooks came along. Although Ive clipped their wings they have found a way through the fence - they are not as big as they look - and spend the whole day down in the duck yard. They are bullies and force the ducks and ducklings to abandon their position next to the food. But i go down there often and make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink and chase the chooks away to give the ducks a break.


I found the eggs today - six. This is why i've sent the ducks back to the duck yard. This time i've left one in the nest and so hopefully they will keep laying in that spot. Its under the mint plant.

I start to think that the duck yard might also be the right place for the chook pen but i want to wait to see what happens during the wet season before making a decision about moving it.

The little one is really unusually small but she's so adorable. She scrambles as fast as she can whenever they are on the move (often with me behind them). Because she's so small she virtually throws her whole self forward to get along faster. Because I can see its such a huge stressful effort, i try to catch so she doesn't have exert herself so much. Other times i just shoo them along really slowly. Its weird how she doesn't want to eat. I am not inclined to force her. She's a busy lively little bundle. She's got her own little swimming and drinking bowl while the others have graduated to one of the big bowls which they can get in and out of quite easily now. I must take a picture to show you the size difference. I can hardly believe that they were all born on the same day and that the growth rate is so different. She might have done better if i had taken her aside and fed her but then she'd be rejected by the others. Its not as if they don't let her get to the food either. She just prefers to drink rather than eat. Silly little duffer.

[Stingray]

woot!!.. sounds fun there :)
have you taken the eggs to eat? or just to stop then from hatching?
ours are getting bigger.. starting to notice most are longer" ducklings.. which i was told mean boys .. thinkin maybe only 2-3 are girls.. oh well .. they are 5 weeks old tomorrow so a lil while they should really stand out as sep boys n girls :)
the nieghbour over the back got me today .. havent chatted to him since i moved in 2 years ago (LOL) .. but he saw me out n about the yard and hollered.. to ask about the ducklings.. as he'd had a couple of dead ones over the last few weeks .. told me the kookas had taken them into his yard.. s that explains the disappearance and lack of "feathers around"
1st time in 10 months our drake went our lil dog today .. the ducklings werent close so i dont know why .. so he (and the new drake) got to spend the whole day in the pen (LOL) .. as I had to go out all day ..
they seem to get on well and no fighting between them ..
they were all out and roamin the other day .. and he started to show some interest in the girl .. lol.. but she told him off.. hehehe
looking around for another girl (10-12 months old) .. so as to have 2 atleast for the drakes to pick from .. until the lil ducks get older :)
- Daz

[sun burn]

Yes it is fun and I find I am spending more and more time watching, mesmerised by them. Also i am able to pick up the little one more and she is quite settled in my lap now too. I haven't been able to get her to eat boiled egg ( I am sure she could use the protein, though i read that they can make their own from a good diet of cereals grains and grasses etc, and no doubt insects.) Meanwhile i saw that the bigger ducklings were enjoying the egg and the chickens fairly bolt it down. In fact they chased me around the garden tonight to have some, although i had just given them a plateful in their own pen which they seem not to have noticed. !! Quelle stupide chickens!. (meant endearingly).

So you have got to the bottom of the mystery about your stolen ducklings. I can't bear to think about being eaten alive by a kookaburra. Although if they are like many other animals, they kill them qiuckly first before trying to eat them. You put your dog and drake in teh pen together for the whole day even though they are fighting. I guess they've survived it but i am surprised you didn't want to keep them apart. But i think i am a bit confused by this story.

I've been getting eggs, two a day now and both being laid in teh same nest. It helped that i left an egg in but i guess it will get smelly after a while. Yes i eat the eggs. I had them for lunch today. I feed the chickens eggs mainly to the animals as they are quite small. 50g type size if that.

I am surprised if you could have only 2-3 ducklings out of your big brood. It seems very imbalanced unless all the ones taken by the kookaburra were girls. I still haven't a clue what sort of ratio i've got. How long do you reckon your ducklings are. Mine i'd say are about 11 inches and its only 4 weeks while Lucy would be still only about 6 inches long. She's got a bad eye. the left eye has a dark pupil and a clear blue iris while hte right eye is dark with a milky coating. I can't tell if its natural blindness or a condition that could be fixed. I've used the saline solution but there is no pus or conjuctivitis.

I am glad to see you are getting another female. I've noticed lately for the first time that Bertie is actually chasing teh girls more than once a day. They seem to be quite randy buggers.

I think the issues betweeen all the grown ups and the ducklings are slowly being worked out. The grown ups are like nasty old women who love nothing better to berate a child and Bertie is like a stupid selfish old bastard who can't be bothered with children. Meanwhile mum just does nothing about Bertie though she does still sometimes get a bit defensive against the other females and puts herself in between the female and her ducklings. I expect this is all normal behaviour but its a bit unpleasant to watch and i can't help but shoo away bertie and the females when they are being bullying.

I've got more pictures and will be putting them up in the near future.

I am sure I spend far too much time fussing over all my poultry - getting them fresh water and replenishing their food and cooking them eggs and such. I must get more efficient eventually. But i am looking forward already to next years batch of baby ducks. I think one batch a yaer will be enough. I am so glad i've got them. And i have to say that except for the mushy poo as opposed to the nice tidy globules of the chickens, i prefer the ducks. They are milder gentler creatures.

Have i mentioned that the rooster has been trying to roots its mother. He doesn't seem to be so interested in his sisters but he's not above his poor old mum. She's resisting valiantly, to her credit though.

[Stingray]

yeah .. gotta admit the same .. love watching them wander the yard chasing bugs/flys :)
wish they would eat more grass than they do.. (LOL.. then i wouldnt have to mow) .. the mumma seems to like eating the grass seeds .. but the ducklings dont seem interested.
am thinking I should put the duck thing on hold (lol) .. i can see it gettin out of hand - hahaha :) - and we really ned more land for that .. lol
am starting to get confused.. lol... i think ours are 5 weeks old today ..
so figure .. over the weekend i will separate them into the drakes pen and put the new drake in with the mum and see if we start getting eggs :)
and i might look at taking every 2nd days eggs for us to eat ...
I havent bothered boiling soem eggs up and feeding them to the ducklings..
they really seem healthy and get enough from the free ranging the yard plus the seed i have for the chooks, that they get some of too
we never went with a rooster for the chooks (had one at the last house.. but his crowing annoyed me .. so into the pot her went .. lol)
- Daz

[sun burn]

I don't think the duck needs sex to make eggs. Its just that the drakes like a bit of hanky panky and anyway unlike with chickens, ducks seem to be serious about relationships. Chickens seem more independent. More sociopathic if you ask me.

Yeah i think yours may be one week older than mine.

So if you are only going to take every second egg, are you going for more hatchlings?

I admit the rooster crowing does wake me up sometimes and i do feel a little annoyed but mostly its because I worry about the neighbours. I certainly don't want baby chickens born of incest. I"m sort of wishing i had a different breed of chickens. A nicer breed.

Are you going to separate the duck from her ducklings?

[sun burn]

http://www.photoblog.com/shangrila/2010/12/09/ducklings-growing.html#comments

More ducklings

[Stingray]

aww.. soo cute :)
LOL
am a sucker for ducklings .. LOL :)
unfortunately we lost one over night :(
not sure what happened .. my sleep in day (LOL>. wish i actually got to sleep in .. LOL) .. and when i went out @ 8:30 am to let em out.. once had drowned in the pond ..
all the rest seem ok.. so will keep an eye on them to see if was just a one off or if they are gettin sick :(
- Daz

[sun burn]

jeez stingray that's terrible. Do you mean it died by drowning or did it drown by another means. Was it unable to get out of the pond? I am very conscious of this happening and try to avoid having a bowl that they can't get out of. They are really keen to explore bodies of water so will try to get in. So you have to make it hard for them if they are not going to be able to get out. I've got a large one that is ook for the big ducks. Since i've had the ducklings i have taken it out of the whole in the ground so its too hard for the little ones to get in.

I forgot to note here that yesterday I retrieved a plastic bucket of a wheelbarrow that was being disposed of. A friend cut off the base and it is going to make a fabulous pond for the big ducks and little ducks. I will have to put in some sort of plank or ladder that they can all walk out on since its going to be quite deep. There's a slope but its quite a steep one. I will put this whole thing in a hole i dig in the ground. I can't wait. Dad is going to buy me some silicone to plug the holes. He forgot to do it yesterday. I am so impatient to see them all love this bath.

[Stingray]

yeah .. i havent been worried about drowning as i has some roof tiles as ramps for them to get out, and even when day olds they could get out fine ...
I actually think it could be because i forgot top change thier water yesterday :( and i have noticed if the waters "yuck" they dont seem to be so "water proof" ..
S i don't really know if it drowned on its own . or if it could have been in the pond and momma hopped in at the same time .. and maybe accidentaly drowned her

[sun burn]

Well my good luck has run out. The snakes have arrived and tonight, just now, i was too late to rescue little Lucy from a carpet snake. I went down there to check on them before coming up here to my laptop. I didn't see the snake at first. I heard one duckling cheeping like mad and found it far away from the others. Then i saw that Lucy was missing and then I saw the snake squeezing her to death. It was too late by the time we got the snake off her though. We killed the snake. I know there will be others around so tomorrow everybody is moving to the chicken house for night times.

I feel very sad and very bad. That little Lucy had really won my heart.

[Stingray]

aww nooooo! :( .. sorry to hear it was lucy :{
... am definately learning nature is cruel... even tho i try to be "tough guy" . LOL... they do get to me .. :}
i know they say have more ducks for the drake .. but do ducks pair for life? as the new drake gets the cold shoulder from momma, yet the ducklings dad gets to do the deed.
so goin to put the ducklings in the pen with the new drake and let them have the main pen and see if she starts laying, as i checked the "house" and the nest looks remade again ..
size wise, it looks like all but 2 of the ducklings are def boys (as 9 look really "long" in body).... good for our freezer i spose.. hehe
thinkin i either need to make a 3rd pen (LOL) .. or move (LOL)
- Daz

[sun burn]

Well please be careful about the behaviour of the drake with the ducklings. Our drake has been chasing the little ducklings away and is quite aggressive towards them, as are the other ducks. YOu can't force the duck to lay. Its a hormonal thing. I think you should be patient. Didn't we say up above that it takes 6-8 weeks before they start laying again. They don't need a drake to start laying, if they are like chickens, only if you want fertilised eggs.

Mostly in nature (amongst mammals anyway) the weaker drakes just miss out. I can't remember how you came to get another drake. Ducks in captivity would behave a bit differently from ducks in the wild. But noted drakes prefer more than one duck because they like to root more than once a day it seems. I've started seeing it quite often. Wouldn't be so fair on mumma if she had to put up with that everyday.

[Stingray]

hey... yeah . am watching them pretty closely .. the duck, duckling and the 2 drakes pretty much roam the yard whilst i am home :)
The new drake - Sir Fransis (LOL), got him so that we added genetic diversity when the ducklings grew up and became ducks :) (got him now as one was bring given away) stays in his pen for a while after the doors opened,
yet the old drake - Peeping, exits asap and starts following me around :)
Checked hutch today and egg #1's been laid :) ..
sorta in 2 minds as to remove every 2nd for eating or just to let her clutch them all (last time she laid 20 .. wondering if she would still lay upto 20, then sit on the 10 left - if i took every 2nd one or so - or if she would keep laying until she had 20 under her for clutching)
and yeah .. we do want another lot of cute lil yellow things :)
they are 6 weeks old this thursday coming .. so another 4-5 weeks until "chop" for all the boys
- Daz

[sun burn]

So the ducklings and ducks have been moved up to the chicken house in the evenings now. I don't like having the ducklings in close quarters with the grown ups though because they bully them and this morning i noticed bite marks on the wings of one little duckling. Poor little buggers. I wish i had a second cage but i guess sooner or later they will have to get along with this big baddies.

Meanwhile one of the ducks has taken to sitting on eggs again and I am letting her since I was unable to remove her from the next yesterday. In feeling around, i noticed there were a few eggs there and i figured she must be sitting on eggs from some of the other ducks as well. But i'd like to keep her separate from the others because I don't want any more eggs to go under her if i can sell them. And i am looking into that now. But i would like to move her back to the chicken house so that the snakes don't get her or the eggs. Its hot now so its time the snakes are out and about. I thought i'd try to get her off them during the day.

I wish i had a second hen house. I'd like to be down in the duck yard as i think down the track i think i'd like that to be the main sleeping quarters. I don't really feel like building another hen hosue right now though. I am flat out feeling like doing anything at all in fact.

I found a perfect duck bath the other day. A plastic wheelbarrow bin. It needs its holes plugged up though. I got some silicone for that.

[Stingray]

sounds great :)
i've had to seperate the ducks/ducklings now .. pretty sure, by size we have 9 boys and 1 girl :), and the dad gets a lil "pushy" to them ..
we had that one that looked too harassed with some blood .. but after separation he came good.. and cant pick which one it was now :)
am starting to feel a lil guilty that I dont have the room to have a large pen for them, as well as free range the yard ..
hoping to get another kids "clam shell" this week to add an extra pond or two for the ducklings :)
she hasnt had any more eggs laid, wondering if the dad crunched them coz the new drake might have been the father of those 2 or 3... before i seperated them??
anyways.. they are gettin big now :) ... 7 weeks old this week ... they've gone from chasing just the bugs in my bean bed to strippin the leaves :( .. oh well.. another lot of mesh to make to exclude them from that bed as well.... LOL .. had to put a mesh "hanger" over my corn bed as they were pulling the seedlings out trying to get the flies.. lol

[sun burn]

I know its frustrating when they eat the plants you want to grow big. I noticed that if they had other things to eat they leave those things alone. For instance initially they were eating my pumpkin vines but they don't do this anymore. Sometimes i notice they eat some plants and at other times the same ones not and i notice that this depends on if they get lettuces from my neighbour or not. So maybe you could plant decoy plants in front of those you want to keep. Its just a suggestion since you have a fairly small yard.

In the ducks pen at night, i have just thought that what i might do is set up a room divider to keep Bertie on one side and let the ducklings have some peace on the other side. I will just get a piece of mesh (the one i dragged all the way back to the nursery last week, in fact the one i have dragged back and forth several times now) and put it across. Ducks don't jump so that should keep them apart easily.

The duck i brought up form the duck yard and her eggs have gone back to the duck yard after spending most of the day up at the chicken house. She wouldn't sit on the eggs up there and when i opened the door, she ran back to the mint plant nest and got in with out her eggs. So i put them back later. I know she won't get any more fertilised eggs so i might start putting some of the others under her to sit on cause i don't need to eat them all.

I got in touch with the woman who knows the woman who wants my eggs. Of course that woman is away for holidays now. Nevermind.

[sun burn]

I reckon i've got three males and one female in my batch of ducklings. Its just as well that i have another batch on the way. I let this duck have seven eggs, two of them are hers.

I think one of the ducklings managed to get in the big new pond this afternoon. I only became aware of it when there was a huge splashing about. Unfortunately i think it meant that he hadn't been able to get out easily and had to take a flying leap to get out. He was getting out when i noticed him. When i put it in the ground it will be better and i will put in a ramp as well.

They are all doing very well now but they are still afraid of me which hurts i must admit.

[Stingray]

aww... mine run at me when i go out there (LOL.. helps that since they have been free ranging i'll take food out for the ducklings.. as extra .. LOL.. ) .
i get mobbed .. and laff when i call "duck duck duck" and they all come runnin like a pack of dogs :) .. funny .. they run away from my kisd tho (LOL) .. prob coz all they wanna do is pick em up ;)
rofl.. hrmm .. think i'll video it tomorrow and youtube it .. hehehehe :)
we still got 10 .. and 1's still alot smaller than the other 9 .. :)
lady next door loves them .. lol.. so much her hubby's offered to make her a pen and buy 2 boys off us (as they dont wanna do the duckling route .. lol)
good idea the ramp.. i have 2 roof tiles.. one in the bottom of the pond and one angled out .. works well :) .. tho.. i hadnt done that in the "pond" in the other drakes pen - and i leave doors open and the ducklings went in there and one couldnt get out as the drake had splashed about and the water level wasnt high enough for the duckling to get out ..
nice ya got next lot on the way :)
last i looked on friday .. she was sittin on 6 eggs (tho 1 is the one she laid almost 1 1/2 weeks ago .. then didnt lay again for like 6 days ) hoping all things go smoothly ..

[sun burn]

The chooks run at me like that.

My ducklings are fed so much they don't have to go foraging even though they are free to go where they like. They just sit all day, sometimes staying in the pen. Well ok that's not quite true. In the afternoon they take a nibble of this and that for about five minutes.

The grown ups are good though. They look for food throughout they day and then enjoy what i give them. I mean none of them are starving but they always like it when i've got something for them. They just don't seem to love me for it, or even make a pretence of it, like yours do.

[Stingray]

hehe .. my chooks would destroy my vegi beds if i let em out.. LOL
the duckling love the scraps i give the chooks :)
so i dump them along the indide edge of the chook tractor.. that way the ducks stick their heads thru and get what they want :)
i give the ducks alot of seed/mash .. but they do seem to prefer to rampage about the yard chasing bugs and weeds/leaves .. and they are growin so fast .. so they must be getting everything they need :)
mine are so used to the routine now.. gonna miss them .. LOL .. oh well.. only a month or so til the next lot..
def need to move somewhere i can have alot more :) .. keep 6 or so as egg layers.. and the another lot espec for ducklings .. then thered be a flock all the time .. LOL

[sun burn]

Stingers, i've got a new duckling today. She's sooooooooooooooooo cute as i know you can imagine. I am hoping that more will hatch in the next day or two. Its tricky right now as its raining solidly. I will move mum and babies as soon as I can up to the chook house in case of snakes. But i am waiting till all are hatched first. I've seen a few snakes around lately. One red-bellied black and one brown snake. The latter was heading right for the chook pen when i saw it but luckily this sort of snake doesn't eat chickens. It would kill me though if i stood on it and it bit me.

About the first lot that are huge now. They are all bigger than their parents. And as Joe said, this is because they've had better feed. I noticed it first by the size of their feet. They all have very sturdy legs and big feet much bigger than their mums and just a bit more than their dad's and they are only about 2 months old!! Body wise, they are still growing but they all pretty big and as big as their mum i think. Even the girl. But boy are they lazy. They don't go foraging at all. I think i must have spoiled them as babies. I have a real soft spot for the parents.

I haven't dealt with the need to cull the boys in this group though. We killed the rooster recently and that was so awful i decided not to do the ducks until i could find someone who could teach me how to do it properly or find someone else to do it. I am glad not to have the rooster around any more though i must say. He was too noisy. the ducks just eat too much so that's why they must go sooner rather than later. Though i must say its nice to see 9 almost full grown ducks rushing around together - which is what they do when they are hungry. They chase me. Them and all the chickens.

Now daddy duck is a naughty duck who terrorises his offspring so i have just started to chuck him out of the hen house at night. Recently i heard a great noise in the middle of the night and thinking it might be a snake i rushed down there and saw that all the grown up ducklings were hiding behind the hen cupboard. Its not a good place for them as there is less protection from the rain and why should they have go and hide there. So i told Bertie he had to go outside. I don't think he's happy about it. He feels less safe but if he had behaved, he could stay in. I could also put him in a separate compartment as I was doing before but that's hard work and awkward. No for the moment, he can be outside. If he's not too stupid, he can find shelter under the car or under a tree.

[purecajn]

When growing we had Muskogee's and Mallard ducks semi wild in the back pond. Dad would wake in the morning, walk outside and start clapping his hands and ducks would come swarming in, there must have been between 30-40 in the end there. There pretty self sufficient. My dog on 2 occasions brought in a baby duck from outside gently in its mouth and we just raised it as a dog. It ate out of the dogs bowl, slept snuggled next to the dog, it would actually push my dobie out of the way so it could eat his food. When outside it would follow him around outside, and we'd dig worms in the yard and the duck would patiently wait for a worm to wiggle then pounce. Eventually both joined the rest of the ducks in the pond but it was fun while they were here.

[sun burn]

Wow i am going to kidnap that duckling and make myself its mother. I want to be followed by a little cutie like that but i am not sure my cat will like it too much. That's the only worry. Although then he would be one of the stolen generation!

[purecajn]

Seeming as how timid around all the ducks he was, I don't see him kidnapping it. I lean more towards he came across a stray duckling and rater than letting a local stray cat or hawk scoop him up my dog took it under its wing. this only happened 2 x in a 12 yr span so I give him the benefit of the doubt. also we never put a leash or caged it. we just gave it food while it stayed with us. even when young it just followed him outdoors as well as in. somehow these ducks imprinted my dog as the mother.

[sun burn]

I wasn't making suggestions about your dog. I was just suggesting that I would kidnap mine. Yeah i had heard about this imprinting tendency. I thought about the implications of stealing the duckling further and when i got ot it being in the house pooing all over the wooden floor, i thought perhaps its not such a great idea.

[purecajn]

Ours was only allowed in the very back room of the house which was covered with newspaper with a kiddie gate blocking it in. My dog would jump over and hang out with her at thru the night. Hey if you accidentally make a double post on a thread, how do you delete it?

[eco4560]

Hey if you accidentally make a double post on a thread, how do you delete it?
I think only we Mods can do that. I have access to the grey strip at the top just under the name of the thread and there's one there that says Administrative that you can use to delete posts. If you can't see it then it is just a Mod thing!
Generally we see them and tidy up for you, or you can send one of us a PM and we'll fix it for you.

[Stingray]

hehe sunburn .. lukky you :)
mumma ducks still sittin on her eggs .. i sorta lost track of times this time round .. so not sure when they are due to hatch :{ (i "think" early Feb).. and with the floods we did get some "lakes" in our yard .. and even tho I never saw the water level get high enough to go into her hutch .. i did see it level with the bottom of it.. so not sure if the eggs got wet and if that will mean they wont hatch :}
any ways.. heres some pics :)
(more pics of our permaculture experience here (http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/v/permaculture/22012011564.jpg.html) )
Proud (and freakin annoying) Dad
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2407-2/22012011548.jpg
Daffy (lol one of 2 named ducklings) :)
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2412-2/22012011558.jpg
Mumma duck happily sittin on her eggs :)
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2417-2/22012011559.jpg
Again I've rearranged and added to the pens :) LOL
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2422-2/22012011565.jpg
Main yard
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2427-2/22012011564.jpg
I had to fence off an area as their main yard, instead of just letting them free range, as the ducklings were being so destructive to any plant they could reach, and we needed to plant some fresh crops of vegies to help us out since there isnt going to be a lot of fresh cheap veg after these floods
-Daz

[purecajn]

will you be making a mini duck tractor for maintained maintenance\fertilization of the yard? they look great. Yer ducks can be pretty destructive in there own right. When the population in the back pond grew neighbors phoned the city and whoosh all were swooped up. Thy were so tame no one could bring themselves to eat any . Bad day, that was one of only two times I ever saw my father shed tears.

[Stingray]

rofl @ duck tractor . I hadnt thort of that .. lol .. would have to be bigger than my chook tractor (below)

http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2268-2/06112010423.jpg

that sucks about neighbours making a complaint :(
I would hope that If any of mine had a problem that they would say something to me 1st ..
so far so good tho.. neighbours on each side are great .. (new ones on east side actually want a couple from the next clutch . lol)
the ones behind (as my yard covers 2 behind us) I've rarely spoken to,
but one has had a chat when i was out there not long ago, to let me know he'd found a couple of dead ducklings (from kookas taking them) in his yard ..
he didnt say he had a prob with me havin ducks,
and the other i've spoken to for the 1st time (lol) last week - as son's frisbee thing went over the fence - and in the past he has asked kaety if we'd lost a chook, as he'd found one roamin in his yard (wasnt ours but we put it in with ours until an owner could be found, but the next day it was gone.. - figured it flew away as its wings werent clipped)

[sun burn]

If you have clipped their wings, they won't fly over a fence about half that height. They are too fat and heavy. But i have noticed that they don't even try to fly.

I like the look of your ducks nest. Today i have had to do something about the floor of the chicken house floor (everyone lives in their but the chooks go on the roost so the wetness of the floor is not a problem for them. It doesnt rain in the pen but the ground soaks up the water from around and so its wet. Anyhow, my neighbour had given me a screen mesh door and today I put it down on the floor and covered it with straw. I don't know yet whether they will be nervous about using it but its a good firm floor, is off hte floor and any water will run right through it. So i hope they like it if they don't like standing on the wet ground. If they like this, i might look about for some more.

[Stingray]

Koolies :)
yeah .. all my pens are made of "free" stuff either off free cycle or friends getting rid of things :)
most know that I am after that sort of stuff.. lol.... scored that chain fencing off a friend .. bonus was she dropped it off too :)
the ducks nest is in an old dog kennel :) I tried to coax her to a larger nest in the corner of the pen .. but i think she preferred it in there for the safety factor with there being only one entrance to watch :)
I think the only thing i have bought was the steel pickets and some chook wire years ago.. lol .. that i keep "recycling" as I've moved/changed things about :)
And yeah . i know they wont fly (now - i clipped our drakes wings before i found that out) .. lol.. atleast the boys wont .. the girls are known to fly (but i've clipped her wings) .. and the ducklings are just starting to sprout some real feathers :)
what i need to do is set up a filter/hydroponics setup so I dont have to keep emptying their ponds.. LOL.. that kills my back .. lol
- Daz

[purecajn]

sun - Take rodent cage screen and make a suspended floor. The space in between can be used to keep trays for matter catch and makes easy cleanup, . all matter falls thru the screen into the tray. easier cleaning, much less hassle. Just be careful on screen size since you want matter to pass, but not for toes to become caught in. Always dry feet.

[sun burn]

http://www.photoblog.com/ShangriLa/

[Stingray]

hehe :)
nice pics sunburn :)
soooooooooooooooooooo cute :)

[purecajn]

Great photos sun, I love the foliage.

[purecajn]

luv the simplicity of the chicken tractor. City hall says we can't have chickens in the city limits and get pompous when I ask to look at the books myself [for loop hole, like being able to have up to 3 and considered pets in that case. Any suggestions for alternative ground fowl that I might be able to side track the local livestock rules? I think I can keep peacocks they're are local birds running around wild anyway.

[ecodharmamark]

G'day purecjan


City hall says we can't have chickens in the city limits and get pompous when I ask to look at the books myself...

The 'books' are freely available (I've used the City of Lake Charles as an example):

City of Lake Charles Zoning Ordinance (http://www.cityoflakecharles.com/egov/docs/1287081843_505279.pdf)

City of Lake Charles Zoning Map (http://www.cityoflakecharles.com/egov/docs/1237927008_171081.pdf)

Simply locate your property on the appropriate map, check the zoning, then proceed to define a use that fits within the zoning ordinance.

Cheerio, Markos

[purecajn]

Ok the following are considered farm animals and i'm unable to raise them legally: {"Chickens" and "fowl" include chickens, ducks, geese and any other similar
type of fowl.} Similar type of fowl. what would not be similar yet serve the same purpose?

[ecodharmamark]

Ok the following are considered farm animals and i'm unable to raise them legally: {"Chickens" and "fowl" include chickens, ducks, geese and any other similar
type of fowl.} Similar type of fowl. what would not be similar yet serve the same purpose?

Just for the purpose of the exercise, where exactly are you quoting the above from?

[purecajn]

the local Zoning Code book refered me to the General Offenses Code 505.18 FARM ANIMALS.
(a)
Definitions.
(1)
"Chickens" and "fowl" include chickens, ducks, geese and any other similar
type of fowl.
(2)
"Domestic farm animals" includes sheep, goats, cattle, swine, rabbits and
any other similar type of animal but does not include horses.

c)
Location of Structures. Any structure used to house chickens, fowl or domestic
farm animals shall conform to all Code requirements and shall be located not less than twenty feet
to the rear or side yard line and not less than 200 feet from any existing residence on an adjacent
property.


Also says that if the property were above 2 acre I could have them.

[purecajn]

Also was thinking of putting a bee hive in the back as I have 25' either side clearance from neighbors, but it also so says that all it takes is one person complaining about them and the city will force me to get rid of them. Maybe after I get the yard growing a little better I can camo it into the shrubbery as an ornamental structure.

[ecodharmamark]

the the local Zoning Code book refered me to the General Offenses Code 505.18 FARM ANIMALS.
(a)
Definitions.
(1)
"Chickens" and "fowl" include chickens, ducks, geese and any other similar
type of fowl.
(2)
"Domestic farm animals" includes sheep, goats, cattle, swine, rabbits and
any other similar type of animal but does not include horses.

c)
Location of Structures. Any structure used to house chickens, fowl or domestic
farm animals shall conform to all Code requirements and shall be located not less than twenty feet
to the rear or side yard line and not less than 200 feet from any existing residence on an adjacent
property.


Also says that if the property were above 2 acre I could have them.

Ah, I see. I take it then that the size of the property you are located on (and/or its close proximity to neighbouring dwellings?) does not allow for the keeping of 'domestic farm animals'. That's too bad.

How about you give up the 'fowl' idea, and go fishing? Aquaculture is fast becoming a popular form of raising 'livestock' in residential areas where 'domestic farm animal' raising would otherwise be prohibited.

Just a thought...

[ecodharmamark]

Also was thinking of putting a bee hive in the back as I have 25' either side clearance from neighbors, but it also so says that all it takes is one person complaining about them and the city will force me to get rid of them. Maybe after I get the yard growing a little better I can camo it into the shrubbery as an ornamental structure.

Where there's a will, there's a way... good luck with it.

[purecajn]

i also read something to the effect that if an animal lives indoors then it is considered a pet, but i'm not bringing the chickens in, at least not yet. when i build the green house attachement to this house I could attach the chken coop to the back of it and maybe get away with saying they technically live in the house

[ecodharmamark]

i also read something to the effect that if an animal lives indoors then it is considered a pet, but i'm not bringing the chickens in, at least not yet. when i build the green house attachement to this house I could attach the chken coop to the back of it and maybe get away with saying they technically live in the house

Concerning planning law, my friend, it's all in the definition ;)

[sun burn]

This is something i learned from Farmer Joe today, the man who i bought my ducks from. I had just told him that i'd put down a concrete slab floor from broken pieces. He then started telling me how after some of his ducks started getting some sort of crippling problem from sitting too much in muddy ground (why people let their animals live in such conditions in the place i can't fathom) for too long. Someone who knew about this problem told him that he'd have to put his ducks down as they won't get better and nothing can be done with them. So then he poured a concrete slab in his ducks pens. No more problem.

So if anyone reading this has water problems in their pens, please deal with it somehow. If you like the crazy paving idea, take a look near any building site or in building skips where they often throw this stuff out. In the meantime anything to absorb the water and keep the ducks dry overnight is a good idea. Any sort of slightly raised floor, softened with a bit of straw.

I just want to say again that my ducklings are so adorable. I just want to suffocate them in a bear hug. I love how when they run about their little feet make a funny magic. Gosh, so adorable. I think i will have to let all batches of eggs hatch a couple.

[Stingray]

hehe sunburn ...
ours have dirt floors .. but lots of hay/straw about and some areas are packed pretty hard.. so no leg probs :)
they are cute arent they .. hehehe
our named one .. lol.... Daffy has come into his(her? .. lol.. still not sure) colours.. head is still speckled ..but back/tail has gone a real nice dark black :)
still have a week (from rough calculation) until next batch hatch ..
am gonna have to make the decision what to do with this lot.. lol....

[Stingray]

Hey sunburn :) (and everyone)
Found 14 new lil surprises when I went out to feed the animals this morning :)
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2464-2/14+ducklings+20110205.jpg (http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/v/permaculture/14+ducklings+20110205.jpg.html)

[sun burn]

What a beautiful shot. They all look frightened to death thought don't they. have you noticed how timid and untrusting ducks are in general. It makes me suffer too as i know generally how benign i am for most of them.

I must say i have come to prefer the pure white ones. The people i bought mine off were breeding them so most were white but i choose a drake with a black tipped head and now i get quite a few black headed ones. Also one female of mine has a black head. At least i can identify her but its hard when they are otherwise all the same.

Still ...


So during the cyclone, stingers, i was anxious about what to do with the ducks cause i wasn't confident that my cage was the best place for them if there was lots of rain and a fierce wind so i had decided to put them in my old car which i had kept for the occasion. But its hard to catch all these creatures since they dont' like being caught. In the end, i did it in the middle of the night and that is my tip for you. If you have to catch a lot of birds and move them, do it in the night its so much easier cause they can't see well.

In the car (a subaru) i had lots of straw in front and back and gave them plenty of water and extra food as they had to stay in there for quite a long time. But it gets hot in the car and the fumes from their pooo are foul (pardon the pun) so i had a few windows open a bit. And I went along often to open the door and let a good change of air happen. It would probably have killed them if i'd kept hte windows fully wound up simply from the fumes.

I still got all my eggs.

My two little ones are doing really well. Its good to see them amongst the big ones and they are competitive adn will dive in and eat at the big ducks bowl. I have to separate them and mum off so they can eat their baby food in peace though. They are eating lots of insects so maybe i won't need to buy them yeast this time. All day they seem to run about chaseing insects.

[Stingray]

wow :)
glad to hear you made it thru ok, I forgot you were up there :}
much damage your way?
Spent a nice 1/2 hour this arvo putting some mesh along the bottom of the fences .. lol. (what i meant to do last time) so the ducklings cant escape :)
In our 1st batch we only had one (daffy) who had a large "black" section (that's now turned black) .. with a couple that had "speckled" heads ...
in this batch there's at least 6 or so with the black markings :)
I am wondering if some of this lot are fathered by the new drake as well as the old one .. I didn't separate them so who knows.. lol ..
If i am right in thinking most of the 1st lot are female, then at least 2 of them will be put in a separate pen with the new drake :)
I've also got a friend who would like to buy 2 off me, plus the neighbour wants a couple 2 .. so that would mean I only need to work out what to do with 2 of them :)
and 1 of them I think is a boy so he's definitely got the nickname "roast" ;)
- Daz

[sun burn]

he's definitely got the nickname "roast" I'm practically a vegetarian you know and I am not really looking foreward to eating these ducks. I can live without the horror of killing them. I'd rather not eat duck but i have to kill them cause I can't afford to feed them.

When you give them away in pairs are they two females?

[purecajn]

So don;t eat. Sell the extras and make a little money. Give someone else the chance to have a duck tractor.

[Stingray]

I'm practically a vegetarian you know ....
cost of meat means we eat vegetarian most nights of the week :}
which in a way is good for helping to lose this extra weight i got.. lol ..
i cook alot of str frys and laksa.. and curry when i get some cheap beef :)
(well theres always bacon in our freezer .. lol .. just not a lot of other meats)


So don;t eat. Sell the extras and make a little money
I agree with purecajn .... I am selling some as a lil extra $$ (only for $7 each)


When you give them away in pairs are they two females?
yeah , hoping to be able to tell definitely who's who in the next week or 2 .. :)

[Stingray]

Just an update :)
Below: Mumma duck and here 14 3 day old ducklings :)
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2469-2/IMG_2620.JPG (http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/v/permaculture/IMG_2620.JPG.html)

Below: Drakes and the 8 remaining ducklings from 1st clutch (worked it out today .. they are only 12 1/2 weeks old)
Drake in foreground is the father of the 8 from 1st clutch .. drake in background is the new one I got and I think he fathered a couple of the new clutch (as I didnt keep them all separated when she was laying and I saw him mount her a few times)
http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/d/2479-2/IMG_2629.JPG (http://www.indigocat.net/gallery/v/permaculture/IMG_2629.JPG.html)

[purecajn]

Found Instructions on a over built chicken house. http://anthony.liekens.net/index.php/Misc/GeodesicChickenDome

[sun burn]

I find it a bit of a strange thing. There is no air circulation when the door is shut, or is it never shut? How easy would it be for the chickents to get up that ramp? I don't know but i wouldn't try to build one.

[Stingray]

I like it ....
1st thought I had was a set of wheels and "mesh" fence so I could move it about as a "tractor"
:)

[Stingray]

okies.... havent posted for nearly a month (i know.. been slack ..lol) :)
anyways.. the ducklings are almost a month old now (and the last clutch are almost 4 months old)
I have a *mega problem* .. I go for spinal surgery on the 10th .. and need to get rid of all the ducklings (and mum and drakes) before then.... :{
I have tried http://www.farmstock.com.au but I never recieved an activation email and have tried numerous times over the last few months (even created new account with a diff password) yet no emails.. so cannot try to sell them on there ..
i replied to someone wanting some .. yet after a few emails they didn't come to see them....
I have resorted to giving them away .. so if anyone wants .. or knows anyone wanting some ducks/ducklings.. let me know :)
- Daz

[purecajn]

wish you were closer

[annette]

Hi daz, sorry to here that you need surgery. There is a place at Caboolture that will do the ducks for $2 each, that includes killling, gutting and plucking but you need at least a dozen for them to do. So if you want to eat the ducks, except the ducklings, look up Zarbelles. I found them excellent and guy there will buy some off you too if you like. He bought one off me for $20. You could also try and sell the ducks at Caboolture markets. They go very quickly there.

good luck
Annette

[Stingray]

hey Annette .. thanks :)
this is revision surgery to fix last years one.. lol
I know zarbelles :) we used to regularly buy from there :)
Will give them a call tomorrow :)

[sun burn]

Good luck with the surgery stingray.

Don't forget to advertise on your local supermarket noticeboard if you have one. That's how i found my ducks. I paid $10 for each of mine. It might be too late this time but keep it in mind if it happens again.

I lost a chook today. The full story on my member's page blog... http://forums.permaculture.org.au/showthread.php?7802-Latitude-14-Eastern-Australia&p=71689#post71689

[Stingray]

OKies, i've been slack.....
update: I had planned to take the 2 drakes and 7 of the 4 month old ducklings to zarbelles, they were going to charge me $5 each (plus he wanted to keep on to eat himself..lol... so i was happy with that) :)
how ever the ducks were saved at the last minute by a lovely couple from up blackall ranges way who wanted to take them all to their farm to live :)
So we were happy with that :)
we kept 2 ducks for ourselves .. the mum and one of the 4 month old ducklings - the black n white one the kids had called Daffy :)
so they are living happily in the big pen with the 3 chooks and we are currently getting 1 duck egg a day with the chook eggs and they taste delicious MMMmmm :)
I have had surgery 3 1/3 weeks ago and been out of hospital for 1 1/2 weeks now and alls goin well :)
but still atleast a month or more until I am allowed to do any gardening so our beds are bare except for a scraggily tomato bed :)

[annette]

Hi Daz

Glad to hear you are on the mend! Good news about the ducks. bit surprised to hear zarbelles wanted to charge $5 a bird when they only charged me $2. But I had 14 ducks so maybe cheaper the more you have done.

I don't have any ducks any more. Wild dogs took a toll by killing a couple and all the ducklings. I didn't have the heart to take the mums off the eggs when I got the others dressed. But the dogs come down from Mount mee and are wild around here, so no animals for me at the moment. I like them to free range and that is impossible at the moment.

Rest up, the gardens will wait.

take care
Annette

[Stingray]

Sorry to hear about the wild dogs getting them :(

If it was me .. i'd be setting traps for em ... but then i M like that .. i love animals.. but i dont like feral animals ...
Did you make a complaint about it to the councils animal control? or are they as slack and dont do squat???

I hope you can make an enclosure for them and go down the duck path again .. :)
I wont be .. lol.. not until we move to acreage ... :)

mrs duck here has gone off the lay so we are just getting chook eggs for the moment...
but her eggs were very tastey whilst they lasted :) ... made very delish badon n egg sangers :)

[Stingray]

Hey all, just a quick update .. still only the 2 ducks, no more eggs, but am wondering if the black n white one we kept is a drake, as when there's fresh water in their tub, it goes ballistic and chases the mum around and I am sure i caught sight of him mating with her ..
That's really about it for me, we were going to move, and still could, so my animals are limited to the ones we have (except for being offered a couple more chooks from a friend who is moving) .. for now ;)

Daz

[Pakanohida]

Sooo much reading.../thud.

[mischief]

haha,
slap,slap, wake up!!