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Post by dustawaits on Sept 7, 2022 1:09:10 GMT
Bought 6 ducklings at Tractor Supply this afternoon. Just got a call from the place I order from and they sent me ducks!! My neighbor said Duck City!!!
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Post by mogal on Sept 7, 2022 2:19:14 GMT
Quack. Quack. Quack,quack,quack.
Have fun with them. What breed?
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Post by Maura on Sept 7, 2022 3:09:15 GMT
You got a kiddie pond for them or something? Mine were terrified of the pond until they got their feet wet.
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Post by mogal on Sept 7, 2022 11:09:02 GMT
I don't know a lot about ducks but when my uncle ran a couple thousand geese in his cotton fields to eat grass, many of the females laid fertile eggs that they hatched. I remember uncle saying the goslings would be safe to swim with the adults as long as the mamas preened the babies to waterproof their down from her own oil gland. How old will your ducklings need to be before they can preen and waterproof their own bodies?
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Post by dustawaits on Sept 7, 2022 17:37:58 GMT
I do not not know what breed I will get until they are here. They had so many requests they could not fill the orders. So they put all geese and ducks in assortments. I actually ordered geese but the geese did not lay well so they said ducks would be sent instead.
I got two huge tractor tires and that will be my pools. For now I am going to put a pan in with the ducklings of water that has mosquito larvae. I found a cricket outdoors and put it in their pen. It did not last!!
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Ducks
Sept 8, 2022 13:37:39 GMT
via mobile
Post by dustawaits on Sept 8, 2022 13:37:39 GMT
Call came at 6 am. The ducklings were cold after all it is only 60. And they were thirsty. Put a heating pad in with them and now all is quiet. If laying slows down and the male is not working well there is the possibility of low fertility. Low fertility also means weak babies. Two were dead and I will not be surprised if more die. They sent 1 Anaconda, 3 black magpie, 1 black Cayuga ,3 golden buff cascade,1 Rouen, 2 blue swedish,2 Welsh harlequin.
Of the two that were dead there is still at least one. I am not the best in identifying breeds at two days old
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Ducks
Sept 8, 2022 15:36:25 GMT
Post by Maura on Sept 8, 2022 15:36:25 GMT
Where did you get the sick ones? I don't think I want to buy from them.
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Post by dustawaits on Sept 8, 2022 17:09:22 GMT
I don't call them sick only weak. And that came partially from extreme weather changes. From hot to cold. The 10 left look very healthy . I would order from them again but a lot earlier. Like November instead of February. I knew the risk when he said he would get my ducks to me. I also knew that he was stretching himself to the breaking point. Besides this huge responsibility he is a teacher and has 10 classes a day. They are one of the very few that have the type of ducks/geese I want.
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Post by dustawaits on Sept 9, 2022 12:00:37 GMT
Thinking back to the chicks I got in February or early March. Takes some jogging of my memory..... Baby chicks or ducklings can only take so much. And chilling separates the the strong from the weak. The ducklings were seriously chilled .I lost all of one breed,3, and two others. I had a heat lamp on them almost 24 hours to get them warmed up. The rest seem to be healthy and active. I hope I can raise my own for cold weather could do an extreme damage to shipping next spring.
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Post by countrymom22 on Sept 9, 2022 23:03:15 GMT
Don't know if this would work with ducklings as I haven't had any. But when I ordered chicks through the mail that got chilled we were losing one every 4 hours or so. Then I remembered reading something years ago about feeding chilled or weak chicks hard boiled eggs for the first week. When I tried that we didn't lose any more. I even managed to save the 3 that couldn't stand and were laying with their necks stretched out.
Might be worth a try.
Hope the rest of them make it.
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Post by dustawaits on Sept 9, 2022 23:16:55 GMT
Thank you. The rest are very happy ducklings. Yes I think boiled eggs are the best feed. But I really doubt there was any hope for these three.
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Post by Woodpecker on Sept 10, 2022 0:48:35 GMT
My grandfather fed his chicks smashed up hard boiled eggs. I remember that fondly! Sorry you lost some of your ducklings dustawaits, I bet the remaining are adorable!
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Post by dustawaits on Sept 10, 2022 1:40:06 GMT
Yes they are and not wild like the others. Not sure why the the others are so skittish. In earlier years we had mainly bantams and we fed them boiled eggs and oatmeal. It was a long time before we ever had starter. Now I do not have eggs other than I buy so I am feeding starter. I crumbled up popcorn( no butter or salt) and the little ones are that. The older ones are eating the leaves off the purslane that I give them. They are a pleasure to have
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Post by Maura on Sept 15, 2022 15:51:02 GMT
I put a little water into the crumbles this year. They loved it!
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Post by dustawaits on Sept 22, 2022 0:01:25 GMT
A dog got in the duck pen and killed one and the others Were frightened badly. I have coaxed them back to sanity with soft voice, a special water tray and treats.. watermelon, popcorn and mealworms. The meal worms made them begin to forget and the water tray was the finishing touch. Sigh Indo not know if they are absorbing the water or what but I refill it at least three times a day. They are growing so fast.
Maura my ducklings put their own water on the feed.🙃.
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Post by mogal on Sept 22, 2022 1:57:15 GMT
Sorry about your duck loss, Dustawaits. I was going to give it a like but not particularly appropriate for the event. Hope the others recover sooner than later. What's a "special water tray?"
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Post by dustawaits on Sept 22, 2022 13:26:27 GMT
The one that holds water for seedlings or under the plastic seed pots.About two plus inches deep and 28 or so inches long. The ducklings are doing lots better now not so frightened. It was the little Harlequin duckling and they were a pair..hurt the male that was left.
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Ducks
Sept 26, 2022 23:33:04 GMT
Post by countrymom22 on Sept 26, 2022 23:33:04 GMT
So sorry for the loss of your duckling. Even though we expect losses, it's always harder when its the result of an attack. Hope the rest stay safe.
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Post by dustawaits on Jan 3, 2023 16:34:28 GMT
I mentioned earlier that my terrier knocked me down. She is the sweetest dog and wants to hurt nothing. So she was running her laps around the yard and the ducks were under the juniper tree or on the south side of it. In taking the corner the terrier ran smack into the ducks knocking over a couple. It did not bother them!!!! They just shook out their ruffled feathers flapped their wings and minded their business. She is well loved by the ducks but that was rather rough. I just wish they had a wee bit of love for me!
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Post by dustawaits on Feb 9, 2023 19:24:10 GMT
My ducks have started laying. Now maybe I won't have buy more eggs!!
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Post by dustawaits on Mar 13, 2023 10:18:19 GMT
Sunday morning about 3am something got one of my Blue Swede ducks. She weighed about 6 lbs. I have a 5 1/2 foot wall around the backyard made of concrete blocks . This creature carried the dead duck over the wall. Near the feathers was one foot print. Almost straight sided, no long toes just small toes the foot print was similar to a small human foot. I am in New Mexico which may or may not make a difference. It tried to get another this morning but I think it failed. The ducks were very upset And I heard hard flapping of wings. I found no feathers or any sign of a predator when I went out. Dogs around the neighborhood were barking and It sounded like it went south maybe to my neighbors .
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Post by dustawaits on Mar 16, 2023 19:07:48 GMT
I think I may know the creature. Someone about 1/2 mile from my house has a.small bear hide out in the ditch. That is one three were seen earlier together. I know a big one killed one of my cats...have the tracks in my album. Also figure a big bear is drinking from my fountain.
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Post by Woodpecker on Mar 16, 2023 20:18:09 GMT
My goodness, please be careful there dustawaits, and here I am concerned that a coyote was seen in our Village. Never had one of those here! Stay safe !!!
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Ducks
Mar 20, 2023 18:49:00 GMT
Post by dustawaits on Mar 20, 2023 18:49:00 GMT
Not a bear , maybe a javalina!!!! Reckon it jumped the wall? Not hardly. Game and fish could think of a dozen creatures it could not have been. Photographs of bear feet ...no way though many people had seen and agreed. He was rather slow on the uptake but fit the job quite well. He had just turned loose some javalina.....
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