Larkwell Valley (2023)

[Moments]

My scovy gals are relatively friendly, Loony Looloo Luna and Pebbles are definitely the 2 friendliest while Twila and A$$hole are more wary.

The domestics all are just petrified of being looked at. Even the ones that grew up with the scovies have gone to being unwilling to be observed

Have you tried using peas to get them to bend to your will?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Have you tried using peas to get them to bend to your will?

Yeah, I was giving them to Jumbo for a long time so she'd take her Niacin medication. Not worth it to them, if I make a move towards them, they scatter.

 

[Moments]

Yeah, I was giving them to Jumbo for a long time so she'd take her Niacin medication. Not worth it to them, if I make a move towards them, they scatter.

I used to toss peas to mine to get them used to a good thing regularly coming from me. Then I would walk a little, toss some peas (just enough so they could all get a taste). When they went to the peas I'd walk a little more, toss some more peas, etc. This is what I'd do to get them to go to their nighttime enclosure. The Pekins I did this with first and then a couple months later some swedish ducklings and did the same and they also had the Pekins to learn from. Then I got some year old swedish girls who I did the same with. If you have an area you can confine them to so you can get them it helps. I usually have mine go their nighttime enclosure if I have to tend to them. I get down to their level and slowly approach, guiding the others with my hand, not touching them. Some do scatter but I block the one I need with my hands, without touching and then am able to get a hold of her. I'm finding with my ultra difficult blue swede lady (she's about 4 months old) is a really good jellyfisher... It really is amazing. I get ahold of her like my other swedes and she just wiggles free. Doesn't matter if I wrap her with a towel, blanket, etc she wiggles free..... It's both funny and frustrating at the same time. I decided to try the T-shirt (holds her more securely) and slowly wrap it around her and tuck it in at the back of the neck. She still can sometimes wiggle a wing out but I tuck it back in and she's actually much calmer in her little swaddle (she has to have her foot soaked, treated and wrapped twice daily right now and has been quite the action packed event up to this point). I also noticed that they do better when I treat them inside the pen where the other ducks are rather than removing them to do it out of the pen, they can be more at ease when they know they're still with the others and the others make less of a racket (which can make the duck you're working on more anxious).

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

@Miss Lydia , do you know anyone here or anywhere i could read to figure out what crossing my blue Swedish drake over Pekin, khaki Campbell, buff, and Rouen hens? I'm debating on cutting the Rouen out, but I'd like a guess of what the offspring would look like first

My pekin x khaki girl got with my blue Swedish drake.
She had one black and one chocolate brown both have dads markings but neither girls have either parents colours
Mom is more of a reddish brown then chocolate

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My pekin x khaki girl got with my blue Swedish drake.
She had one black and one chocolate brown both have dads markings but neither girls have either parents colours
Mom is more of a reddish brown then chocolate

Okay thanks. So what I'm hearing is that I'll probably have plenty of black, blue and brown babies from these mixes

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Okay thanks. So what I'm hearing is that I'll probably have plenty of black, blue and brown babies from these mixes

I do find that no matter who he mates I do get the bib though

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I do find that no matter who he mates I do get the bib though

Interesting.

@Canadian Wind , is there a way to tell muscovy and mules apart? I know that the scovy babies have a hook that domestics don't, but what about mixes?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I might try to move Moose and the last two ducks (normal Pekin and buff) into pens. I'll try to get the male and last female Swedish moved to, and that way that group (minus the other breeds) is moved.

Gonna be hard moving the Jumbo, she's rather attached to the scovy ladies, but I worry about Moose being too heavy for her legs since they won't have a super deep pond this spring

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Luv Ducks also has mules I believe.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Interesting.

@Canadian Wind , is there a way to tell muscovy and mules apart? I know that the scovy babies have a hook that domestics don't, but what about mixes?

Sorry, I haven't gotten any so I'm not sure how to tell.