The Duck Thread

[Amiga]

What if he's part Cayuga?

They shimmer. So do Black East Indies.

My runner girls have wing shimmer, too.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Hello , I just received a duckling. I know nothing about duck. HeLP. I am hatching chicks so it is in with them. Anything special about duckling as opposed to chicks? I am told it is a black muscovy.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hello , I just received a duckling. I know nothing about duck. HeLP. I am hatching chicks so it is in with them. Anything special about duckling as opposed to chicks? I am told it is a black muscovy.



Thanks for any advice.

Too bad you couldn't have gotten 2 they could keep each other company, chicks just aren't the same. But any way beautiful lil duckling, here is a link to caring for ducklings, it is a bit different than caring for chicks https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711

 

[LittleBlu]

Hello , I just received a duckling. I know nothing about duck. HeLP. I am hatching chicks so it is in with them. Anything special about duckling as opposed to chicks? I am told it is a black muscovy.

Thanks for any advice.

I got my first duckling last month and she passed sway on Wednesday the 25. I didn't know about the infection she had. But what I've learned is that its best to have them with another duckling (I have two black Swedish now) . if not you need to be able to handle her calling for you once she imprints. Or him. They are very high maintenance and lots of attention required. I love them to death but I'm very happy to have two this time. I hope the forum Lydia gave you helps a bunch. They really grow on you <3

 

[garlockmp]

What if he's part Cayuga?

They shimmer. So do Black East Indies.

My runner girls have wing shimmer, too.

wow Cayuga sure looks a lot like Herman!

 

[dakota123]

can someone help ive been farming ducks for a while and a week-ish ago one of my mallards was acting weird like its neck was all loose like it had a broken neck or something so i took it in the house and like 5 minutes after i brought it in its was just fine it was hissing quacking flapping its wings and everything and the same thing happened earlier today it was in the back yard just struggling to fly and waddle and its head was moving everywhere like its neck was broken so i took it in just like the other one a week earlier and after i brought it in and i went outside for 5 minutes then i came onside and checked on it and it was just standing there perfectly fine hissing quacking everything i dont know whats going on ive had ducks for years and this have never happened before is it some disease is something stinging it are they being attack by something (after i found out the second one was fine i checked it out there were no open wounds no missing feathers nothing it was fine) so is it a disease or is something hurt it? any information would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Starfire669]

Okay, here's Herman! Do you see how bright blue//green his wings are? they remind me of the Caribbean ocean in the sunlight. Any insights on his breeding?

Herman is a Cayuga mix. His wings are just like my Cayugas, they shimmer green,blue, and even purple in the sun. Cayuga ducks are solid black, with black bill and feet, so Herman is a Cayuga mix. He is gorgeous.

 

[hennible]

To clip or not to clip this is my question, my lovely ducks really want to fly, they are very reluctant to leave they're pen at this point but once they do start to free range are they going to fly off? Do I have to clip them? Or will they stick around regardless of being of being un-clipped?

 

[garlockmp]

Herman is a Cayuga mix. His wings are just like my Cayugas, they shimmer green,blue, and even purple in the sun. Cayuga ducks are solid black, with black bill and feet, so Herman is a Cayuga mix. He is gorgeous.

I googled pivtures of Cayugas and found some mixes too- Herman is definitely a Cayuga/Magpie mix! Thank you for confirming for me! I adore Herman, he is so sweet, his wings are incredible! I can't wait to see how he comes into his colors

 

[Sonja1018]

I'd like to share the story of my little Qwackerjack. Please be kind, I'm sure many may not approve but I did what I thought was the right thing to do at the time

I visit a local park a few days a week to feed the ducks and geese and to de-stress. It's beautiful with big trees and nice creek full of fish, turtles, and waterfowl.
I'm there so often, I've gotten to know many of the ducks and they know me, several will eat from my hand and a few even seem to recognize my car, running up to me as I'm parking. LOL.

Anyway, back in June I was there as usual tossing feed to my feathered friends when a couple of my regulars, Curly & Freckles, waddle up for a snack. After a few minutes, Freckles moved back about 10 feet from me and dropped an egg.

I was shocked to say the least. She didn't even give it a second look as she rejoined the others gobbling up the feed. The egg just sat out in the grass,with no shade or cover or hide. After 45 minutes and Freckles still had not acknowledged her egg, I began to worry about what would become of it. She couldn't pick it up and carry back to a nest, it couldn't stay out in the open under the brutal Texas sun, not to mention vulnerable to predators, dogs, and bratty kids. As I was on my phone googling for some info on the situation, trucks pulled up on the other side of the park and were unloading their huge mowers, it was just a matter of time before they got to my area and scrambled the poor egg. I was heading for a full on anxiety attack when I decided I just couldn't walk away and not at least try to help.

I gently picked up Eggy and looked around for Freckles thinking maybe she'd be alerted to me messing with it but she'd already wandered off farther down the creek. I took Eggy home, found instructions for homemade incubator on youtube and educated myself on temp/humidity/turning. My friends kept telling me it was probably not fertilized and that's why she abandoned it, but I thought I'd give it a week then candle to see if it was developing. At eight days, we could see it was indeed fertilized.

I spent the next 20 days monitoring and turning and falling in love with my little Eggy. Candling every few days and watching him grow.

After 2 days of him struggling and no sleep for me, my sweet Qwackerjack kicked off the last of his shell July 29th. He was a healthy black duckling with cute yellow bib and white wing tips. He already had me firmly wrapped around his tiny wing. His first week he spent in a 20 gallon fish aquarium on my bedside table so he could always seem me and I could be at his beck and call. Now at almost 11 days old, he has outgrown the aquarium so I've set up a big cage in our living room for him during the day and he still sleeps in his glass tank at night to be near me.

Since his hatch, I've often thought, "I have a DUCK! What am I going to do with this DUCK!" LOL I guess it's like an unexpected pregnancy, you love them and find ways to make it work. I've contacted the city zoning department and we are allowed to have yard fowl in my neighborhood, I'll just have to set up a habitat for him when he gets a bit older and the temps get back down under 100F.

I've learned my Qwacker will need a friend to be a happy well adjusted duck but I don't know where to get another that's his age. And is it any more work/expense to have two vs just one? I love this little mega-pooper and want him to be happy, healthy and thrive in my care. I'll probably have lots of questions on this journey, and I'm so thankful I came across this amazing forum/website. So far I've been about to search the comments here to find answers to most of my queries but it will be great to interact with folks who are knowledgeable in ducks and share my affection for them.

If you've made it all the way to the end of this mini-novel, thanks for reading my story and I hope folks aren't too critical of my actions.

Sonja & Qwackerjack,
Fort Worth, TX