The Duck Thread

[earlyredrooster]

Are there any other Magpie duck keepers on this thread? They are a breed I've become quite fond of, and are harder to get than even Ancona, which are also critically endangered. Without fail, I get an egg a day from my girls, sometimes two eggs. No, those weren't eggs that were missed, they lay in the same place everyday, and the eggs are collected everyday.

I have a pair but they are not as good looking as yours. My hen does lay every day though and I have 9 eggs under a n.h. red that I couldn't get to quit sitting.

 

[stowle72511]

I have 2 Pekin ducks a male and female 21 weeks tomorrow. And just started laying today. 3 eggs! But I have a problem. Right now I live in Florida but will soon be moving to Washington state. Does anyone know about traveling with Ducks and if I can take them through other states...

 

[Stacykins]

What a beautiful duck! I have 2 magpies but they are from hatcheries. The markings are all over the place.

. If you know of anyone willing to sell some hatching eggs, please let me know.

Hatcheries are a great place to start! I don't trust hatcheries. Not since getting boxes of death. Once of Meyers and once from Ideal. I'd rather hatch eggs. At least they don't suffer if they are delayed in the mail, they just don't develop.

It seems finding hatching eggs is very difficult. I personally have not sold any this year. I've been so busy, that the delicate work involved with taking super good care of hatching eggs to be sold seemed to be too much. Plus all the rain makes for muddy eggs. Even if the nest is clean, their muddy feets from playing in the water makes for muddy eggs. And muddy eggs might make for poorer hatches.

I have a pair but they are not as good looking as yours. My hen does lay every day though and I have 9 eggs under a n.h. red that I couldn't get to quit sitting.

I love the egg a day from Magpies! It is fantastic! i hope your hen has a good hatch of baby duckies!

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Seems like scovies to me. You should start seeing feathers in the next couple of weeks. Although I noticed with mine that they feather a bit slower than other duck breeds we have.
Cute fuzzies!

I am told they are Muscovies. Their mama abandoned them and the lady knew I had just hatched chicks so she brought them to me. I have never raised ducks so it is a learning experience. When do you put them out? Depending on weather, I usually put chicks out at 6-8 weeks. It doesn't sound like the ducks will have feathers by then.

So cute.. Our Swedish ducks are almost 2 months.. The wing feathers are noticeable, but not grown completely.. Enjoy the baby stage..

They are so much fun, different from the chicks. Their bodies feel so different when you hold them, and thier baby fluff.

 

[wildsam]

Puddin Fluff. Yes, they are (Mu)scovies. Lol.

They usually feather out around 4 weeks and then you should be able to keep them outside. Unless you live in the more southern parts of the US. Then you should be able to put them out earlier than that. Just make sure the nights don't get below 50 and they should be fine. Of course with adequate shelter and nightly lockup accommodations

 

[hennible]

A few posts back I mentioned that I installed a do it yourself pond filter on one of my ducks bigger pools, and I'd just like to say this is Day 3 the day I usually change their water and I can still see the bottom of the pool ( not the impossible to see through brown green usual ). All I had to do was top up the pool with a little extra water and clean the pump off, as it's a submergible pump and it got clogged up with grass and such that the ducks drug into the pool.
Exciting! Hopefully this idea will save all the duck lovers here some time, labour and water!

 

[DuckDodgers]

I have 2 Pekin ducks a male and female 21 weeks tomorrow. And just started laying today. 3 eggs! But I have a problem. Right now I live in Florida but will soon be moving to Washington state. Does anyone know about traveling with Ducks and if I can take them through other states...

I don't think taking them through other states will be a problem. As for traveling with them I have never tried it so I will not be able to help you there.

 

[Amiga]

Majestic Waterfowl has a writeup on traveling with ducks, it may give you some help.

 

[stowle72511]

I Will check it out thank you

 

[5DuckFarm]

Sadly, the happy duck from the pictures above has been put to sleep. A couple days ago, we noticed a couple flies bothering Daphne. We didn't think much of it, we thought maybe they just bothered her. This morning we looked at her, and saw that her whole back half of her body was featherless and brown. (The night before she was all white). Unfortunately, she must've had a wound that attracted flies to her. The flies must've laid eggs on her, and the maggots were eating her tissue and feathers. Later today, we couldn't find her. Finally, we did and tried to clean her off a little bit before we took her to the vet. The poor thing had bugs all over her, and she smelled terrible. When we got there, the vet had said that the damage was extensive and it would be really hard to treat. We decided to put her down just in case she was suffering. We originally thought she had gone to die, anyways. But it is heartbreaking to lose such an innocent, beautiful creature. She also happened to die on my late Grandma's birthday. RIP Daphne!