The Duck Thread

[Lacrystol]

i went and got a new incubator. Got it to the correct temp. It held the temp and i transfered the eggs to it. Thank you though, thats a wieght off my mind.

NICE JOB, I know it can seem a HUGE scare when the temp rises and also when the electric goes out, but one thing to keep in mind inside that shell it's a different ball game and it takes a while for the high temp to hit inside those eggs and cause harm. Exspecially if you have a still bator, your temp should be around 101 to 102 so 110 is a 8 to 9 degree difference so chances are they will hatch sooner then expected over killing them. Now if it stays that way for a day or two, then your chances of survival decreases but for it to only be 20minutes you really don't have anything to worry about but to get it back down to normal.. ONE thing you don't want to do is to set them in cool water or take them out and put them in a cooler room.

So you should be prepared they MAY and this is a huge MAY hatch sooner then you anticipate..

 

[Blue Godz]

What about your own dogs are you sure they are trustworthy around your birds?

Very sorry for your losses.

The one dog that has access to that area (Odin) is 100% trustworthy, and as mentioned he was not in there when the ducklings got stolen or when Dorothy was killed.

My chihuahuas, rat terrier and lab, who are also trustworthy, can't get in there because it's completely fenced with a 6 ft fence on 3sides and an 8ft fence on the other to keep the goats in. There are also no holes dug around, we looked. Which is iI think dogs and coyotes are out of the question.

We do have those black garden snakes, but I can't imagine one of them stealing a muscovy. ..but I do wonder if maybe what the lady saw wasn't a run away pet or something

I'm in deep south texas

 

[hhbirdlover]

The one dog that has access to that area (Odin) is 100% trustworthy, and as mentioned he was not in there when the ducklings got stolen or when Dorothy was killed.

My chihuahuas, rat terrier and lab, who are also trustworthy, can't get in there because it's completely fenced with a 6 ft fence on 3sides and an 8ft fence on the other to keep the goats in. There are also no holes dug around, we looked. Which is iI think dogs and coyotes are out of the question.

We do have those black garden snakes, but I can't imagine one of them stealing a muscovy. ..but I do wonder if maybe what the lady saw wasn't a run away pet or something

I'm in deep south texas

do you have a top to your pens. Racoons and oppossums are fierce. And on the muscovy, i had one that would fly to different bodys of water when i lived in louisiana. We had two natural ponds in the woods. She migrated from one to the other when spooked.

 

[hhbirdlover]

NICE JOB, I know it can seem a HUGE scare when the temp rises and also when the electric goes out, but one thing to keep in mind inside that shell it's a different ball game and it takes a while for the high temp to hit inside those eggs and cause harm.  Exspecially if you have a still bator, your temp should be around 101 to 102 so 110 is a 8 to 9 degree difference so chances are they will hatch sooner then expected over killing them.  Now if it stays that way for a day or two, then your chances of survival decreases but for it to only be 20minutes you really don't have anything to worry about but to get it back down to normal..  ONE thing you don't want to do is to set them in cool water or take them out and put them in a cooler room.

So you should be prepared they MAY and this is a huge MAY hatch sooner then you anticipate.. 

ha, i wouldnt mind an early haych. I just want healthy babies.

 

[Blue Godz]

do you have a top to your pens. Racoons and oppossums are fierce. And on the muscovy, i had one that would fly to different bodys of water when i lived in louisiana. We had two natural ponds in the woods. She migrated from one to the other when spooked.

You mean the coop?

It's one wooden wall facing south cause we have strong south winds, the rest are lattice and mesh wire and it has a galvanised roof. The planks on the floor are a little old and we found a small hole in one of them so we covered it up, we thought a rat was taking the ducklings and eggs and using that hole to come in and out, but I'm not sure a rat would kill a chicken and throw it in the pond.

My husband checked on them last night around this time and is checking on them right now too (4am)

No attacks since Friday morning, but muscovy isn't back either. I'm gonna organize a search party as soon as the sun comes out to look for her in the canals

 

[Lacrystol]

ha, i wouldnt mind an early haych. I just want healthy babies.

Well sometimes an early hatching is bad, because it speeds up the process it could cause issues in the long run. But I don't think your going to have any issues. I think you will be just fine..

 

[Frindizzle]

Here is Uno this a.m. all nice and dry and fluffy and ready to take on the world...after the next nap!

I saw this picture and thought "I need more ducklings right now!"

 

[Frindizzle]

How is everyone and their ducks today?

 

[jtn42248]

I saw this picture and thought "I need more ducklings right now!"

You think that made you want ducklings. Wait. Since Uno was the only egg that hatched I went in search of a companion for her and found one in a nearby town. A day older and a larger breed but still a duckling. Well it has worked out really well. The new one is named Goldie. She is a Pekin/Runner mix. At this point I am hoping they are both female or at least both male so that they can stay together because they have bonded so tightly it is amazing. Here is a picture from yesterday while I cleaned out their brooder.

 

[OldMissionChick]

So we are finally near completion on our coop. I want to verify how much space is needed for the run. Currently we have 8 chickens and 7 ducks who will be housed together. I think I read it is 10 sqft but want to verify. We live in Northern Michigan and it can get cold and a lot of snow. They free range during the day, probably won't so much in the winter. So how large are your runs? Is 10 per bird right?