Why Raise Ducks?

Why would you want ducks?

Ducks are a very hardy bird. They seem to do well in all kinds of weather. They require less attention than a chicken. They don't forage as well as most geese, they do augment their diet by foraging, and lowering your feed bill.
Ducks need very little housing and do not require a pond or creek, but if you have one, they will be very happy birds!

They will rid your garden, yard or orchard of snails, earwigs, slugs or any other bug they can find. They will fertilize your soil and you can collect their flowers to make earrings, feather dream catchers, etc.

Ducks have personalities! They frolic on a pond, waddle mechanically in a line to some distant object. They make very good pets.
As an 8th grader, a friend and I did a science project involving 8 ducks. When the project was over, we found homes for 7... haha. It was my way of keeping the duck. I named him Dandelion for his yellow duckling down, but he turned out to be a very large white Pekin. I would fill a baby pool full of water, and sit outside with him as he splashed and cavorted around. He would follow behind me where ever I walked.

Some ducks are great for egg production, and some are good for meat production. There isn't a dual purpose duck. Duck eggs are wonderful for baking... a little larger than a chicken egg. They can also lay almost as many as a chicken!

Ducklings 101 - Feeding

If you buy your babies from a hatchery, you will need to dip their beaks in water to give them a drink first thing. A good way to to this is as you take them out of the box, and you count them to see if they are all there and healthy, simply dip their beak, and set them in the brooder you have set up waiting.

If you are going to feed a commercial feel, be sure you do not get a feed that has any medication in it. The medication is for coccidia  a common parasite that chicks could get. Ducks are not able to have that medication as it can be deadly.  The protein content may be too high for them also. 20% is all that is needed.
A good duck or turkey starter would be a good choice.


The duckling will eat a little, swish their beaks in water and eat a little more. Water is very important as they can choke on feed without water.

If you would like to feed your ducklings a homemade feed, here is a tried and true formula:
Feed 3x a day:
BREAKFAST: cooked oatmeal, covered with a little water.
LUNCH: scrambled
eggs covered with a little water
DINNER: homemade whole wheat bread covered with a little water, or milk.
Tender young green leaves should be offered at each meal.
They also like chopped green onion,s and dandelion greens. Watercress is also a favorite.

Duckling 101 - water and baths

Many people like to think that their ducklings can just be put near the creek or in the bathtub and will just swim and swim... like you see in the wild.

Mother ducks have an oil gland at the base of  their tail, that they use to grease their feathers to make them water proof. She will also do this to her ducklings. The ducklings oil gland is not developed yet.

If you want your baby to swim, provide a small pan with warm water, and an easy way for them to get in and out and quickly under a heat lamp.

By doing this, their oil gland will develop and they should be swimming by the time they are 6 - 7 weeks old!

If the duckling gets water logged, you may have to dry it with a hair dryer, or it could easily get chilled, and possibly die.

Grilled Brussels Sprouts

I got some brussel sprouts the other day and have really enjoyed them fresh. This is a recipe I will have to try next.

http://recipeswelove1.blogspot.com/2013/06/grilled-brussel-sprouts.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FHSPfBX+%28Recipes+We+Love%29

Sometimes the good-byes lead to joy

We delivered Mariann's horse this weekend.

I have been putting off finding her a new home for a lot of reasons, but it was time. She's 23 and we knew she needed to be somewhere she could live out the rest of her life.
In delivering her, we met a wonderful couple who wanted Princess for their neighbor girls - These girls have wanted a horse all their lives - you know how girls and ponies are.
Judy and David were the type of couple you wish to aspire to be like. Loving, giving, gentle. We knew Princess was in a good home. In fact, I was surprised that I didn't cry - and I really thought I would! But I felt so good about her new home, that I was relaxed when I left her.

After a very hectic weekend, I finally had a chance to look over my email, and I received probably one of the most descriptive and gracious emails I have ever read.:

Good morning, dear friends,

Just had to let you know how much Princess has already won our hearts, and the hearts of people in the neighborhood. Our oldest grandchild came over a few hours after you left and her daddy hopped her on and gave her a ride. Last evening another son brought his girls by for us to babysit, and Hannah, their oldest daughter, wanted a ride. (the pictures sent) So did Jenna, our dau-in-law. Princess has been fed carrots, stroked, whistled to, and loved all around.

This morning in the new freshness of dawn I walked out to see her. The sun was spreading long shadows across hill and dale and the smell  of drying hay hung in the air. Guess who I found at the fence? Jenna stopping by on her morning walk to again say hello.

Half an hour ago there was a knock on our door, and there stood the smiling faces of our neighbor's girls--Sarah Dale and Grace Marie.  We went out together, introduced ourselves all around and they are still out there, taking turns riding Princess bareback.

Your sacrificial sharing has, within 24 hours, already blessed the community. Princess will be loved and sought out for company on a daily basis. Thank you!

We've been looking for a horse for months--I cannot help but feel the Lord had His hand in making our paths cross.

Wishing you God's blessing and peace in the days ahead.
Rest in His grace, David and Judy Yoder

Bobcat Part 2

The day after we spotted the bobcat, we headed to Ohio to visit our brand new grandson (this makes #2 happy happy).
We put the chickens in the coop with their food and water, we locked  the rouen ducks in their enclosure, and prayed that the bobcat wouldn't jump into the Swedish duck pen, or the Welsh Harlequin duck pen.
We left early on Friday morning and came back Saturday evening - because of my elderly mother living with us, and our animals, we can't leave for much longer than 1 night. We make sure everyone has lots of food and water that will last them until we got back.
We had a quick but very enjoyable visit, and when we arrived home last night, we checked the pens... the bobcat had apparently gotten a rouen through 2x4 fencing... all that was left were a pile of feathers on the outside of the pen.

Everyone else was fine, so we headed for bed. This morning we discovered that the bobcat had found the Swedish duck pen and one of my females was gone. Of course, she was the only one with the crest on her head. *frustration*

So tonight all the ducks are in lock-down. The dogs have been allowed to spend the night outside and hopefully this will at least deter the bobcat until we can figure out what to do. From what I have read, they are not easily discouraged from such easy "Happy Meals" we are supplying!

Bobcat

On a normal day, I wait to open the chicken coop up (to give the girls time to lay their eggs). They have an outside enclosed run (for early morning) but I let them wander outside all day getting bugs, worms, grubs, seeds, scratching and dust bathing. They have free-range and it keeps the bugs down and the feed bill down. As I'm heading out today, I hear a terrible commotion... There to my wondering eyes is a HUGE cat... "BOBCAT!" running around their enclosed pen. The chickens are going crazy! I headed back into the house, still screaming "JIM!!! BOBCAT!!!"
Needless to say, the bobcat took off, and my chickens are probably not going to lay for a day or two.
They are staying in the coop today. I can hear their exclamations as they are discussing the events of the day.

Now I know that the live-trap we use for raccoons and 'possums is totally useless ... and apparently my dogs are too..

Spring has arrived!

Finally the weather has changed for the better... it has skipped Spring and headed right into summer. So our project list is under way.
Right now we are building large pens for our flight quail. We currently have 2 small bins for our newly hatched

Two large wooden brooders for our growing babies.

We have hatched out emu, chicks, and duckling are arriving this week.

Build a homemade still-air incubator for quail, chickens, ducks

Back in the 1960's, I tried to hatch robin's eggs in an old metal breadbox. I didn't understand the value of the right temperature and humidity, so year after year, I failed to hatch any eggs.  Granted I was only about 8 years old! Years later, hubby Jim and I now hatch quail, chicken, duck, goose and emu eggs with success. We started with a store bought incubator and have progressed to large cabinet style incubators.

You can use anything for an incubator as long as it is fireproof. An aquarium works well and you can look at the eggs easily.  A more inexpensive incubator is a Styrofoam cooler.
You will also need a thermometer with humidity. Quail need about 60-70% humidity and 100* temperature.

Experts recommend that you set the temperature of your still-air incubator to 101 to 102 degrees to best avoid the formation of cold spots on the inside.
Set up before you get eggs and maintain the correct temperature with water, before putting eggs in. Let the eggs set for a day so they are room temperature before adding them to the incubator.
You need heat and moisture. 
You can adjust the height of the bulb, and you can cover part of the top to keep the heat in. Put the light over the water, not the eggs. 
Keep in mind you will need to turn the eggs 3-4 times a day. You may need to adjust the temperature, so check it daily. As the embryos grow, they will create a little heat. 
You can check the fertility after 6 days, using a candling lamp the embryo should be red and clearly visible.
Turn the eggs for 16 days. Then stop. The eggs will hatch at 17-19 dependent on accuracy of temperature. The warmer the temperature, the faster the eggs will hatch, the cooler the temperature, the slower they will hatch. The difference of temperature should be no more than 1 degree from 100*

NOTE: Most duck eggs take longer to incubate: 28 days Muscovy Ducks go 31 days.

 Ventilation and getting the wattage right are the keys. Temperature has to stay right and the humidity has to be right at hatch or they die in shell


Mark the eggs with an 'O' on one side of the shell and an 'X' on the opposite side.Place the eggs into the incubator on their sides with the pointed ends angled slightly downward.


Moisture is a bowl or can with water. Heat is a light bulb, the size is whatever will keep the temp at 100 degrees at egg level. Keep the thermometer near the eggs for an accurate reading. 
Cover the water when the eggs start to hatch to avoid accidents. 

From day 16 it is important not to open the incubator, (no matter how tempting it is) until the eggs have hatched and the baby chicks have dried out and are fluffy. This is because they need the humidity generated by themselves to aid hatching,


The babies will need heat and kept draft free after they hatch.

www.highlonesomeranch.com/Chickens.htm

Here is a link to an egg hatch guide:
http://poultrysupply.com/manuals/GQFEggTempChart_from_Kemps_Koops.pdf

Brooder box for your new chicks

Last Spring, Jim and I hatched out all sorts of eggs. Emu, ducks, chicks, turkeys and quail. It was tough trying to create a good place for those babies to stay warm.
Over the years we have done all sorts of innovative things.

The first year we got chicks in the mail, we were living without electricity. We blocked off an area under our stove and set a pot of hot water wrapped in a blanket on the floor. The chicks discovered how to cozy up to the pot in between folds of the blanket and stayed warm and cozy. However, as they grew feathers, they also discovered they could have run of the house!
We have kept them in the bathtub with a heat lamp, but cleaning the tub afterward was horrendous!


Last year we found plastic bins with lids at the local Walmart. Jim cut the lid to allow the heat lamp to be placed above it.

Then, as needed, we raise the heat lamps and add a screen to keep them from flying out.

Pictured above are day old quail. We move them from this container in the basement at 1 week old,  to a larger 4x5 brooder in the barn, and then into 12x10 pens to grow out. We move then so often because each week we have at least 100 -300 quail hatched.

We use these bins for ducklings, chicks, turkeys for their first week or so depending on how many we have hatched out.