today. Hubbie Drove us 1 hr over to Waveland where I traded a guy my last 5 big fat Black Copper Marans Hens plus 50 bucks for a pr of Hottentot Teal. They sell for 200 a pr. They are so tiny, even a little smaller than my Ringed Teal. Can't help it. Exotic Ducks are my first love. ExoticDuckLuvr is another of my online names lol
another pic
They are very pretty.
Oh how cute is that!!!! They are darling! Good for you Donna!
I think I need to order more Black Copper Marans eggs. They are worth gold down here apparently!!! When I sold 2 pr just to get rid of the 2 roosters I got a tons of calls. The guy I traded with was the one that bought both pair. He called the other day wanting to know if I wanted to sell more of my hens. DH told me to trade them. He said a egg is a egg and he didn't care what color it was. So I told him I would trade them for his ducks and give him 50.00. He said deal
I also picked up 2 of the ugliest young Silkie poults I have ever seen. My 3 poor boys have been going crazy with both of their girls broody. They have been trying to mate each other, try to pull the girls off the nest, won't let them eat when they do come off the nest. I was getting worried as I have no where to put them. All my cages have chicks in them and I can't put them in the pens with my Araucana as I don't want any half breed Araucana. well let me tell you. They didn't even look twice at the girls. Maybe tomorrow will be a different story lol I will post pics of the ugly girls tommorrow. I think they are grey cuckoo. You all will have to tell me
OOOOHHH if only I had a pond!!! Those are the cutest Ducks!
oh no these are in my Aviary. They would have to be pinioned to go in a pond and then they wouldn't last 2 second to preditors. These are tiny. Heck one of the Turtles could probably drag them down and drown them to eat
Those are soooo cute! But you are right, DonnaB, a tiny duck would not last long here. And I do so want some ducks! I just love the little spots on their chests!
I was wanting Indian Runner Ducks as they are said to do well in the garden and can hide from some predators, but Cottage_rose was very kind to e-mail me that her Runner Ducks did not work out for her. And for the same reasons I think they might not work for me. So now I am looking at Silver Appleyards. I think I might need big and layed back.
Thanks for posting the photos! How exciting to add to the flock! Totally worth the trade and drive!
Yes, do get more Black Copper Marens eggs. They lay such great eggs. :-))
Oh Donna, you lucky! I cannot wait to see the babies!
Soooooooo... just how tiny are they? Now I am really curious!
they are smaller than my bantam Silkies, about the size of my tiny Momma Sebright that is smaller than her daughter lol. I don't know what else to compare them too. A website says "A very small duck averaging only 12 to 14 inches in length"
I think if you laid them flat and measure from feet to end of bill they might be 12"
I have never heard of this breed. I only have 1 duck. It's an Ancona hen. She is black and white and I call her Miss Quackers. We had a wood duck one time. I think they are the prettiest of all the ducks. Do you have any?
Yes I did but got rid of them. After a year they never warmed up to me and stayed skittish. The hen would dump her eggs in the Mandies Nest Boxes and not lay and sit her own nest. It would be to many eggs and end up with a poor hatch and extra work for the poor Mandy hens. After I got rid of the Woodies my Mandies were hatching out 13 to 16 duckling per clutch. All my ducks can be seen here but no longer have Woodies and just now snagged a pr of Cinnamon Teal for 40 bucks woo hoo on auction
http://pets.webshots.com/album/562207564unUUlW
I wonder if it would have helped to have them in their own enclosure. I have not had a lot of experience with ducks. I do know in the wild Wood Ducks nest off the ground in hollow trees. LWF makes square wooden boxes and nails them to trees in the swamp for the ducks to nest in.
Yours were very beautiful.
I have them moved into the isolation part of the Aviary which is 10' x 5' and they are very unhappy. Not a lot of room with a big swim pan, feeder, & water bowl, and ground nest box/ hidyhole. They also get no sun as it is in the NE part under a tarped roof which I have covering 3/4's of the aviary
I am thinking that if I can't sell them maybe DH will be agreeable to adding on to the back of the isolation pen but only 4' tall, not 8' and let it run the width of the Aviary 17' and out 4'. Shouldn't take but about 12, 2 x 4's , 4, 4 x 4's and 2 or 3 rolls of wire. But that won't be to soon. Got to finish predator proofing all my chickens coops/runs. Hvy Wire is so not cheap.
This message was edited Nov 9, 2010 10:55 AM
I don't have experience with ducks.. but I sure enjoy your pictures! They are darling!
Donna your ducks are gorgeous but where are their eyes. Don't they come with any...LOL I have never heard of them before, but I love looking at them...Hay
Now that you mention it...
ROFL!!!! It took me forever to get a good pic of my Shelduck where you can see the eyes
Okay, I can just barely see a glint that must be an eyeball. Such a handsome duck!
OH Porkpal, I'm so glad I'm not the only one that can't see...LOL.
It's probably just that everyone else has bigger screened monitors, don't you think?
No! My monitor is 28" wide and 22inches tall and the print is up to 150% And I still can't see the eyes...LOL...Hay
Well, my dollar store glasses come through! I spy a duck eye!
ROFL ZZ Yeah
Animal control answered my email. They allow us to have 25 ducks and geese, with some stipulations. They didn't bother to mention what those stipulations are.
If I only have a few it probably won't be a problem.
Will they be good with my silkie hens, and go in the coop with them?
I may wait awhile because of all that is going on with my daughter and grandson. I like the runner ducks too, so what is the problem with them?
DonnaB, you are so blessed.
Our runner ducks were rather flighty and unfriendly and, well, they ran.
my yard ducks come into the cage in the evening when I come out with their food.
When I first got them we had a heck of a time herding them in every night. It took me and hubby to get them in. I figured out not to put any bowls of food out in the yard while they are free ranging. When I stopped they figured out real quick I am the grocery lady coming with their dinner and come running to their cage. I have had them beat me to the cage when they see me when they are at the pond and close to the cage lol
and their eggs are so good
Forgot to say I have Rouen, Cayuga, and 2 Runners that look nothing like a runner
This message was edited Nov 14, 2010 12:13 AM
LOL.... Love the duck.
LFJ the duck are probably to big to be housed with your silkies. They are 3 or 4 x's bigger. You wouldn't have to have a very big pen for them if it is just for night time and they are out all day. for 2 pr maybe a 4' sq pen 2 1/2 to 3' tall. I would go with 3' tall if you get nice true runners. I want some Gray Runners. I got eggs over summer but none hatched. only 1 formed part way
Thanks Donna and Porkpal.
porkpal and DonnaB, I'm still kind of intrigued with the runners but think I will start with the Appleyards. They are also, I think, and endangered breed???? They are said to be friendly and easy going, so that would be good for a newby. Still checking out geese...I think the Toulouses look soooo cool!
DonnaB, I will file that tip on getting the ducks and geese back into the pens for night away in my little brain. That's just the info I was looking for!
remember you are in coyote country too. Don't let them out until it is well light and get them back in 1 hr or more before dusk and keep a eye out on gloomy rainy days.
We are having coyote attacks in broad daylight over in Bay St Louis. They have gotten 6 pets the news said.
Yeah, DH put in turbo wire electric fencing to surround out house and yard area. That put a stop to the coyotes, feral hogs, and all others making night time surveys of our livestock and garden. I always keep the chickens in a coop or run and DH is just about finished with another larger enclosure for some espallier fruit trees I want to do and the peacocks already have dibs on moving into there as well. Any ducks or geese would be housed similarly and I am in the process of planting a hedge of very thorny roses which would surround the garden area (inside the electric fence). Sounds like a fortress doesn't it? My only wory would be hawks (might not be interested in the larger type ducks and geese and they could always take cover under the hedges, etc.) and the feral emus. I'm not sure if the emus would jump over the fence and I don't see what they would want with ducks and geese, but who knows!?! I just don't know that much about emus =D!
Thank goodness for the turbo wire - wouldn't want feral hogs in the out house!
Nor the sweet corn and watermelon patch!
oh lord feral Emu's poor babies
Well, I think they must be OK really, DonnaB. The neighbor and the UPS man report that they have been around the county for years. They don't really have any natural enemies (or so the UPS man tells me), they can defend themselves agains whatever may bother them, they have lots of open land to roam here, and the UPS man says he has seen babies down through the years. The two I saw looked fine to me. They didn't look skinny or laking in feathers. They didn't even look scared. They were just stolling along, looking at stuff, etc. I was the one who was shocked. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I don't know that much about them, but I think I may like them much better than the feral hogs!
