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tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 05 9:40 am Post subject:
Great photos people, specially wombats newborns

beth

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Milton, Cambridge

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 05 9:52 am Post subject:

Ducks are great. Khaki Campbells are what we have and they give us an egg each almost every day. Very comical, wonderful characters. But they can be right messy. Our's are on the same ground all the time and it's starting to smell abit. Ideally you need enough to be able to move them around. They dont need a "pond" but they do need water deep enough to get their head under water to wash their eyes. Our's have a baby bath we fill with water each day as well as a bowl of water.

Despite what the books say, Kahki Campbells can fly! Okay not when they are laying, but when you get them they'll go off for a while and thats when they fly. Clip their wings when you get them or they will be over the fence!

Here are some pic's
https://home.the-hug.net/photos/index.php?album=ducks_20041230

Beth
ps, yeah I'm not around as much as I once was. Too busy working for a living to do much else.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 05 10:18 am Post subject:
I have a friend who's garden pond was adopted by a duck, she comes to lay every year, and eventually, my friend herds them down to the village pond after a bit. They are adorable, and there are no slugs in her garden, no plants either, but no slugs!

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 05 11:23 am Post subject:

dougal wrote:

You really should give ducks some sort of "pond"

beth wrote:

They dont need a "pond" but they do need water deep enough to get their head under water to wash their eyes. Our's have a baby bath we fill with water each day as well as a bowl of water.

Its precisely because of the popularity of recycled Baby Baths and Paddling Pools that I put the word pond in quote marks!

Something like that is really needed for ducks/geese but not for chickens. (Yeah, OK, you could get off with a big bucket, but its hardly the nicest way to keep the things... they are waterfowl after all.)

Specifically on Runners. I've not had them. I gather that they have the reputation of being "harder" on the garden (especially digging into lawns) than other ducks. Is that really true?

Rikki

Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 35
Location: Bucks

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 05 1:53 pm Post subject:
Sounds like maybe I should start with hens and move on to ducks later. How do other pets react/how to hens react to other pets

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Jun 15, 05 2:00 pm Post subject:

Rikki wrote:

How do other pets react/how to hens react to other pets

I wouldn't trust a cat with young chicks, but they don't seem to bother the older pullets/hens. If you buy them at point of lay, then you should be OK.

Dogs are a different matter - it really depends on the dog. I have a border collie - after one shameful episode when I caught him with his foot on a hen's back, plucking the feathers out of her bum

, he hasn't been a problem at all. Occasionally he wants to herd them, but they largely ignore him now.
Every other dog that has been here has wanted to chase them or worse, to the extent that they now leg it to the far reaches of our field and hide in the hedge if another dog crosses the threshold.

dave d

Joined: 03 Jul 2005
Posts: 52
Location: somerset

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 05 8:24 pm Post subject:
i have 11 runners and they are brill at night when i go to put them away i just stand by the gate and shout in and of they go straight in to their box clever little devils also 5 babys photo attached if i can figure how

Kirstie

Joined: 01 Apr 2005
Posts: 94
Location: Scotland

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 05 11:30 am Post subject:

I breed ducks and have a few varieties, we have a sort of pond, same as previous but we also have a number of recepticles full of water for them as well, they dont need anything particularly deep, some ducks do need water to help the fertility of the eggs as well, they tend to mate in the water. Something easily cleanable is the best thing as the water does get very dirty. My ducks are all free range and come in on a night, but I must admit that there is a lot more cleaning out involved than with hens. My personal favourite is the Saxony duck, a large breed of duck and very nice to look at, although I love all of them. Also I have cross bred Indian runners with khaki cambells and they are terrific ducks although rather noisy

dave d

Joined: 03 Jul 2005
Posts: 52
Location: somerset

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 05 5:59 pm Post subject:
get ducks they are great but very timid hope you get the photo

nora

Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1539
Location: West Yorkshire

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 05 9:12 pm Post subject:

My son has come home with a tiny duckling that he found in the river with no parent around. I've sent him back to walk along the river bank to see if he can find its mum, but if he can't, what should we do? Can anybody help?
Should he put it back in where he found it, or put it with some other ducks if he can find any(bearing in mind they may be asleap now)or should we try and take care of it? What do they eat?
Any advice gratefully received. Thanks

percypony

Joined: 06 Jan 2005
Posts: 146
Location: Hants

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 05 11:54 am Post subject:

Thats a lovely pond Dave. Did you dig it yourself? how big is it?
I would love a pond for our 4 KC's but I think the water would go very nasty very quickly if it wasn't large enough.
nora you seem to be doing the best thing so far for your duckling. Try and find it's Mum or at least another set of ducklings for it to join. Where are you in the country as someone on here might be able to take it on?
Sarah

nora

Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1539
Location: West Yorkshire

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 05 3:14 pm Post subject:
We couldn't find any more ducks last night and today contacted the RSPCB who say its illegal to keep it and we need to take it to a sanctury so i'm in the process of finding one. We live near Halifax and I think there is a santury in Rochdale. On the good side, the duckling seems very happy and has had some ground up duck food with milk and some water to drink.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 05 3:31 pm Post subject:
I'm glad to hear that the duckling is OK, Nora. For the future, though, the RSPB advice is NOT to pick up stray baby birds, even if you can't obviously see the parents. The chances are that the parents will be around somewhere just waiting for a chance to come back for baby. Edited to say Sorry, you have already said that! Must read whole post before answering

nora

Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1539
Location: West Yorkshire

Posted: Tue Jul 12, 05 3:36 pm Post subject:
Yes, I agree with you Judith. I wish he had left it where it was and there is a chance its mum may have found it, I have told him always to leave them if he sees one in the future. He's never brought one home before and there are lots around here but he got especially worried about this one. Lets hope we find it a good home.

nora

Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 1539
Location: West Yorkshire

Posted: Wed Jul 13, 05 7:24 pm Post subject:
Good news, we managed to reunite the duckling with its mum and brothers and sisters today so thats a happy ending.

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