Bubblingbrooks Journey - Salut!

[Bubblingbrooks]

I love my muscovies! I got 5 FREE ducklings a few weeks back and they are such good foragers. I give them a little bit of chick food in the evening just to get them into there fenced area for the night. Are you planning on building them a nesting house? I have an adult pair that will probably be ready to breed this year but didn't know how Muscovies like to lay and sit on eggs?

We will get them properly set up by the end of summer. They are only a couple months old, so I do not expect to see eggs and ducklings till next year.
Winter comes early here!
Right now, they have a little pen, a swimming pool and a rubbermaid tub to sleep in, that I can move around the yard every couple days.
Those little stinkers are a cross between a cow and a pig, with the way they forage and root around.

We hope to get our acre fenced in with chain link by the end of summer, and next year, I will try and have all my garden areas fenced as well. Then I can let the ducks loose so they can be more effective on the bug front.

 

[Wifezilla]

A dog house works great as a duck broodie house. We have a large dog house, a large dog igloo and a small dog house. If someone goes broodie we put a portable fence around whatever house is in use.

Last year Lexi went broodie in an overturned plastic trash can so it's not like they are picky or anything

 

[lorihadams]

Ours went broody in an old crate we turned into a duck house. They are pretty, I am in the process of rebuilding my flock of runners....mine are all babies. I just started over completely. I have one male and 4 females.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

those are some cute ducks!

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

We desperately needed to downsize around here.
Having 2 does that did not breed last year, and did not keep very good condition over the winter as well, led us to advertise them for sale.
We sold them as meat goats and got a good price for them.
It was the best alternative, due to their barnyard heritage and the extreme fussiness of the goat community up here (don;t get me started )

Now, both these does cycled over and over. I lost track of the number.

All the while, we had a doe that did become pregnant, and had a doeling as mentioned earlier.

So anyways, I did give these does several once overs over the last 3-4 months to just make sure they were not pregnant.
Could not discern a sign. Period.

So the buyers show up, and since they have no clue how to butcher anything, DH did the honors of dispatching, skinning and gutting.
They were going to do the rest at home.
After they left, dh said I have to tell you something.
He said we should have gotten blood work done.
One of the does had twins, and they were almost full term.

The buyers did not see anything, as dh uses a rubbermaid tub for everything when he processes.

Lesson learned. Always get blood work done no matter what!

DH did tell me that in the years he worked as a butcher, they saw several cows come in that had been cleared by the vet as being open, and they would open them up to find near term calves.

 

[Denim Deb]

So sorry to hear.

 

[Farmfresh]

What a drag.

Live and learn I guess.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

I never would have figured on that happening, that's for sure.

All's well that ends well though.
I am very contented with the doe and doeling we have left.
Still have the little brown one that has weird skin issues and severe anemia.
Doing another round of Red Cell, with a higher dose then before.
Plan is to keep treating her over the summer, and then make a decision.

We are stuffing her with dandelions, horsetail and lots of good browse, along with alfalfa, BOSS and a tiny bit of barley.
And loose minerals.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Sorry to hear about the doe. What a shock that must have been! I'm glad you are pleased with what you have left though. I hope the other one comes around for you.

 

[FarmerDenise]

That is just too bad about the doe, but at least you are content with the ones you have.
Some lessons just have to be learned from experience. Not always a great way to go, when it is an unpleasant one. I have had my share :/ and am still working on them
I am sure not looking forward to my goat's first delivery. I am preparing and doing a lot of praying