Raising Ducks and Chickens

Now I'm just the tech and message / poster here .
The 2 Ladies who run the farm / ranch know more that I .
I built the incubator from old fridge and brooder .
Later this week the ducks will hatch , then the chicken eggs go in . I'll keep updating this thread.
Automatic controls , top 37.C is temp freezer section ,78.3 is humidity ,34.8 is lower temp of the fridge and its on warming up .
Sloth

 

Good job eh.

 

That's a good looking build.

I'm not much for duck raising. They're messier than my tolerance levels as a barefoot traveler. They are absolute snipers against flies if you have a fly problem, though.

 

WOW! This is an old fridge? I love how resourceful you are. You really have incredible building skills!

 

Well something went wrong with the Ducks , Ladies are upset and figuring that the humidity is off ,, Ducks are hard to incubate , but if you have a Muscovy duck mother hen , the girls have slid in Khaki Campbell eggs under and they hatch out most.
Things are late and off on some things here, I'm the one who is the driver to shop and leave the ranch , or working the metal birds..
Feeling the tension out/off of the ranch , i'm always trying to keep that at bay here, and don't bring it up.
Hopefully they will get over the feelings of let down , and we will see.
It takes alot of timing and planing of when to harvest the eggs and the dating to start the process.. that's all i hear!!
Sloth the builder.
I'm in the barn with the girls candling a few!
Now my day was ""More Cheese Please " and Freeze Drying !!

Sloth

 

@Cruisin Sloth I hope that things will get better and the tension at the ranch will melt.
I have no experience with incubating ducks, but I know from my quail and chicken experience that it can be a very delicate process with lots of different variables. It's cool that you have had some success with hens sitting hatching the eggs.
I tried that with one of my very friendly broody chicken hens. Her name is Chica and she did a very good job in the beginning... Until she developed a taste for quail eggs.
Your cheese looks awesome! What kind of cheese is this?

 

That was the dutch Gouda
4 KG / 8 lb each round , I did 14 rounds of that ..
then 3 rounds of Rognoni Formaggi sheep cheese
1.5kg/3.3lbs
That was a weeks work at night..
Sloth

Edit add , that is the group buy from all the farmers in our area, I do the vac bag for 12 farms and their offspring .
S
@Alanaana

 

Well the girls are glad that the ducks are starting to hatch.
They are late ,they say ,but it's good to see smiles again .I knew they felt hurt or disappointed..
Sloth

Add , have no idea why so late (not my math) but the girls are smiling and singing ,, I'm sure the wine is coming out !
S
Pictures to come

 

15 so far , so I went to the candy store and bought some Gin and a pair of wines.
I heard (was asked ) if I can cook lunch for the farmer girls who are coming over @ 15:00 for a late lunch (hottest time of day here)..
This is the norm here on the ranch / farm ..
Glad we had hatching's.
Sloth

 

@Cruisin Sloth it sounds like you live in an amazing and industrious community. 12 farms who produce cheese? That sounds heavenly.
I'm glad to hear that the mood is lighter and everyone is lighthearted again and the ducks are laying. It sounds like life is good!

 

Life is great , mood was the girls were down because the duck hatch was 1.5 week late..and they picked right up when they heard the internal peeps.
Now the farms don't make cheese , they consume it . I got a deal ,so i let all know ,orders were put in and then if they wanted it made smaller , my ranch can handle that.Many folks split the round with others. I quartered them or smaller, just let me know.
Thats done now , i'm into the freezer drier since we have beef to process.
@Alanaana
Sloth

 

4 large jars of freeze dried duck eggs ! started in the converted fridge !

 

I'm so impressed by your storage methods.

 

Update on the ducks
Chickens are next!!

 

@Cruisin Sloth Your ducks look so healthy! How big is your flock? Those ducklings are SO adorable I got so excited to see them enjoying the water cooler.
I have always wanted ducks. Do you think they are easier or harder to care for than chickens?

 

I've been wanting to get some chickens for the last few years ,, but I've been working 250 miles from home for the last 4-5 yrs ,, I'm about 3 weeks from going home for good ,, a year at least .
Well ,, a buddy called me this morning and said he got 3 chickens for another guy ,, and he won't return his call ,, so I've got 3 egg layers as soon as I get home.
I'm finally about to be home , and put these projects I've been wanting to do for so long ,, in action .

I think I've finally solved the age old question of ,, what came 1st ,, the chicken , or the egg ??

In my case ,, the chicken ,,,,,

 

Ducks have better eggs for us as they are not acidic like chicken eggs. There is really no difference in the amount of care. However, ducks squirt, and their poo is a little messier than chickens, but it can go directly into planting (you have to age chicken poo as it is acidic and cannot be applied directly to a plant). Either bird needs a protected area to live, both from ground level and airborne predators. Chickens can fly, so you have to clip their wings. Some duck varieties need clipping, too. However, ours are Khaki Campbell's and they cannot lift off very high or far and can be contained by a low fence.

Typed by one of the two ladys who run the farm & gardens.
Like I said I break or fix things.
Sloth

 

@Cruisin Sloth Thank you for this informative response. I really appreciate the fact that she took the time to write it. I have heard that you can apply the duck fertilizer hot and that was always appealing to me. Also, the eggs are delicious. Seeing your adorable ducklings is really making me feel like I ought to get some ducks someday soon. I do have a good enclosure although I have been seeing more mongoose characters prowling around my sweet potatoes. I'm going to keep enjoying your duck and chicken updates here.

 

The woman / girls who run the ranch are great .
I treat them with the best gent respect .
Treats this year to see them jiggle



Ill let the girls know ,, Chickens are next they are huge ..
S

 

I've seen chicken bedding (of course, full of droppings) put directly into compost piles, for a shot of brown and green combined. I reckon, if you've got multiple compost piles, at different stages of decomposition, you could keep the bedding recycling going pretty well. Of course, it's going to be a bit tougher, up here in the snow belt, with 6 months out of the year being too cold for really good composting.
So the news on duck poo being able to be directly applied to a garden is welcome!

Anyone ever raised guinea hens?? I've heard they're quite helpful in the garden, as pest control. Noisier than chickens (hens), so most cities that allow chickens won't allow the guinea hens. Hoping to score a property outside of town, where the only "neighbors" I'll have to worry about, regardless of the birds I raise, would be the 4-legged variety!