Our baby ducks are here

Penelope_Penguin

Morning, bargain, thanks for your concern. Have a look at posts 30 and 35. Have you any experience of this condition with your fowl? Any suggestions for remedies?

DH has discussion with colleague. He had the prob with ducklings, and solved it successfully putting an elastic bnad losely around the legs. This allowed the duckling to pull her legs together and walk. Bit like the hobble skirt - won't be able to run, but may be able to walk elegantly!

Have you any other livestock? We fancy ducks one day (digging a pond this autumn), quail, guinea fowl, and a goat. Long term plan is for a smallholding with a couple of pigs.

Penny. x

bargainaddict

Hi PP, this is our first year with our ducks and they are kept just as family pets. Our neighbours are very good friends with the breeder and they got theirs ducks from him a couple of years ago, had their first babies last year (our 3 came from that hatching).

When the breeder came he said it is very common to loose a number during the hatching process and shortly after birth, even up to 2 weeks afterwards. Not sure if this is the same for chickens though. He said this is why they have so many babies, in the wild they will also be lost to the herons etc.

A small holding sounds very exciting, I wish we had the space. We don't have any other livestock, but we have a dog, cat, large aquarium and fish pond. We have passed the stage of the hamsters and mice now thankfully!

How many babies do you have now? How is your black one?