we found TWO duck eggs this morning!!! that means TWO of the girls are laying!!! so far we've been getting one every day. me thinks there's a bunch, maybe, in the bottom of the pond!
Just when you think you've got them trained--my hens have been laying in the nest boxes for months. Today I found an egg in the outside coop. Sheesh! Duck eggs, being larger, must be easier to find! Be sure to praise your laying ducks to the skies, Bunkie. Poultry does appreciate being appreciated!
you bet mg! they get a 'happy dance and song' from me when i find an egg!!! hubby was going to make nest boxes in the cabin for the girls, but then we read they won't sit in them like chickens?! they prefer making their own nests in the wilds. what's neat so far is that these girls haven't a clue of what they're doing...yet. i'm sure soon enough it'll be 'hide and seek'! i remember when we first moved here we were given 3 baby banty chickens. they grew up to be two hens and aa rooster. they were sooooo good at hiding their eggs. they had a nest under an old tractor hubby was refurbishing, and we didn't find that nest till they had 11 eggs piled in it!!!
We had two khaki campbell ducks (hens) while my son was young (about 8 years) . They produced eggs almost year around an egg a day each. We had to keep them penned-up at night because of the raccoons. Penning the up at night really helped to keep them laying where we could find the eggs. Loved them for all the help they provided with keeping the slugs under control and their pleasant ducky voices. They were great city dwelling farm stock and pets.
It sounds like an Easter egg hunt every day For most of us eggs are in the dairy aisle display case, which makes it a little easier to find. Plants, eggs, dragons, ducks, junk, GardenStew is a great place to learn about a lot of things. I'm just having too much fun Jerry
yes jerry! it is an Easter egg hunt every day! jewell, our welsh harlequins are a type of Khaki Campbell. we wanted the Khakis, but they were sold out. these guys and gals are supposed to be more tamer (HA!) than the Khakis and have all the egg and meat qualities of the Khakis. they're really colorful too! wow! i found five eggs yesterday! a couple were frozen on the pond, i waited for the sun to loosen them. they'll thaw nicely in the fridge. i'm so proud of our girls!
Eggs, eggs, eggs! Hope you have lots of recipes that use eggs. I have a great Jewish applecake that uses four eggs, but you are going to have to be doing better than that. Love those custards. Will you sell eggs? The Welsh Harlequins are a beautiful bird. Do you have any problem with predators? Having a nice big pond probably helps (except for egg gathering..lol).
jewell, i want that recipe!!! no, we don't have any predator problems so far. the dogs keep the coyotes at bay, and when a 'big bird' flies over head, the ducks run to the pond. so, so far so good. we will sell or barter with eggs. i think people who usually turn their noses up to duck eggs may be changing their minds and want to try some. we should have plenty! found 6, count 'em, SIX eggs this morning! tho, one was badly broken and it looked like the shell wasn't totally developed...a white color rather than the tan. i think it's amazing that they're laying at all with the cold weather we have! forgot to post this link about extending eggs into the non-laying season...gonna try it... Preserving Eggs With Water Glass: The Old Time Non-Electric Alternative http://homesteadgardenandpantry.com/pan ... ter-glass/
we got a foot of snow on the ground and two foot drifts in the driveway this morning. wicked wind blowing from the north. it's still snowing! i barely made it to the duck pen with food and water. temp is 12F right now. going down to minus four tonight and minus ten tomorrow night. i'm gonna have to teach the ducks to lay their eggs in their cabin!!!
Hi Bunkie, Are the duck eggs still good after they freeze? Sounds like your weather is worse than ours. Just tell the ducks to stay inside....easy. Oh...they have bird brains...Hmmmmm that might be a problem. Chain them to their nests!! Good luck finding the eggs. I thought Washington climate was warmer than 1 foot of snow....temperate rain forest and all that....always cloudy. I guess I will have to read up on Washington. Is it that the western side of the mountains are warm and the eastern side is cold? Jerry
catching up here...yes jerry. we're on the eastern side and it gets colder and snowier (7-9 feet) here in the winter, and hotter and drier in the summer than the other side. hubby's using the roof rake to get the eggs off the ice on the pond now! you know, where there's a will there's a way! we hit 45F yesterday. beautiful warm and sunny. we're at 24F and frosty this morning, but the skies look clear, so we may be warming up again. feels so good! we had some sunshine yesterday and it went up to 45f!!! beautiful! looks like we're gonna have more sun and warmth today. freezing at 24F right now and frosty! lost our dear Curly last night. a truck hit him around 9 o'clock on our dirt road out front. the guy was really sorry and very nice. not sure why Curly was in the road...probably sneaking back so no one noticed he was 'travelling'.
thanks sjoerd! it'll take a little time. Lizzie's taking it the hardest. another frosty morning here...but...the sun's out! guess i better start cleaning out the greenhouse and reoganizing!
Sorry to hear of Curly's passing. It is always hard to lose a family pet. They leave paw prints in our hearts. Jerry
