Xerocles head in the clouds and feet firmly in the mud.

[Xerocles]

This is purely academic, since I am not even able to sex sex-link chickens....but are ducks harder to sex at hatching than chicks? Just wondering why I was unable to order sexed. I don't care at all about fertile eggs; besides Runners are notorious NON broody anyhow. So why keep a bug eating drake instead of a bug eating, egg laying hen?

 

[ducks4you]

I ordered 50 straight run Delaware chicks one time. I got 11 pullets. We butchered a lot of chickens! I grew to hate those mean, despicable Delaware hens and slaughtered the lot of them 2 years later. I thought I'd get a 50/50 split, never saw a truck load of roosters coming at me! LOL LOL Good luck on the duckies!

What IS it about red hens?!?!? I won't buy RIR's any more. They are Sooooo mean!!! I think they are related to the Delawares. 1st Clutch of chickens were 6, 5 were roosters, one was a hen.
Sigh....
STILL need to weasel proof my run before I buy more birds, but my chicken supplier is open again for business.

 

[Ridgerunner]

are ducks harder to sex at hatching than chicks

Cackle does not sex runner ducks. Meyer and McMurray do. I don't know which hatchery you used.

I don't know if ducklings are easier or harder to vent sex than chicken chicks. They have specially trained people that do several thousands in one day so speed is of the essence. I did not spend much time at the hatchery's website but I noticed Cackle sexes some ducks but not others. It's possible some breeds of ducks are easier than others, though my guess is that there is less of a demand for certain breeds than others.

 

[baymule]

It’s hard to tell grown up runner ducks male from female. Both look like bowling pins with flappy feet.

 

[flowerbug]

Cackle does not sex runner ducks. Meyer and McMurray do. I don't know which hatchery you used.

I don't know if ducklings are easier or harder to vent sex than chicken chicks. They have specially trained people that do several thousands in one day so speed is of the essence. I did not spend much time at the hatchery's website but I noticed Cackle sexes some ducks but not others. It's possible some breeds of ducks are easier than others, though my guess is that there is less of a demand for certain breeds than others.

shh, *whispers* @baymule might learn how and then i'd have to take my castration of ducks talk back... and then @seedcorn will be all in a tither and ..."

 

[flowerbug]

It’s hard to tell grown up runner ducks male from female. Both look like bowling pins with flappy feet.

see @Ridgerunner , this is what it looks like when a cat is getting partially out of the bag...

 

[Xerocles]

It’s hard to tell grown up runner ducks male from female. Both look like bowling pins with flappy feet.

?? I undestood it was easy? Drake willl have curly tail feathers? Is that wrong?

 

[baymule]

?? I undestood it was easy? Drake willl have curly tail feathers? Is that wrong?

They have to mature, it takes a little time. Plus the females will mount each other if there is no male. I had 3 female runners, got 3 eggs, but they mounted each other and went through the motions. I once had a little black bantam mix hen that beat up all the big layer hens and mounted them. The layer hens got where they would just squat when they saw her coming for them.

 

[Xerocles]

I guess it's safe to say my garden is progressing. Nothing IN it yet, but some prepwork done. Some tomatoes and peppers in a germination flat. The bug patrol (runnner ducks) supposed to arrive today. So they should be big enough to start their job by the time the bugs get going. Graph paper prepared for layout although I STILL don't know where I'm going to actually PUT anything. Haven't done a soil sample yet. This is definitely going to be a trial and error learning experience. Keeping copious notes so I am more prepared NEXT year. Ok. That was the plan anyhow. I need a year for the deep hay mulch to do its magic anyhow. Worms are already moving in EN MASSE.
I NEED ADVICE!! I have a thornless blackberry plant and a blueberry bush that I pampered through last year in containers. Didn't plant them last fall as I should have....was aiming for an early spring planting. Well. The BlackBerry already has some new leaves, and the blueberry is in full leaf. Am I too late to plant out this year? Do I just resign myself to another year in the containers? I think the containers may be too small and I'm concerned with them becoming rootbound. What should I do?

 

[thistlebloom]

Put your berries in the ground. It won't hurt them a bit to be planted when they are leafed out.