Duck Introductions

Our first 4 ducks hatched in TX on 5/5/21 and were then immediately shipped to us. We had wanted 2 of the Fawn and White Indian Runner Ducks and 2 Black and White Magpie Ducks. These were all sold as a straight run only, so we weren’t sure how many males/females we would end up with.

After a bit of time we were able to tell… we ended up with 1 male Runner, Angel, and 1 female runner, Bandit. The 2 Magpies were both female, Maggie and Marigold.

Angel got his name from his appearance, as his feathers started coming in he looked as if he had a pair of bright white Angel wings. This was before we knew he was a boy for sure, but the name stuck. Angel is a handsome boy, with bright blue eyes and he’s one of the happiest ducks. When you go over to the run he knows when you are talking to him – I often play up to him saying “Angel you’re so handsome!” Or “are you my handsome boy?” He gets a bit bashful! He pulls his head down close to his body and just starts wagging his tail. Angel is also very protective of his girls and can be quite talkative at times with his little raspy quacks.

Bandit! If you saw her markings you’d immediately guess where her name came from as she looks like she’s wearing a mask like a masked bandit. First to quack, loudest quack, and the sweetest girl. Bandit is very petite compared to the others but also the most friendly. She is always watching everything and everyone, and if you talk to her she sort of leans in and tilts her head a bit to look at you. She has the usual loud quacks like the other ducks but she also makes these sort of squeaky quacks too, as if she’s trying to talk back to you. She is my snuggly duck! Every weekend I get to spend some extra time in the coop and I always snatch up Bandit for hugs, and she hugs back! She lays her head and neck over my shoulder, she’s such a little love.

Maggie is a curious duck indeed. She is very independent, often leaving the others to go on her own missions or adventures for food or water or maybe just to tease the chickens. We give frozen peas as treats and Maggie loves them! As soon as she hears the “cheep cheep” call she literally comes running! She also interacts with us when we call her name, quacking back and tilting her head to look at us, likely questioning our next move!

Marigold… aka Queen Marigold. Marigold was the shyest duck of all when they were in the brooder, always keeping a safe distance and would hardly make a peep. I think her first quacks were when we’d pick her up to change their bedding. Since moving to the coop/run however, Marigold is the LOUDEST duck we have! She certainly found her voice. If you approached the coop, she’d be quacking. If someone came in the driveway, she’d be quacking. If one of the chickens was bothering her, she’d be quacking. If nothing at all was going on… she’d be quacking! She is so loud that our neighbors know her quack, and her name from us calling out to her. They fortunately get a kick out of it!

-B

Duck LOVE

I never would have thought in a million years that I would love having ducks as much as I do, and I know Randy feels the same.

We initially got ducks on a whim, we were getting a bunch of chickens and we figured the ducks would be a fun addition. Turns out they were severely underestimated…

They have the best personalities!! And yes, ok… it’s a duck. But really once you spend enough time with them you learn how unique each one is and they are always up to something! From when they were just a few days old to now full size, they are truly a joy to be around, you can’t help but smile.

For a baby brooder they were in a large Rubbermaid container with a heat plate and their water and food feeders. We kept them in the living room so we could keep an eye on them. They always peeped looking for attention, which they surely got. When they were big enough they would hop on top of the brooder plate and peek over the edge of the container looking for us! (They also did this to watch TV 😂)

As they got bigger they moved to a larger brooder that we set up in the basement. This was a 4’h x 5’w x 4’d box essentially made with 2 x 4’s and chicken wire and it had an access panel/door. We didn’t see them as much but obviously went down there several times a day to check on them and their food/water/bedding. They got used to our routine and could tell when we were in the kitchen, right above where they were in the basement. Then they found their voices… Bandit especially. They would quack as loud as they possibly could and for as long as they could until we would come down to see them. Whether it be for fresh water, or oatmeal or to be hand fed they demanded the attention.

Their antics continued when they moved out to the coop with the attached run. Stories to follow…

-B

Finding the perfect spot

We bought our house in late 2018, and moved in early 2019. We obviously loved the house, which is why we bought it but there was some work to be done! Getting chickens was something we discussed a couple of times since moving in but we were so inundated with projects and reworking the landscape that it was put on the back burner for some time.

Our street is on a hill, high at the top, low at the bottom and we are just about at the halfway point. If you’re looking up at our house from the street, the land goes uphill and levels off where the house is. On the right side it is closer to our neighbors… the land is flat and then there is a rock wall and their driveway/land sits slightly higher than ours. On the left side there is a bit of level land that connects to the back yard and then it drops off where there’s a large rock retaining wall. The lower level is accessible from both the front and back yard but it’s a unique area. When we first moved in the retaining wall area was completely overgrown with trees and brush which we ended up completely clearing out.

Once we had that side opened up and started discussing how we wanted the area to look we realized we had created the perfect spot for a chicken coop – the lower level of the rock wall was it! We had to level the area, it was all dugout from the previous owners swing set. This took quite some time and we ended up adding some fill from other areas of the yard. All said and done we had a level area of approximately 30’ x 30’. Perfect!

Now for more research and planning for the coops and run!

Breed Selection – Ducks

Ducks! Why not… duck eggs are great for eating just the same as chickens. Duck eggs are especially good for baking too! Almost all of the same questions come up with ducks… what size/weight class, raising them for meat or eggs or both, temperament… hardiness is pretty straightforward… they manage the extremes well due to their down feathers.

Since most of our chickens were standard size and we were going to have bantams, we decided on the lightweight breed class to keep everyone around the same size. We wanted the ducks for eggs, not necessarily meat and the egg laying rate didn’t really matter because we were going to have so many chickens. Now, where to order? Many hatcheries were recommended online… it varies greatly with cost per bird, whether they will be male or female or sold as a straight run (unsexed), minimum quantity orders… again very important to do the research and decide what would work best for you.

We ended up choosing dual purpose breeds and to simplify life we ordered them from the same hatchery that the chickens were coming from. While this limited our options slightly for breed selection, and they were only sold as a straight run, it was still the best way to go.

We did not want the standard ducks that everyone else usually gets… Pekins, Giant Pekins, or even Mallards which are common around here in the wild. We wanted something different… a childhood favorite movie of mine was “Babe” (yes, the pig movie). Remember Ferdinand though?! The little white duck that walked around upright? Yep, that’s what I wanted – proper name is Runner Ducks, and there was only one color available, the fawn and white – I’ll take 2 please! And after looking at all the other ducks we absolutely fell in love with the Black and White Magpie Ducks, so we added 2 of those to the order as well. 4 ducks incoming! So exciting!!

-B

Breed Selection – Chickens

We had no idea where to start when it came to selecting what breeds we should get. Whether you are asking friends or family or reading posts on social media you are bound to get a wide variety of what everyone’s favorite is and why. Ultimately you have to do your research and decide… do you want meat birds or birds just for eggs, or both/dual purpose. How many eggs do you want? Do you order pullets (females) or straight runs (not sexed)? Do you go to your local grain store or Tractor Supply or order direct from the hatchery? Depending on your area will they tolerate the extreme heat or cold? So many questions…

We initially liked the heritage breeds, they’ve been around forever, are tolerant of the weather in this area and obviously produce well. Wyandotte’s were recommended because of their great temperament, they are good layers, and they have a small rose comb that’s less likely to get frost bite. Wyandotte’s also come in a variety of colors which is fun. We learned about different colored eggs as well and that became another obsession. We kept coming across bantam breeds and soon realized that these were basically mini chickens that laid mini or “peewee” sized eggs. Bantams quickly made it on the must have list as well.

Decision time… we absolutely wanted heritage breeds. My cousin recommended the Wyandotte’s and she’s been at it for awhile… plus the color options! She was getting some from a different hatchery which helped get us all the colors we wanted. Colored eggs were a must have and mini chickens, I mean how could we not. Most of the birds were categorized as good layers and all were categorized as being both heat and cold tolerant, because… New England.

We ended up ordering from a hatchery that had a minimum dollar amount rather than a minimum quantity of each breed to order. So this was the final count:

Standard size chickens: 2 Barred Rocks, 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Buff Wyandottes, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes, 2 Gold Laced Wyandottes, 2 Easter Eggers (colored eggs), and 2 Olive Eggers (dark green eggs).

Bantam chickens: 2 Black Frizzle Cochins, 2 White Frizzle Cochins, 2 Red Frizzle Cochins, 2 Partridge Silkies, 2 Blue Silkies, and 2 Buff Silkies. The bantams were only available as a straight run so we took our chances.

And…. We obviously needed the other Wyandotte colors from my cousin so… 2 Blue, 2 Partridge, 2 White, and 2 Blue Laced Red.

Yep… all in all 34 chickens!

-B