Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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TTouch Homestead
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Indian Runner ducks- UPDATED Cardigan areaI hatched some for someone who is now unable to have them due to change of circumstances.
5 girls, 2 boys. Healthy and active.
Boys are lavender and grey/white, the girls are lavender, browns, black/white.
EDITED 28/12/12- only one grey/white drake available.
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chez
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Age and price, please? 
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TTouch Homestead
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Born late summer, girls £10 Boys £7.50 I will try and add a picture later
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chez
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So not laying yet?
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Green Rosie
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CHEZ - stop it NOW. Log out out of trading post and move away from the computer 
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chez
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It's possible I've picked up another two weekly farmers' markets from the end of January. The *sensible* thing to do is produce more duck and quail eggs and buy in hen eggs from my friend until my own birds up their game.
Really. I have a spreadsheet
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Green Rosie
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It's possible I've picked up another two weekly farmers' markets from the end of January. The *sensible* thing to do is produce more duck and quail eggs and buy in hen eggs from my friend until my own birds up their game.
Really. I have a spreadsheet |
Actually I may have encouraged that idea so ignore my earlier post and go get those Runners ....
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chez
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TTouch Homestead
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Not laying yet, but then neither are my adult runners. My chickens are faring not much better with only my bresse gauloise, and my bantams popping out a daily egg. Moult has been a bad one for the rescue hens.
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Green Rosie
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Does that mean it's all my fault if something goes wrong 
chez
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Not laying yet, but then neither are my adult runners. My chickens are faring not much better with only my bresse gauloise, and my bantams popping out a daily egg. Moult has been a bad one for the rescue hens. |
Thank you! I am interested, but obviously collection is an issue; I will have a think.
TTouch Homestead
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No worries. Here is the group.
The grey/white male is missing from pic as someone said they would take him and changed their mind, and I had kept him in a crate ready
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JohnB
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I'm just down the road, and am lacking pets at the moment. As a total beginner, what would I need in the way of housing, fencing, equipment etc to get started?
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TTouch Homestead
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Hi John,
Ducks are what we started with when we set up home/smallholding here. Figured if we could keep them then we could add other critters, increasing in size!
Pop round and I can show you the various set ups we have had and are hoping to create! You can meet them as well as the pilgrim geese, and my latest additions the crested/tufted pilgrims 
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chez
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Oooh, they are gorgeous! Go for it, John. You don't *need* running water for runners, really, and they don't fly. They do need quite a bit of space, though, like all ducks.
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TTouch Homestead
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Chez, I do like the colours in this hatch. Nicest hatch for a while, and for a change I had 6 females and 2 males. Lost a lavender female to an owl or something overnight which was weird...but they do stand out in dim light.
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Green Rosie
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Oooh, they are gorgeous! Go for it, John. You don't *need* running water for runners, really, and they don't fly. They do need quite a bit of space, though, like all ducks. |
Permission to disagree with the non-flying bit - ours took off into the adjacent wheat field the day after we bought them. Apparently the poorer the strain the better the flyer
JohnB
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Hi John,
Ducks are what we started with when we set up home/smallholding here. Figured if we could keep them then we could add other critters, increasing in size!
Pop round and I can show you the various set ups we have had and are hoping to create! You can meet them as well as the pilgrim geese, and my latest additions the crested/tufted pilgrims |
Thanks. I'll PM you. I'm agonising over all the fencing I need to do for the pet I really want, so hopefully this might be quicker and easier. But I'm not sure that ducks are as good to cuddle up on the sofa with as a German Shepherd, although they don't lay eggs!!!
TTouch Homestead
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Fencing, arrgh... know all about that with my escapee dobermann girl when we first moved here...
Geese are cuddly, especially if hand raised. Mine will still let me cuddle them- should I admit that?? Have reduced numbers of my gaggle so I can concentrate on pilgrims.
Wait till you meet the goats, now they are animals with some personality
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faerienono
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how do you sex runner ducks?
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Green Rosie
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Boys have little curly tails and have a higher pitched squeak. Girls have a deeper voice but none of these characteristics appear until they are a bit older.
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JohnB
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I've just been to see them, and get jumped on by the dogs  . Now I just need to investigate sources of fencing and shelter.
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chez
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Brill
(Have a look at 'Starting with Ducks' by Katie Thear - she's very practical)
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TTouch Homestead
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Yes, sorry 'bout that. 5 dobermann's can be intimidating and they are rather excitably daft at times.
I think I have a local buyer for the remaining ducks Chez...unless you want the two boys??!
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JohnB
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Yes, sorry 'bout that. 5 dobermann's can be intimidating and they are rather excitably daft at times. |
I thought they were great, and there were no broken teeth after one tried a high speed kiss .
AmandaWood
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Re: Indian Runner ducks available for sale. Cardigan areaI hatched some for someone who is now unable to have them due to change of circumstances.
5 girls, 2 boys. Healthy and active.
Boys are lavender and grey/white, the girls are lavender, browns, black/white. |
have pm'd you
JohnB
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After my visit to see the ducks, and TTouch Homestead's setup, I've been investigating something similar. I haven't got a permanent site for them, and they will be moving around a bit, at least to start with, so I like the idea of an electric fence. She also has an assortment of shelters, from very nice to pretty basic, and they seem to prefer the basic ones.
I've found a couple of complete fence kits on eBay:
This one at £159 incl delivery
and this at £185 incl delivery
I think I'd prefer the cheaper one, as it's orange and there will be people around so it will be more obvious.
Are these good options, or can anyone recommend anything better (or cheaper)?
I've got 3 old chicken runs, left by the previous owner, that I haven't used. I think they would fit in with TTouch Homestead's suggestion of shelter, and a place where they can feel safe from aerial attack, and maybe some fox protection.
Do they look ok, and is there anything else I would need? I can easily make alterations if necessary.
I'd like to get an idea of feeding costs. I think wheat and layer pellets were suggested. I can supply plenty of slugs and weeds too! Non GM and/or organic would be preferable, but I'd like to compare with the cheaper options.
And will I make a profit or loss on them if I sell some of the eggs?
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JohnB
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No expert opinions on my ideas, before all the ducks find other homes?
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TTouch Homestead
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John, Don't worry, 3 are on hold for you. You saw all my homemade, cobbled together huts, shelters etc...
The chicken huts look well made and with a spruce up should be ok for overnight residence. Ventilation looks good and it is the sturdy wire too.
Take the slat things out that I presume were for hens, give them a good hose down/scrub out. Dry them out and waft around diatomaceous earth/sanitiser powder...pop in some bedding and bob is the proverbial uncle.
My broody was in something similar when she was duck momma. It was amazing how big they got before the room ran out for all of them in there!
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TTouch Homestead
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Just looked at the fencing. Orange one is same size holes all way up from bottom. Runners can slip through quite a small size when panicked. Some of the nets have a graduate size, small at bottom, bigger at top...cannot remember where husbando got ours from.
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JohnB
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Thanks. I'll try to get to the farmer's co-op in Emlyn tomorrow, and see if they have any fencing, and see what feed they do.
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