| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| beth |
Khaki CampbellsThe house and enclosure are very nearly ready, so I'm looking for two Khaki Cambell ducks. They must be layers as we want them for eggs.Anyone breeding them? Any reccomendations, we're near cambridge so east anglia and east midlands area would be ideal. Also a little question that has been bothering me.... How are we going to get them home? What sort of travel container would be suitable. I thought of a large cardboard box with holes in. Would that do, or again, recomendations would be welcome. Thanks Beth |
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| alison |
What sort of containers have you got. We have used boxes, with holes, but not all breeders will let them go in these, so it is best to check. What about a cat/dog carrier, people use when going to the vets.
We use a poultry crate now and they can be hosed out easily, but this isn't very practical for only two, for price. |
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| beth |
Thanks Alison, we'll check with the breeder.
Beth |
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| mrsnesbitt |
I have used a laundry basket before...the plastic type with a towel inside...and as a cover. Handy for the vets.... Hubs drives, I sit with this on my knee! 
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| alison |
Another thing about breeders.
When my dad picked up the last lot of rescue hens they were restricting the numbers in cages, or boxes a lot, due to the stress the birds had been in. Some people were turned awasy to get better carrying boxes. One person turned up with a sack. They were turned away completely! |
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| beth |
Would one of these be big enough for a couple of ducks?
http://www.solwayfeeders.com/ProductsDetail1.asp?STOCK_CODE=1811 Beth |
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| alison |
Yes.
We have the 6001, 2 I think and some homemade mesh crates. I would think it would hold about 6 ducks. |
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| beth |
Bril! We'll get one ordered.
Thanks, Beth |
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| alison |
The other great thing about these crates is they are easy to clean with a hose, and not much effort.
A car tip, is to have a tarporline underneath!!! |
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| beth |
So anyone know someone who will sell us a couple of Khaki Campbells ducks, anywhere in the country!?
We phone round just before christmas: a guy in kent had some that were 1.5 months old and were soon ready for the outside world. But according to Paul he didn't sound like he really wanted to sell any. (why do people advertise then?). Another one offered us 3 ducks + a drake. And another offered us 2 + 1 drake. But the plot we have we wouldn't really be happy with more than two. We phoned a place advertising Chiltern White, which are supposedly even better layers, but they only sell day-olds in batches of 50. So we're in a bit of a quandry, we could take the 2 or 3 + drake and try to find a home for the drake. But it doesn't sound like the Right Thing To Do to me. Thoughts would be welcome? Beth |
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| falling on a bruise |
try looking in
www.adtrader.co.uk 
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| Sarah D |
Cambells are quite difficult to come by at any time of the year, in my experience. My last duck came form chickenlady on RC forum - Grqacie, lays every day. I have two older ones as well, Vita and Margery, but they no longer lay; they must be about 6 now I think.
I will be getting some more next year; there is a woman at Hindon who breeds them, but they won't be ready until quite a bit later in the year. If you buy them young they can be quite expensive; if you wait until autumn, the price comes down quite a bit. |
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| beth |
Kewl. The top hit there had Khaki Campbells and was just down the road from us. But a fox got them christmass eve. But he told us of another breeder we'll phone in the morning who has some... but is moving to norfolk over christmas but who's website says they will be open for business between christmas and ney year. So fingers crossed. This sounds like the trailer for Soap... Beth |
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| DarrenG |
edited by myself as treac thinks I talk utter crap when replying | ||
| beth |
YESSSSSS! At last two KC's are currently tucked up in their house. Had a little bit of fun taking them out of the box and putting them in the house. One escaped from Paul's hands but we quickly got her into the enclosure. So we let the other one out into the enclosure as well. Gave them fresh water and after a little drink they used it to clean themselves. Oh well, they'll have a full baby bath tomorrow.
Didn't take much to get them to waddle up the ramp into their house. So far so good! Beth |
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| Sarah D |
Excellent, well done Beth.
Bet you can't stop at two.................. I'll put money on that as well!!
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| beth |
Well we haven't got any more room in the garden.... but I do have my eye on a field nearby. But that might be for GOS's, later.
Beth |
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| beth |
Okay, here's another question... Water in their house. I assume they need water overnight until they are let out in the morning? So we put a 'super drinker'(1) in one corner. But this morning the straw around it was pretty wet. I suspect they were trying to bath in it(2) Is that usual. Or now that they have a bath/pond they will probably drink more than they splash?
Thanks, Beth 1) as in a plastic bulbous thing with a base which lock together with a hole to set the water level. The base has legs so it can sit just off the ground. 2) They were moved on xmas eve and we think they haven't had bathing water since, until I deployed the baby bath this morning. |
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| Sarah D |
My ducks don;t have water overnight - the mess in the house would be horrendous. Although they do drink out of the chicken drinkers sometimes (similar to the ones you are describing - they are fine for chickens, but the ducks' beaks are much bigger), the ducks have an old enamel bowl for drinking out of; having said that, Clive insists on sitting in it every morning while he eats his breakfast!!
It's difficult to keep their drinking water clean as they dibble about in the mud at the same time, They don't seem that fussy, and will drink out of their pond as well. I've kept ducks like this for 16 years with no problems that I'm aware of. As long as their house is dry and draught-proof overnight, they should be fine; clean drinking water as much as possible and practical (it only lasts about 5 minutes, in reality, though), and decent food to eat during the day. Ducks like routine as well, so it's best to stick to one as much as possible to make everyones' lives easier. |
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| beth |
Ah right. It figures, but at the moment I'm going to be letting them out around 8:30 - 9am and it's dark at 4ish so thats around 15 hours without water.... Or do you have a different regime?
Thanks Beth |
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| beth |
Paul has put up a few pictures... some from first thing when I let them out. And later once I deployed the baby bath....
http://home.the-hug.net/photos/index.php?album=ducks_20041230 Beth |
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| beth |
Another question 
They dont seem to be eating much if any of the layers pellets or corn. The pellets I've been putting in a shallow stainless steel bowl, dry. The corn I've thrown down a handfull on the ground and also put some in their water. Which yesterday they ate. This morning I've given them a bit of pre-soaked bread, which the bits I've thrown near them they've eaten. They seem happy and bright eyed interested in anything I'm doing in the garden, just not eating anything other than the bugs and worm they are foraging for. Am I unduly worrying? They've had two upheavals in the space of a week. And as for last night I could murder the people down the road who far from had fireworks, they had bl**dy artillery. I wouldn't be surpised if they were spooked by the racket. Poor ol jake (dog) was absolutely petrified. Thanks, Beth |
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| Sarah D |
I feed corn in a wide shallow tray - an old roasting tin, in fact. White bread is not good for them; I was told this by the breeder I got my very first ducks from, and mine never have it. They like greens, but chopped up quite small, eg lettuce (not keen on cabbage and stronger tasting greens), and fruit as well.
Putting corn in the water is not something I'd do, but if their water is changed often, then it shouldn't psoe a problem. Mine get let out about 8 - 8.30 in the mornings, and go away when I shut the chickens up, whenever that is, usually as it is getting dark. As I think I said, ducks are great lovers of routine and thrive on it. You can be sure they won't starve themselves, if you are feeding them like that; their first preference is always to forage about for worms and bugs, then they'll eat corn, and the pellets probably last of all. Hope this helps. |
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| beth |
Yeah thanks for that. I didn' give them much bread, just a little to see if they would eat something. The corn in the water is something I think we read in the Katie Thear book, and I canhe that water every day so it shouldn't be a problem.
When I'm back at work their letting-out time will probably be more like 8am too. They've found themselves quite a few slugs and worms this morning! Beth |
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| Sarah D |
As I said, they won't starve themselves..............
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| beth |
Is that a bit like domestic non-ornamental ducks can't fly?.....
...cos they're too heavy or something. At least thats what Katie Thear's book 'Starting with Ducks' seems to be saying. Except no-one told Rebeccah. She managed to fly out of an enclosure of length 20ft with 6ft high fences. Having done that she had the sense to stay close, and Jemima had the sense to stay put and quack loudly. Which is how I found them. I'd only just come in from saying hello to them, and telling them off for not eating enough of the food I put out for them. The next half-hour saw both of us trying to catch Rebeccah. We first trapped her between us. But she ran past Paul and started flapping.... Flight number two was witnessed. She hit the garages doors and flew off the path down the side of garages into an area of another set of garages and someones garden. Complete with a pond. Which was netted as it had very large goldfish in it. Eventually Paul managed to trap our wayward friend, grab her and when we'd walked back round to the house put her into the cardboard box we used when we went to collect them. So there we were standing in the enclosure wondering how to clip there wings. Rebeccah was easy enough. Hands in the box and hold her and snip. But Jemima wouldn't go back into the house without Rebeccah, so we had a fair chance of grabbing her. Sigh. So with all the excitement we have left Rebeccah intact for now. More exiting episodes later!... 
Beth |
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| Sarah D |
From what I was told when I bought my two, Campbells have had the flying instinct bred out of them, witness the comparatively small sie of their wings; if yours are young, though, they may be able to get off the ground. When they are fully grown, they shouldn't be able to get airborne at all. Clipping one wing is a good measure for now though, else you may lose one or both. The smaller breeds of domestic duck can fly - especially the Calls; I didn;t expect to see Clive return after he had a fight with another Call drake and flew off into the wild blue yonder over the pub roof; he returned about 5 hours later, none the worse for wear, much to my surprise! My two miniature Appleyards took off earlier this year, and haven't been seen since, and I've no idea where they are, but I hope they're happy - Bob Flowerdew and Ivan Hicks, they were..........
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| DarrenG |
if you hatch any out or buy in D.Os pinion them by snipping one of the bastard wings of, then they are safe, if you buy adults and they are not done then you've got to live with flight. | ||
| DarrenG |
btw knowing the zealousnous of the moddies on here the bastard wing is the little piece sticking of the first joint of the wing, I didnt mean cut the whole wing off | ||
| deerstalker |
Don't know much about poultry, but I did know that! 
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| Sarah D |
According to Katie Thear:
"Wing clipping should not be confused with pinioning, where newly hatched waterfowl have the tip of the wing (known as the bastard wing) cut off. The latter causes permanent disfiguration to the wing structure, and is not recommended." I thought I had read somewhere more recently than when this book was published (1980), that pinioning was actually illegal, but I may be wrong on that. I have only wing clipped, and only had problems with them flying when I forgot to keep up with it, so that's my lookout. |
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| beth |
Escape from "Stalag luft Milton" episode 2 continues with our intrepid inmates taking turns to attempt to fly to fame and errrm the other thing.
So Paul checks on the ducks this afternoon and sits nearby for a bit of communing, as you do. Where upon Jemima flaps her wings and lifts off gaining about 3 to 4foot of height before contacting the wire fencing. Crash and burn isn't quite the appropriate phrase. Actually she landed all right with hardly a feather out of place. Since it was late afternoon he tucked them up. Another escapee rescue session wouldn't have been welcome. So when I got home this evening we clipped one of Jemima's wings. Apparently they have eaten a little bit of their layers pellets but not much. Concerned. Beth |
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| DarrenG |
to pinion a bird is not illegal. | ||
| Sarah D |
Thanks for clarifying that; don't know where I picked that up from. | ||
| beth |
So, time for an update.
They have been eating for about 3 days now. Not a great deal, like it says in Katie thear's book. But enough to make me breath a sigh of relief. We've also had no more escapology excersises. And the comment that ducks dont put themselves to bed. I think we must have that strange breed of chickens called ducks. Cos they have put themselves to bed one afternoon. And most of the time they are ready to go in and mearly want a little encouragement. Maybe there house is too comfortable or something
Beth |
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| alison |
ours always wait at their door to go away too. | ||
| beth |
So the ducks are eating about 1+1/2 mugs of layers pellets a day, no eggs yet.
But as soon as I let them out they go to their bath for a wash, and then Rebeccah proceeds to jump on Jemima and do sex. A lot. I'd expect it Rebeccah was a drake, but she isn't. Wrong colour for a drake, no curly tail feathers either. But she is the bigger of the two. Is that normal for ducks? Ta, Beth |
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| tahir |
Dunno but look at this:
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| Bugs |
Perhaps I'm being really dippy...but I thought ducks needed a Mr Duck to lay eggs. Or something like that.
I do like those stamps. Prices go up in April, perhaps a good time to stock up! |
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| alison |
no male needed to lay eggs. | ||
| Bugs |
Hmm..wonder where I got that from then. 
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| tahir |
It's like all ladies, they keep producing eggs, it's just a matter of fertilisation. | ||
| beth |
Indeed. We dont want fertile eggs. We dont have the room, time or facilities to hatch any. I just want them to lay me some eggs!
Just surprising me how much Rebeccah is picking on Jemima, I expected the usual pecking order posturing, but it seems a bit beyond that. Beth |
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| beth |
Quack quack!! Found an egg in their house this morning when I let them out.
Beth |
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| Bugs |
:bounce:
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| beth |
Well, well. Both our ducks are girls, despite the errrm sex. Phew! Two eggs snuggled into the straw this morning!
Thanks for everyones comment's... Looks like ducks really do lay eggs!
Beth |
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| percypony |
My girly duck (also campbell) stopped laying just before Christmas. She didn't last year but she had only just started laying then. Is this normal and if so when do you think she will start again?
We have plenty of Chricken eggs but I do miss her eggs and she was a one a day bird without fail before! 
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| alison |
Our KC laid straight through their first winter and then went through the moult during the coldest time in the second. Has she moulted yet. | ||
| percypony |
New to poultry so please excuse my ignorance but my moult I presume you mean changing of feathers? ie some falling out and new ones growing.
If that is what you mean than there are feathers all over the place (mostly little fluffy ones). This has been going for about the same time as no eggs. |
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| Bugs |
Yup Percypony, moulting is when they lose their feathers and grow new ones . Don't know about ducks but I'm sure it's the same kind of thing - if you pick her up you'll see the hard quills which are new feathers in their casings.
As far as I know, they stop laying because their body has to put a lot of energy in to producing the new quills. |
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| alison |
Ducks are the same as chickens.
Sounds like yours are going through the moult my friend |
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| percypony |
Any idea how long this moult should last? She must have been off regular lay since before Christmas and laid nothing for at least 4 weeks. | ||
| beth |
A friend who has four chickens said his went on strike for about 2 months. Back into lay a couple of weeks ago.
Beth |
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| alison |
6 - 8 weeks is normal, although daylight hours can extend it too. | ||
| percypony |
Hummm, no cause for real concern yet then but will keep an eye on her.
Another question for KC owners. (or any duck breeds for that matter!) if we bought another couple of females this year would they settle in OK with the existing male and female or could there be trouble? |
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| beth |
IIRC katie thear says ducks dont need to be introduced to each other. Wait till dark and put them in the house with the others and all should be fine.... But that was with ducks that dont fly or put themselves to bed!
Beth |
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| alison |
We have never had a problem introducing new ones. We have had more trouble getting them in if one has died, or gone to the kitchen, as they wait for the missing one before they will go in. | ||
| percypony |
Excellent, shoudl be fine then. Ours don't actually go to bed as they have a secure run so please themselves. Will introduce new ones at dusk though. |