Guest Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 That is sad, Lesley. I'm really sorry, poor little duckling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Sorry to hear the sad news Lesley poor little duckling maybe Mork just isn't ready to be a dad, best leave them with mum from now on......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Unfortunately lots of animal dads are like that and have to be separated from the babies; male bunnies need to be taken out of the hutch just after they've mated with the female, partly because she might turn on him, but they also tend to eat the kittens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Poor little duckling - still, you'll know better in future... Male ducks can be pretty nasty creatures - mallard drakes will try to mate with females whether they are willing or not, which is unusual in nature - in most species the male will back off if he meets resistance, or just not be interested in the first place. I'd keep him well away from Mindy once he's done the deed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 That's true redfox - I once heard of a poor mallard girl being 'gang-banged' by a load of drakes - she had to be put down Males Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 They're even worse than that - but this is a family forum, so we'll draw a discreet veil over the depraved antics of mallard drakes, methinks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 good idea redfox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 So sorry Lesley. Its so disappointing when things like this happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 So sorry to hear your bad news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Oh, so sad about the poor little duckling Lesley....... I hope that Mork is feeling suitably repentant, banished to his exile behind the fence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Sorry to hear that, Lesley, a rotten thing to happen. xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Poor little thing . I hope the others continue to thrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 oh dear I am sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 20, 2006 Author Share Posted July 20, 2006 The other three are fine and happily swimming in the pond without Mork throwing them out Lauren and Jake coped - death is a part of life, we had a chat about it. The duckling is under a nice rock and Lauren and Jake will be able to see that when they come today. Yesterday morning, as we were both due to go out to clients, the new Bluebelle - Bebe - was making all the right noises in the Eglu - we came home to her first egg She didn't even look ready to start laying and I thought we'd got a couple of weeks yet! Let's hope the others get the message now - I'm waiting to see whether we've got any of the 70% which lay blue eggs or whether they are form the 30% which lay blue/green eggs. I shall be disappointed if none of them lays a blue egg. Ellie's eggs are blue/green when I was expecting sky blue - and she cost a lot of money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel (& Paul) Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Well done Bebe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Well doen that hen. My Dolly lays blue/green eggs. They are a lovely turquoise colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 We tried putting Ellie in an Eglu on her own with 6 eggs in the hope she may decide to sit on them. As a pure breed, there was more chance of her going broody than any of the hybrids. She wasn't interested ... so we phoned Clare's friend who keeps lots of hens. Normally, a breeder wouldn't sell a broody, but it was worth asking. Coincidence seems to be our middle name just lately - Pearl is cutting back on her breeding programme and after a chat, was happy to sell us a hen which had just gone broody and was sitting on eggs! We went over to Oxfordshire to collect her - she's a big Buff Orpington and is now sitting on some Maran eggs and 4 of Ellie's eggs - we'll have to wait and see what happens as Ellie's eggs are 5 days behind the others and the Buff might not carry on sitting after the Marans hatch. Also - Ellie's eggs might not be fertile - we will have to candle them in a week to see if they are viable. We also had a look at Pearl's Shetland sheep which may need a new home and have also reserved a trio of Barnevelder bantams Ho hum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Oh yes Lesley get the sheep get the sheep!! You need sheep! Remember sheep are cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Good grief Lesley! You really are on a mission! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffie Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Can I add to 'GET THE SHEEP' BBx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 I like sheep. They are lovely! I like sheep almost as much as pigs so I'm going to buy myself a purple Eglu and live on Lesley's farm . I'll find a way to fit in it ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 I like sheep. They are lovely! I like sheep almost as much as pigs so I'm going to buy myself a purple Eglu and live on Lesley's farm . I'll find a way to fit in it ! Can you wait for the Mk 3? That might be big enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 I like sheep. They are lovely! I like sheep almost as much as pigs so I'm going to buy myself a purple Eglu and live on Lesley's farm . I'll find a way to fit in it ! Same here! Congratulations on the new additions, Lesley, it's such fun following this topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Don't think we'll both fit in the purple Eglu though Sheila. You might need to buy your own . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 There's plenty of room in with the pigs? We've just got back from a wedding in London - well we would have been at the wedding if we hadn't stayed too long at Sheila's, eating all the delicious food she prepared and spent 20 minutes trying to get out of St.Albans - followed by an hour and a half on the North Circular - we didn't actually make the regisrty office but did find our way to the reception - before the wedding party Just as we arrived at the reception and were waiting for all the guests we received a phone call - my daughter calling to say there was a problem with the ducklings. We'd had a really massive storm here - all the streets in Stratford were flooded and powercuts had affected all the shops in town. Plants were flattened or ripped to shreds and our farm was swimming with flood water. Two of the ducklings were flat on their backs and one was covered with blood. She put them into the Eglu and called us. Well, after missing the wedding and already having said that we needed to leave at 7.30pm, we couldn't really leave earlier so we left at 7.30 and got home as quickly as we could. All three ducklings were trotting along behind Mum One however, has a broken bill with blood on it. We put a tree in a large pot in the run and that had blown over but the ducklings weren't near to it apparently They think that the main damage was from the rain - it really was heavy. We will have to wait until morning to see whether the one with a damaged bill can eat properly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
