Perfect weather for ducks

To say the weather has been changeable down here in South Wales is a bit of an understatement.  Today is a good day for ducks, quite apt as Treacle, my seemingly forever broody hen, has delivered yet another group of newborns.

This time it is ducklings, Welsh Harlequin, established as its own breed from the Khaki campbell back in the 1940's.

They are on the Rare Breed Survival Trust's Poultry breed at risk list.  I have no idea why, as they look fantastic and are brilliant layers of eggs, (coming from the campbell breed no doubt helps).

Treacle has hatched 5 out of 6 eggs.  Fantastic work as it did seem a challenge for her to cover all the eggs, but never the less, she did it.  The sixth chick was fully formed but just did not hatch, perhaps had a problem or lack of strength.

It is fantastic news for me, especially off the back of the recent theft of 13 of my chickens.  It does however present me with a bit of a problem with space.  I am reluctant to move them or any of my stock back down to my plot as I'm sure it will be watched closely by whoever took all the other birds.  I have successfully intergrated the crested legbar into my back garden hens. (more on this in another post)  However, having freed up that run, Custard, the most famous veteran hen is eating all the eggs being laid. So she has been isolated.  Cue one very noisey and objectionable hen.  My other run and coop is housing three silver lace Wyandotte bantam hens.  So I am full.  In fact overcapacity, double booked you may say.

I have some garden left (just), but with two coops and two runs, plus two double tier rabbit hutches housing my 17 quail, the garden is becoming a B&B for poultry.

My best option is to build a Heath Robinson approach run to extend the broody coop for the ducklings and treacle.  At only 2 days old it is not critical now, but I've no doubt they will grow fast and need more space soon.  

As always, I am trying to guess the sex of the ducklings already.  Having done some research it appears it may be possible with 90% accuracy, to predict the sex at only a few days old.  The colour of the bill on the ducklings is the key area.  The females have a pink coloured bill with a dark spot at the tip, with the males having a dark grey bill all over.

90% accuracy is not bad, but it's not guaranteed so I will be interested to see results.  Using this technique I should end up with two ducks and three drakes.  I bet the one that did not hatch was a duck, but that's life isn't it.

That is the end of hatching for me during 2013.  I will be posting photos of the ducklings as they grow.  My project over the autumn and winter is to find and rent some land locally. That way my wife can have her garden back "almost" animal free.

Thanks for reading.