Had immense temptation at TSC today..

[LittleRedHen]

3 week old White Pekin ducklings for only .50 cents each! The employee took forever to get to me and it left me a lot of time to think. At first I told myself- just 6! but by the time he got to me I changed my mind to 12. Well, then wouldn't ya know it but he tossed in 5 for free! LOL! So for $6 I came home with 17 ducklings. So much for telling my husband I had no temptation left at TSC!

The plan will be to raise them up for meat. I am going to see what the price difference will be for ducks vs cornish chicks. I have done Cornish for 8 or so years so it will be nice to try something new. I know they need to be butchered around 10 weeks because of some certain type of bristles or feathers or? whatever. I have a few slightly older ducks and I know I can recognize a male from a female quack before that 10 week mark so I will keep back the females for some eggs. who knows, maybe I will take a break from chickens for a little while. Though last time I had ducks they found the neighbors pond and he nearly shot them because they ate all of his goldfish (whoops!) but with a good pen and a pond of their own they should stay around. Eat up a few bugs and at least they won't molest my tomato garden quite as bad as chickens.



Just too bad they are sooo stinkin' stinky and messy!

[irregardless]

I thought I had a steal at $1...

Tried to tell them I'd take them all for $.75 each, but they wouldn't budge. Which turned out to be a blessing. The wife was less than excited.

[GrannyCarol]

Butcher either at 8 weeks or at 12 or more. Their their first feathers will be in completely right around 8 weeks and they ought to be a decent size by then. However, there are only a few days before they start to molt and grow in their first adult feathers, which will be complete about 12 weeks. Then they will stay for a while. When they molt, they will be covered with blood feathers (sometimes like a shield on the chest even, if you pull them there is hardly any skin left) and, if butchered at that age, you'll have to skin them. In the fall they will molt again, but you do have a window after 12 weeks when they will be pretty good. At 12 weeks of age, you will have a nice big young duck too.

[Becka]

Lucky you! Our TS was sold out of all poultry but some white leghorn chicks and they aren't getting any more once those are gone. It's just as well. My dh would just die if I brought home another critter.