HEL'S DUCK NUGGETS

First Flock

March 2015 - June 2016

 

Acquired from a local farmer when I decided I wanted ducks.  Duck, Duck and Forrest were sadly taken by predators.  I learned that my predator security needed to be improved.  These were mallard colored Indian Runner Ducks.  Two laying females and a corresponding male.  

 

Parent Flock

8-29-2016 - 8-01-2020

 

I mail ordered these gals online as sexed day-old ducklings.  They are much friendlier than the farm ducks from the previous flock as I handled them daily as ducklings.  After loosing Duck Duck and Forrest, I was especially careful to protect them from the wildlife.  They are laying us a regular supply of eggs.  Yep, we named those too... Blackie, Blue, Coco and Caramel.  Blackie was the last one to leave.  She retired to a great home with a few girls and only one boy.  She is also being spoilt by her new owner. 

 

Forrest, II

January 2017 - 11-30-2019

 

When the Parent Flock started laying eggs on EggNogguration day, I quickly sought out the local farmer where I acquired the first flock to get a male.  He had a surplus of 7 males from which to chose.  I chose Forrest because I wanted another Mallard plumed drake.  He is sweet to his girls and keeps watch while they enjoy a swim, a nap or browsing for goodies.  He retired to a harem consisting of 10 girls and is not their only drake.  He is probably very happy where he is.  He has many more years of quality life left in him.  

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First Run

5-12-2017 to 7-16-2017

 

My family understands my duck obsession and gave me a small incubator for my birthday.  We promptly put 8 eggs in and started the timer.  We successfully hatched 4 ducklings.  Out of the 8 eggs, 6 were fertile and 2 were duds.  We concluded that Forrest, II was a keeper.  Out of the 4 ducklings, 2 were males and two were females.  They were re-homed to go "swim around on a giant pond and sleep in a giant aviary at night."  Their names?  Duckulous Prime, Baby Blue, Road Runner, & Blondie.

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Second (Nathan's) Run

6-19-2017 - present

 

The neighborhood 8 year old that has been coming around to hang out with the ducks and learning how to care for them decided he wanted his own flock.  We started another incubation with "as many as possible" -  which I limited to 11!  6 eggs hatched (3 males and 3 females).  When it came time for him to take them home, mom and dad changed their mind.  We decided to raise them to adulthood to see the males final colors. We named them Ski-Doo, Yvette, Elana, Elan, Colleen and Six of Eleven.  Elena is currently our oldest gal and still a charm to have around.  

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Third (Mom's) Run

11-8-2017 to 3-27-2018

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My mom turned 60 the day I put these in the incubator.  She's not actually getting ducks though!  This flock is in her honor and in honor of all the parents of young future farmers. Due to the small amount of eggs put in the incubator, Nugget was a singleton.  Lesson learned, don't hatch so late in the season...  The ducklings end up in the house for far too long!!  This is the progeny of The Parent Flock and The Drakes.

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The Swedes

11-20-17 to 3-18-18

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Nugget, from mom's run, was lonely by hisself, so we special ordered two sexed blue Swedish little gals as it's adoptive sisters.  Indian Runners were not available.  These ducklings are quick, smart and inquisitive.  We affectionately named them Poop and Dung.  The females of this breed get to be bigger than the drake runners by a pound and a half.  They were both rehomed separately to join a more appropriately sized flock.

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Forth (Easter 2018) Run

3-26-2018 to current

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We had eggs in the incubator when we found our biodiversity ducklings.  5 hatched.  We re-homed 3 along with 2 from the import flock. The remaining two are 1 drake and 1 girl.  We named them Coco 2 (chocolate) and Big Bird (fawn&white/grey).  Big Bird was completely yellow and bigger than the import ducklings when they were put together in the same brooder despite being 10 days younger.  Coco is part of the layer flock in 2021 and is teaching the youngsters the ropes.  She sometimes leads the others into mischief, but we like her anyways.

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Biodiversity Import

Hatched 3-16-18, Imported 3-26-18 to 10-5-2019

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We brought in 7 ducklings from a local farmer raising for breeder stock.  We re-homed two before we knew what gender they would be and the remaining 5 turned out to be 3 drakes and 2 girls.  We will be keeping the girls and one of the boys.  We named them Flo, Sweet Pea, James Pond, Duck Norris and Bubba Duck.  These are penciled and emory penciled. *pictured with Coco 2 and Big Bird.  Bubba Duck stayed on as a breeder drake until  May 2018 when he moved to DFW to be a solo drake's new best buddy on 13 acres.

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Fifth (Cinco de Mayo 2018) Run

Hatched 4-28-18

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The import ducklings were accompanied by some hatching eggs.​  They sat on the counter for 2 weeks before the incubator was available.  We did our first run turning the eggs manually for the first 10 days and only keeping the viable eggs in for the automatic turner to take us thru completion of hatch.  7 ducklings were born and promptly picked up by their new owner who had reserved them early in the process.  

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Sixth Run

Hatched 9-30-18 and 10-3-18

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Having fertility eggs in the incubator, with a new configuration of laying ducks, I just couldn't resist letting a small batch go thru completion.  We got two viable, charming and cute little ducklings that we named Jenny and Gump . We were blessed with two girls !  Jenny is still part of our current flock and is voracious when given hand fed peas as treats, like her hatch-mate Mrs. Gump.  In 2021, Jenny is in the Breeder flock and Gump went to be a pet friend to a lonely pet duck.  I'm sure they get to go eat treats in the house on occasion. 

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Seventh (Cinco De Mayo 2019) Run

4-28-2019 to 10-5-2019

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Started with 20 eggs.  Turned manually until the end.  17 were developing and alive at Lockdown.  12 hatched and the 5 others had not pipped when we cracked open the incubator.  12 is plenty more than what we need.  We picked out 3 to keep, and have re-homed the rest.  Affectionately named Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner...  just in case they get conditioned for freezer camp... We are open to rehoming or trading for biodiversity.  Must be true Indian Runner and of mallard/gray colors.  Breakfast is now Raymond, Lunch is Junior aka Forest Von Drake the third and Dinner was renamed Jumbo Shrimp.  All boys.  All re-homed.

 

Eight (Competition 2019) Run

8-14-2019 to current

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When Yvette went broody, we put some eggs in the incubator for a friendly competition.  We fortified the area where the broody hen settled and got the incubator fired up.  Set, hit play and forget about it.  Our 10 eggs still hatched 3.  Lieutenant Dan and Merry Quacksinbush as well as Arnold Shagsinwater. Momma duck's first attempt at hatching her own was unsuccessful and she wanted nothing to do with the 2 day old fluff balls that came from the incubator.  We made Lieutenant Dan our new Papa Drake.  Forest, II moved on to another Texas farm to have a new set of girls.

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Ninth (Fertility Check) Run

Hatched 4-27-2020

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Having fertility eggs in the incubator, with a new Papa Drake, I just couldn't resist letting a small batch go thru completion.  We had 6 hatch out of the 10 eggs set.  We promptly sold our little clutch to a local small feed store.  I had promised my partner no ducklings before our vacation so our "pet sitter" wouldn't have more to do.  Our vacation was a success and the ducks survived the temporary care takers.

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Tenth (D-Day) Run

Hatched 6-1-2020

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Another fertility check with 10 eggs that I let go thru completion, only 5 hatched this time.  Also promptly sold the clutch to the local feed store.  These were split into two groups, a set of 2 was adopted and then a set of 3 to another home. Now that I'm finding homes for them, I should make more and get a bigger incubator.

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Eleventh (St. Jean) Run

6-14-2020 to 7-15-2020

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I borrowed a Styrofoam still air incubator from family.  Set 42 eggs (maximum capacity).  I've borrowed this same incubator before I acquired one of my own early on, and was not successful at all after 3 tries.  I thought now, after 10 runs with my small incubator, that I learned something and would get quite a few ducklings.  Disappointingly, one was it. We called him Ducken MacCloud.  He spent a week with a mirror and a stuffed animal before we found him a duck friend.

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Import Friend

Hatched ~6-19-2020 to 7-15-2020

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As Ducken MacCloud was lonely.  I searched high and low for a bird his age to brood with it.  I was open to a chicken or a guinea if I couldn't find a duck. Another local breeder had just hatched a singleton also.  It is a east indies crossed with a call duck.  The breeder brought it to us while passing thru town. We called it Canard MacCloud. Since it will have the ability to fly once grown, I knew I would prefer to find him a new home.  The MacCloud clan left the premises right at 1 month old. 

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Twelfth (2020 Stagger Group A) Run

Hatched 7-12-2020

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Got a new incubator.  56 egg capacity.  Currently loading it up with seven eggs weekly and experimenting with improving hatch rates.  Eliminated two that didn't make it to lock down but then the hatcher went on the fritz but we managed to still get three hatchlings. They were promptly adopted by the feed store, who hoping for more.  Got a new hatcher... 

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Thirteenth (2020 Stagger Group B) Run

7-19-2020

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All seven eggs set on 6-22-2020 made it to lockdown this time.  I didn't have the humidity high up enough and didn't get a great result.  Only 2 hatched.  

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Fourteenth (2020 Stagger Group C) Run

7-26-2020

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Egg 420, 421 and 422 hatched. This trio made a very nice lady smile. They were integrated into a little flock of 6 other ducklings of the same breed but a bit younger.  They are going to love teaching their protogés the bad words and what to watch for in their humans' expectations.  A small group representing many color combinations.

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Fifteenth (2020 Stagger Group D) Run

8-1-2020

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Six made it to lockdown and 5 hatched.  These little peepers didn't have the challenge of failing incubators or fritzy hatchers, although some electrical issues did occur, but were caught early.  This is what we would love to get every hatch.  3 out of the 5 have already found a new home.  We're ended up keeping the other two as our flock addition from own hatches this year. They end up being a female and a male.  Minnie and Moocher.  Minnie is part of the Breeder flock now and Moocher went to Freezer Camp.

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Sixteenth (2020 Stagger Group E) Run

8-10-2020

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Patiently waiting for the 6 eggs that got transferred to the hatcher this week.  We'll know more soon. 3 hatched of the 5.  Jackie (a penciled) and Donna (a gray) are part of the Breeder flock in 2021.  There was a third one (emery penciled) that didn't make it thru the brooding process as it drowned in the waterbowl that upgraded too quickly by me, their care taker. 

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Import

8-19-2020, Imported 8-21-2020

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Mail ordered 11 sexed female mixed color Indian runner ducklings from a hatchery for delivery between 8-18 and 8-20 from California to Texas.  I really hope the heat of summer doesn't damage the birds in transit.  We are preparing for these gals to brood and paddock.  Haven't mail ordered live ducklings since 8-2016.  A bit worried about my live birds and hoping for as good of a receiving experience as I had back then.  They are the Storm Poopers, Princess LeiAnEgg and Darth Feather.  

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Seventeenth (2020 Stagger Group F) Run

8-23-2020

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Eighteenth (2020 Stagger Group G) Run

9-4-2020

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2021 Stagger Group A) Run

~x-x-2021

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Fertility Runs

No hatchlings

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In order to check fertility of the flock and, therefore, our hatching eggs, we regularly put 7 eggs in the incubator We candle on day 7 and 10 then the eggs go to completion for the local feed store.  We do this throughout the year to make sure our boys are doing their jobs.  The eggs may be destroyed if demand wanes.

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If someone reserves a run prior to day 7, we will continue thru completion (pick up TBD approximately 36 days after eggs go in the bator).  If not, we will do another fertility incubation and build some statistics.  We plan on doing a Cinco de Mayo run every year.  Easter is just too early.  

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Check out our Fertility page for statistics or Availability page on how to reserve a run.