What we hatch · 03
Muscovies for pest control and quiet company, Call ducks for charm. Both are hardy, both are excellent mothers, and both will change how you feel about your yard's fly population.
Hatching now
Hatching now35-day incubation
Quiet, hardy foragers that are excellent mothers and superb at pest control — a Muscovy hen will clear a yard of flies and ticks. They come in white, black-pied, and chocolate: big, calm, and low-maintenance.
Hatching now28-day incubation
Tiny, charming bantam ducks known for their round heads and outsized personalities. Popular as ornamental pets and as broody setters that will happily hatch someone else's eggs.
For current availability — call or text Michael at 423-540-6566, email amrabbitstn@gmail.com, or send a message.
Before you take them home
Three things that catch people out in the first fortnight. The brooding guide covers the rest.
Ducklings burn through niacin far faster than chicks and go weak-legged without it. A tablespoon of brewer's yeast per cup of feed fixes it. Never give them medicated chick starter — they eat more than chicks and can overdose on the coccidiostat.
Ducklings will swim before they can regulate their own temperature, and a chilled duckling goes downhill fast. Shallow water, supervised, short sessions, then straight back under the lamp until they're feathered.
A duckling will empty a waterer into its bedding as a hobby. Plan on deeper shavings, a waterer set on hardware cloth over a tray, and a brooder that's easy to strip out.
Muscovy hatches take 35 days, so reserving early is the difference between this batch and next month's.