Raising Ducks for Meat and Eggs And Choosing Breeds

Raising Ducks

Ducks are a unique animal to raise as a pet.Domestic ducks not only produce a large number of good-sized, rich eggs, but they also make good table birds. If you like chicken eggs, you will really love duck eggs. They are even richer and contain more protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and pretty much every major mineral than chicken eggs.

They are increasingly popular with self-supporters, and they can also help you rid your land of slugs and snails as they forage.They also don't take up much space. 

You'll need a secure shelter in which to house them and protect them from wildlife (and neighborhood dogs), but just three to four square feet per hen is enough.Make sure you raise your ducks from ducklings, or better yet from eggs, to ensure they will respond well to human contact.

Following here are the the lists of best duck breeds for eggs and best duck breeds for meat. 

Best Duck Breeds for Eggs:

1.The Khaki Cambell Duck Breed

2.The Runner Duck Breed

3.Indian Runner duck

Best Duck Breeds for Meat:

1.The Rouen Duck Breed

2.The Pekin Duck Breed

3.Muscovy Duck

4.Aylesbury duck

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Chukar Bird

The Chukar Partridge or Chukar is a Eurasian upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae.Adult Chukars have a roundish body and are approximately 12 – 15 inches in length. The Chukar's throat and neck are white. The top of its head, breast and back are gray or chestnut colored. This species breeds mainly in sagebrush-grassland on hill slopes. Nest on the ground, usually under the shelter of a rock or shrub, or against a grass-tuft in more open sites.Chukar Breeding season Begins from March to early June.

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Grey Partridge Bird Diet And Habitat

The Grey Partridge also known as the English Partridge. After the last Ice Age, the grey partridge arrived naturally in Britain. Breeds on grassland, and the borders of scrub and cultivation.Nest on the ground in tall grasses or growing crops or in the base of hedgerows or shrubs, or young trees: very rarely above ground in stacks.

Grey Partridge diet: Plant material, insects, green leaves of grasses, grain and weed seeds, cereals and clover.

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Raising Guinea Fowl

Guinea Fowl have been companions to human beings since the ancient Greeks, yet they can never be called more than "semi-domesticated." Guinea fowl will be less dependent on you for care than perhaps any other type of animal you raise.Guineas are the farm yard watch dog, sounding the alarm whenever anything unusual occurs.They will consume large amounts of insects and seldom bother your garden or flowers.They are easy and inexpensive to raise.They are an ideal bird for any farm.

Guinea fowl food :

Small snakes and small mammals, fruits, seeds, greens, snails, spiders, worms and insects, frogs, lizards.

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Top 4 Best Chicken Breeds For Eggs

Best Egg Laying Chicken Breeds

If you want to raise chickens for obtaining eggs then the first thing that comes to your mind is that which breed you should raise.Every breed has some positive as well as negative aspects.Following  are the best chicken breeds for eggs.

1.White Leghorn

Leghorns are good layers of white eggs, laying an average of 280 per year and sometimes reaching 300–320.They produce more eggs on less feed than most chickens and they rarely go broody.

2.Rhode Island Red

Rhode Island Reds are a good choice for the small flock owner.They lay medium size brown eggs with an above average laying rate. Being both cold and heat hardy, Rhode Island Reds are good for any climate.They're a hardy, long-lived, dual-purpose breed, suitable to raise for eggs or meat. Because of their hardiness, these chickens can survive on lesser quality feed than other breeds.

3.Minorcas

The Minorca is a breed of chicken originating in Spain. They have long tai Is, large wide feathers closely held to narrow bodies. Minorcas have relatively large combs and wattles.Minorca Chickens are a rather ornamental bird, but is also a good layer of large eggs. They do welleven in the hottest of temperatures.

4.Ancona

Ancona is one of the best chicken breeds for eggs.The Ancona is a breed of chicken which originated in the Marche region of Italy.Capable of reliably laying 250 – 300 eggs a year, this breed lays a large, white egg. Laying begins at the age of about 5 months and continues throughout the year. Ancona chickens are also a hardy breed, capable of adapting to hot and cold temperature extremes, as well as tolerant of some humidity.

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Bird's Beak Trimming Behavior Guide

Beak Trimming 

Bird's beak is a very sensitive tool and very important for the bird's survival and used for eating, grooming, nest building, climbing, feeding the young, defense and communication.Beak made of the tissues that grows continuously therefore proper trimming is essential.Abnormal size of the beak causes difficulties for the birds like in eating, grooming etc.

Wild birds may trim their beak by rubbing it with rocks or something like that but pet birds have nothing unless we provide them.So its our responsibility to furnish the cage of birds with her needs.

Following facilities must be provided to bird  for her beak trimming.

Tree branches, nuts, pieces of wood etc.

Cuttlebones and mineral blocks are best one.

However if your bird couldn't trim her beak on its own then you should give her a little help.But always remember that trimming of beak must be done by some experienced person because inaccuracy may cause bleeding.  

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Bird's Feather Preening Behavior And Tips

Feather Preening

The most delightful style to watch in birds is preening.They spend most of their time doing this. Birds can do preening on their own with the help of feet and beak.Preening helps to remove moisture from the feathers and to remove sheaths through which the feather emerge.

Sometimes due to neck and back injury or in some cases hand raised birds can't do preening and due to this their feathers get dirty. Then you should contact a pet specialist. Mutual preening is also common in the cage mates.

Feathers are important to bird because they let him fly, keep warm and protect her skin.You should help bird to encourage preening by a regular bath and keep the cage clean and wider.So that bird find enough space and his feathers didn't get damage by rubbing with the walls of the cage.

Never let the bird's skin to exposure with some oily material because due to this his feathers will get sticky and body temperature of birds will fall.

Maintain about 80-85 degree Fahrenheit temperature for birds.

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Bird Bathing Information And Bathing Guide

Bird Bathing

Appropriate bathing at least once in a week is necessary for the bird's proper grooming and feather preening.Birds living in the wild takes this opportunity from their natural habitat.But for the pet birds you should take a little care in this regard. It does not require so much effort from you, all that bird require is the opportunity and he will take that over there.Bathing helps to avoid the accumulation of dust and dander in bird's feathers specially if the bird is Grey parrot, Cockatoo or Cockatiel.

Any kind of detergent or shampoo should not be used because it will remove the oil from the skin that bird had made during preening.Birds may like to splash in shallow plate of water, some birds may like shower or small birds like to nest down on wet grass or greenery.Just make experiments on the birds that whatever they prefer.

1. Provide a source of warm water to the bird in a shallow tub where it can take bath on its own.
2. If bird is reluctant to the bath than mist him with warm water and a spray bottle.
3. Always bath birds at morning so that they should have a penalty of time in the day to dry them. 

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New Castle Disease Common Causes, Spread, Disease Symptoms And Treatment

New Castle Disease

New Castle Disease or RD(Ranikhet Disease) is a transmittable disease in birds which is common in many domestic and wild species of the birds.It can also affect human beings.It is most severe and fast spreading disease that can be seen from 6th to 7th day onward up to 72 weeks. It may appear anytime in the year but more commonly in summer.

Causes: 

 It spreads due to a virus called paramyxovirus. These viruses have a different types, some are more harmful and causes severe attack on the birds while some are mildly harmful.

Spreading:

This virus spreads through air, infections is mainly through inhalation or ingestion and may spread by contaminated food and water supply.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of this disease depends upon the power of attacking virus.

Mildly harmful virus:

 Not causes any disease but may be little respiratory discomfort.

Moderately Harmful Viruses:

These viruses cause an intense respiratory disease and its symptoms.But loss of life is lower in the case of such virus.

Strongly harmful viruses:

In this case sudden death of the birds may take place. Following are the symptoms..

Depression, weakness, green diarrhea,lying down, face swelling, and nervous signs may appear which than ends in death.

Also twisting of neck, curved shape of the body and paralysis of the legs may occur.

In the kids mortality is 100%. While in the layers earlier the eggs will be soft-shelled and later stoppage of the egg laying. 

Treatment:

Their is no treatment once the infection occurred.     

Precautionary Measures:

Initial vaccination with inactivated vaccine is the only way to protect the birds from New Castle Disease.

Although New Castle Disease can not be protected only with vaccination in case of field conditions.It must therefore be assisted by good hygiene, good care, and good bio security practices.

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How To Make Hen Nesting Boxes

Hen Nesting Boxes

This is something like a wooden box, about 10 inches square, with a top and sides, but open at 1 side for the hen to enter. A slit in the top of Nesting Box helps ventilate the nest. An inclined top prevents roosting on the nesting box with its attendant manure collection. Cover half the open side with wood, or cover all the open side with a curtain of cloth that's slit to let a chicken hop through. 

It should be relatively dim inside. Hens like dark, comfy, private places to do their thing in. An instant nesting place can be made by leaning a sheet of plywood, or anything similar, against
the chicken-house wall. They'll lay between the sheet and the wall. Put hay, chopped straw, wood shavings, or some such, in the nesting place for the hen to nestle down in. Change the nest litter occasionally, when hen nesting boxes gets dirty. Nail a nesting box, 2 feet high or so, up on your chicken-house wall. You can put them in a row. Supply 1 hen nesting box for each 4 layers more or less.

 Pullets, just laying their first eggs, are liable to drop them anywhere, and that can't be helped. Some hens may be tempted to make a nest in a corner of your hen house on the floor. That is a problem because it may result in the development of egg-eating by hens. Stop it by picking up the eggs and clearing away the "nest." 

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Lovebird's Food And Feeding Guide A List of Their Favorite Foods

Love Birds Food

Lovebirds do not travel long, so their habitat must provide them with sufficient and balanced supply of food throughout the year. Lovebirds eat vegetables, fruits, seeds, grasses and even flowers and leaf buds depending upon seasonal availability. Some Lovebird species like black-collared lovebird mainly feed on figs found on treetops. The bill and foot combination allows lovebirds to hold food in its foot and using its bill breaks up the morsel.Lovebird also use its feet to transfer food to its bill.Using their strong tongue they remove seeds from husks.

List of Fruits Vegetables and Seeds For Lovebirds

Seeds For Love Birds:

Sun flower seeds

Mustard seeds

Millet seeds 

Hulled yellow millet seeds

Safe Fruits For Lovebirds:
Strawberries (these can be messy!)
Apples
Oranges
Blueberries
Peaches
Dried cranberries
Dried bananas
Apricots
Pears
Nectarines

Safe Vegetables For Lovebirds:
Carrots
Broccoli
Corn on the cob (another messy treat)
Collard greens
Mustard greens
Dandelion greens
Kale
Spinach
Bell peppers (green, red, orange, and yellow)
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Sweet Potatoes
Green beans

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Backyard Poultry Farming Guide

                                          Raising Chickens

Easy and inexpensive while having a lot of advantages than other birds.Chicken raising is also a fun and amusement and chickens are friendly to human.

Eggs and meat are the basic products obtained from chickens.The chickens raised for the eggs are called Layers while the chickens raised for the meat are called broilers.The importance of chickens can be judged from a survey which says that UK alone consumes 29 million eggs per day.

Broilers:

These are your basic meat birds. The ideal broiler is now expected to gain 4 lb. in 8 weeks and then go into the deep freeze. It used to be that meat birds were either extra roosters or culled hens. Then came a period when caponized cockerels were the popular meat birds. Now extra male chicks of egg-specialist breeds are frequently developed in England. 

Layers: 
These are the chickens that only raised for the sake of eggs production.These chickens are raised both at the commercial level and also at the domestic level.

An average hen will lay 220 eggs per year. A typical family needs 2 laying hens per family member to supply them with plentiful eggs. So you'll order 25-50 chicks of a breed that lays well and has good food-egg production conversion efficiency.

How to raise chickens in the backyard of your home:

You may raise them in the backyard of your house.First of all you have to buy chicks from the nearer store or you have to hatch chicks from the eggs which may also be done by the help of the incubator.When the little chicks are hatched from the eggs than you have to take a little care of it.Provide a little warmed environment that may be done by the brooder house which consists of a lamp inside it.Somewhere between 10 and 12 weeks after hatching, you can put them out with your other chickens, depending on their size, the weather, and how well insulated or warmed your chicken house is.

Feeding:

Balanced diet is required for the proper raising of chickens. If you allow your chickens to move freely in the greenery of your backyard they will eat a lot there because they also eat grass and a lot more that we cannot even see with the naked eye.But you also provide them required nutrients like pellets etc for their proper raising.Also some of the foods that are found in yards are toxic to chickens.Their names are given below. 

Milkweed,Clover,Tulips,Daffodil,Wild Onion, Buttercup,Alfalfa,Lamb's Quarters and Philodendron.

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Fischer's Lovebird

Fischer's Lovebird

All the lovebird family originated In Africa and one species of lovebird from Madagascar. These popular little love birds are widespread in aviaries around the world.Fischer's lovebird build a nest from grass or leaves filling a hollow, in fact literally stuffing it with material to nest in. They lay between 3-5 eggs that take 23 days to hatch and the young leave the nest in about 5-6 weeks. There are many cross bred varieties of the bird and its colours.

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Lovebird Habitat

Lovebird Habitat

Lovebirds are found in tropical and sub tropical forests of Africa, from Guinea east to Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, and in parts of Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Angola and Namibia whereas Grey-headed Lovebird is native to Madagascar.Although each species of lovebirds favours different envronmental conditions but two or more species can be found in same region.

Lovebirds

Red-faced lovebird, mostly lives in rainforests and wooded plains.Some species of lovebird prefer lowland forests but Black-winged lovebirds lives in highland juniper forests of ethopia.While on the other hand peach-faced lovebirds favours arid and rocky conditions of southwestren africa.Nyasa and black-cheeked lovebirds are specialized; both are restricted to open stands of the low-growing mopane tree.

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Lovebird Facts And Habitat

Lovebird Facts

Length:                          5 - 6.5" 
Weight:                          1 - 2 oz.
Wingspan:                      9 - 12"   
Sexual Maturity:            1 year 
Number of eggs:             3 - 8 usally 3 or 4
Incubation period:          22 - 23 days
Fledging Period:             38 - 50 days; 43 - 44 days in most species
Breeding Interval:          1 year
Typical Diet:                  Fruits, vegetables, seeds, flowers, leaf                                                                   buds, grasses and some insects
Lovebird Lifespan:                        10 - 15 years

Small social and affectionate parrots blonging to genus Agapornis.Few species of Lovebirds are kept as pets.Lovebird Pairs spend long time with each other pecking and nibbling each others feathers, strenthening their bond pair.Lovebird Found in the forests of Africa whereas one species the Grey-headed Lovebird is native to Madagascar.Lovebirds mostly live in flocks eating vegetables, fruits, seeds and grasses.Lovebirds average lifespan is between 10 - 15 years.

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Vegetables And Fruits For Cockatiels

Fresh Food List For Cockatiels

Fruits For Cockatiels        Vegetables For Cockatiels         
Kiwifruit                              Carrots                              

Pears                                 Sweet Potatoes

Berries                               Broccoli

Bananas                             Legumes 

Peaches                             Brussels Sprouts

Apples                                Beets

Pomegranate                      Cauliflower

Grapes                                Frozen Mixed Vegetables

                                           Kale
                                                
                                           Zucchini (and other squash)

                                           Asparagus

                                           Bean or Alfalfa Sprouts

                                           Spinach

                                           Bell Peppers

Foods You Should NEVER Feed your cockatiel

Rhubarb
Candy
Sugary Foods
Salty Foods
Soda
Pits/Seeds/Roots of Fruits/Veggies
Caffeine
Greasy Foods
Alcohol
High Fat Content Foods
Avocado
Chocolate

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Cockatiel Bird Facts

Cockatiel Facts

LENGTH:                                  10–13"

WINGSPAN:                             20"

SEXUAL MATURITY:             2–3 years
WEIGHT:                                  2.8–3.5 oz.
NUMBER OF EGGS:               4–7
INCUBATION PERIOD:         17–23 days
BREEDING INTERVAL:        Up to 2 clutches per year
TYPICAL DIET:                      Seeds, fruits and berries
LIFESPAN:                 15–20 years; up to 38 in captivity

The Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), also known as the Quarrion and the Weiro, Cockatiel is a member of the cockatoo family endemic to Australia.The cockatiel is the smallest cockatoo, weighing only 3.5 oz.They are prized as a household pet and companion parrot throughout the world and are relatively easy to breed. As a caged bird, cockatiels are second in popularity only to the Budgerigar.

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Mallard duck male vs. female

Mallard ducks male female difference 

Mallard duck male vs. female

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Mallard Duck Breeding Season

Mallard Breeding season: 
Usually March onwards, but feral populations breed at various times through year from February to late autumn. Probably single-brooded normally, but feral birds may have second brood.

Mallard Eggs: 
Normally 10-12, occasionally 7-16. Elliptical to subelliptical, fairly short. Smooth, waxy rather than glossy. Usually very pale green or blue-green, sometimes creamy with green tinge. buffish- green, or almost blue. (Eggs of Mallard. American Black Duck, Mottled Duck, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, and even Redhead can be very similar.) 58 x 41 mm.

Mallard Duck Incubation: 
By female alone: beginning with completion of clutch. 26-29 days.

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Mallard Duck Information

Mallard Duck: Breeds near any type of fresh water, in a variety of habitats, though may be far from water.Mallard Nest usually in cover on the ground, among tall vegetation, grasses, bushes, etc., and on small islands: or in raised sites in tree crotches or holes, in old nests of large birds, on buildings and ruins.

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