Recent content by N&L Smith

And what age did you get the ducks in at and where did you source them from?

Ok so where in the shed did you have the nests and did you use straw in them?

Ok so did you wash the eggs before you sold them?

We have to salmonella swab our poultry shed every 12 weeks I suppose we'd be able to do the same with the ducks?

Yeah I think so I've heard you want slatted floor with straw beds in the corners to lay in? I've heard they don't lay in nest boxes.

Currently considering going into organic ducks for egg production we Currently have 18000 organic hen layers some of which we market ourselves. Considering adding ducks into the mix thinking between 100-300 for a start to see how we go. Any experience and advice in duck eggs would be...

Also feel free to pm me if there's anything you want to know.

No problem. We never have been in the past but we are starting a new contract next flock and the packer said he would try and move egg price as the feed price moves but that Is just verbal nothing official.

We have 18000 organic birds in flocks of 3000 we converted our last free range shed last year we are with OFF who are very good to work with. Biggest draw back for me is the price of feed atm I'm pricing round and £470-£500 seems to be the average. Also worming is difficult as if you worm them...

No we are with of&f don't you need to leave big gaps between flocks with soil association? We are in Dumfriesshire with heavy clay land.

Off the top of my head our tank was 1000 litres And we put 8 25kg bags into that I'm not sure if thats what they recommend or not but it seems to work fine for us at that.

It has been but I think it can still be used as a litter conditioner.

We have used hemexan every turnaround for the last 10 years or so never had any major problems with red mite since. We used an old milk tank to mix it then just a submersible pump to spray it on. If we get mite later in the flok I put a bag of it in the litter and the birds dust bath in it then...

We have 18000 free range organic birds in sheds of 3000 all on flat deck systems we've never had multitear so can't compare much but the flat deck works well for us. Only difference is you have a lot more muck to take out at turnaround. If it was me I'd be inclined to look for a 2nd hand flat deck.