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Milk Maid Ranch

Breeding mini dairy & beef cattle for homesteaders, Jumbo Pekin ducks for eggs & meat.

In 2026 Silver Appleyard ducks were added for meat, eggs & to be crossed with the Jumbo Pekin hens for larger meat birds.

08/24/2026

We had Quinn on 7/31/26, now meet Finn, 8/21/26. He was such a surprise. Winnie is his dam & had him a week early. I’m so taken by his wild red color. The Dexter (Magnum) is his sire & is Homozygous for the color.
Some background on Winnie:
She is a standard size Jersey/Holstein cross that was born on my business partners dairy a month premature. When this happens he calls me because I can put the time into feeding a premi calf every 2 hours as needed. Winnie had her challenges but fought to survive. Finn is a personality all his own & follows me all over the place. He is nursing Winnie so his natural friendliness won me over. He gets his scratches every day.

08/13/2026

Bess had Quinn July 31, 2026. Such a joy to watch a 1st calf heifer push a calf out so easily.

07/23/2026

While we waited for other eggs to hatch, Daisy is the babysitter. They are out with the older ducks during the day but in their own covered pen at night so owls can’t get them.

07/04/2026

The #8 egg hatched over night. I never get tired of watching eggs hatch. This little cutie is a Jumbo Pekin. More will be hatching today & tomorrow, all are JP.

07/01/2026

The ducks are doing fine in the summer heat. One of the reasons I chose the Jumbo Pekin & Silver Appleyard breeds of ducks is for them being heat tolerant.
Some of the herbs, from mint, chamomile, lavender & others. I wanted to start making my own teas.

06/20/2026

Elsa’s 9th calf is a bull that’s been named Tuffy. I will be milk sharing with him.

06/06/2026

****Edited: Eggs start hatching this weekend .

Now that the Cornish crossed chickens are in the freezer, it’s time to get the ducks in the works. Jumbo Pekin ducks are not known to set on their eggs like other breeds do so I have an incubator to do the job. This time I put 13 eggs in & in about 28 days they will be beeping(they actually talk before they hatch). But there is room for more eggs so there are 5 more eggs that will go in today but they are marked with letters so I know they have a day or 2 more before hatching. The 13 are marked with numbers. I would not put more eggs in after a week cause the last few days for the first ones that are put in need more humidity & the temp to be a few degrees higher.
My incubator will turn the eggs automatically for me so that cuts down on taking the lid off during gestation. These ducklings to be, are due July 3-4th. Being they are Jumbo Pekins they grow very fast & in the first week or two of September they can be processed. Ducks are all dark meat so they are moist.
As they hatch I will update.

05/26/2026

The young Silver Appleyard ducks are maturing nicely & like following me around the garden. They are managing the bugs & weeds already. The February drakes are showing some interest in the hens but the girls won’t start laying till Aug-Sept.

04/26/2026

It’s processing time. Doing 2 every morning before the heat hits. It’s Texas so we heat up faster.
This morning had a bird that was heavier than the others.
I skin my birds to have a leaner meal. Bought a Sealer & I don’t know why I’ve gone this long without one. Did 2 yesterday as well. Had 30 Cornish crosses, 26 to go.

04/23/2026

These are only 3 of the Silver Appleyard hens. There are 10 of them but most are only a month old & still fuzzy. When their feathers come in I will get pics of them. By the looks of some, they will be dark.

Address

Stephenville, TX
76401

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