THE DUCKS
The ducks are responding really well to their permanent quarters. Living in close proximity to the other birds and pigs has made all the difference. Not to mention me dragging my hoses through here twice a day.They have three sources of water in here. My theory is that they will stay close to water and so far it is working.
Though they do have to share the watery wallows with pigs!
Their swimming pool is fenced off in such a way that they can get in and out but bad Tima cannot.
Their little pool is where the real action is!
A couple of times a day Boo and I practice herding them to their house. Their swimming pool is right next to their house so they are always happy to go there. Boo is being very good. He is told to sit and stay in exactly the position that will deflect them through their gate. He is certainly not allowed to actively herd BIRDS! But he sits obediently and looks intense.
There is no more hysteria and I am feeling much more positive about ducks now.
My internet took so long to load these photos that now I am out of time to chat. I will be back at second breakfast!
Tomorrow morning early we take Aunty Del and Tia across to the bull. They will stay there a few weeks and hopefully breed.
I hope you have a lovely day.
WEATHER: Perfect day to cut the hay!
Saturday 0% Precip. / 0 in
Sunny. High near 80F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night 10% Precip. / 0 in
A clear sky. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable
38 Comments on “THE DUCKS”
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thekitchensgarden 
Is that svelte piggy drinking in the wallow young Tane? If so, he’s very slender these days. He and Tima are like Jack Spratt and his Wife…
Yes that is Tane. He is getting around well at the moment
Lucky ducks! I’m glad they are settling down & in. Duck eggs ere long. Good Boo. He might get one for a special treat now & then. Maybe?
About four months ‘til eggs I think
Excellent – I imagine they needed other animal confirmation that the farmy is a good place to live!
Yes! The total laid backnesss of the corridor garden has made all the difference
They sure have grown since those bathtub days!
Amazing isn’t it!
I love the photos of happy ducks, oh and the sunflower field behind is tremendous!
The pig pastures are looking so sweet with all those sunflowers!
I just love the field of sunflowers…okay for pigs too =)
They seem to love their pool, for sure. Good luck with the hay, hope the weather holds. Laura
Same.
Really hate to ask, but can’t help wondering C… Is there any certain point where the hay is actually more valuable if used to naturally over-seed the field than it is for forage?
Good question. The short answer is no. These fields are for hay and if I stopped cutting now- there would be no more hay this season. So far I have enough in the barn to feed One cow for half a winter. We need to keep cutting to get the bales. If I left it the plants would be all thick and leggy ( they are about 3 four high already then they would fall over and they would smother each other and everything below them.
The grass on the other hand does go to seed well – but once again you lose the forage.
If the alfalfa were growing naturally in and about other species of forage they would go to seed very nicely .
As it stands – if not for hay / I would still top the fields to keep the plants healthy.
Does that make sense?
Absolutely! Good luck with it: )
As usual, beautiful pictures of the ducks and tane…I love sunflowers, as they always look so colourful. Hope you are able to cut your hay.
Yes- it is cut! Now we wait!
The pictures of the happy animals and poultry look so idyllic. No one would suspect the utter chaos that sometimes occurs. 🙂
You nailed it!
Aww the Duckies in the pool — love it !! Having a splash out!!! I think Boo ought to jump in with ’em!!! Have a good one!!
Boo would love that – not so much the ducks!
I’m so glad the ducks are settling down now. Tane is a very slim Jim!
He is looking good – even putting on a little weight I think.
It’s very funny you don’t let your dogs herd birds, though it makes a bit of sense with Boo because he is a heeler and their herding can be aggressive. But many herding dogs learn to herd ducks and herd ducks competitively!
Yes I have seen that. Also ton herds the guineas all day long. But Neither are very good herd dogs and these ducks can fly. One wrong move and I would lose the lot in the pig pastures.
My Mirrhi, who is part border collie, part cattle dog/heeler, herds the chooks quite well, she just has trouble sometimes with her mixed up brain which freaks out when they’re going where we want them to, then she races ahead and herds them back to me…….I do a lot of falling about laughing, but the chooks aren’t bothered, they’ve been used to her since she was a little pup, and she would wash their faces for them to get all the yummy bits stuck on. She’s knows her commands like ‘come around and back away, slowly, slowly and watch’….. so although the chooks don’t really need to be herded, it keeps her busy and reinforces our training. It’s good Boo is learning to sit quietly and ‘help’.
Initially, all I noticed about your Khaki Campbells were their many similarities to Mallards; but, now that they’re “growing up”, I’m starting to see the subtle differences in body type – how much stockier they are (heavier in meat and bone?) Ducks do love their water, don’t they? So joyous! Great photos: )
Very glad they’re working out!
As the others have said, PHANTASTIC PHOTOS! I can just feel the coolness of the water sprayed from the duckies’ happy splashing! Your sunflowers sure grew fast. Last shot I remember seeing, they were just getting ready to open! How big across do the flowers get?
Did already tell you about the ducks who moved into the neighbor’s swimming pool? It was at a condominium complex, and one of residences objected to chasing away a duck that spent some time there. The problem was that the duck invited a big herd of friends over from the nearby pond, and they would not leave. It was quite a mess. Even if someone there were to take some of them out, there would have been plenty more to replace them!
That’s a wonderfully huge area the ducks have now, no wonder they’re happy and relaxed…….co-existing nicely with their farm mates.
Love the ducks and love the sunflowers. You can’t help but smile. Forty-seven years ago, I was on a bus on the Autobahn and we passed a field of sunflowers with the sun setting behind. It still gives me goosebumps.
As a teacher I found looking intense sometimes worked
But, like you and Boo, I had to practice. And restrain a smile lest I give away the game.
The ducks would have enjoyed our weather today. It poured. Everything flooded. Al was as happy as a pig in a mud wallow because his whole exhibit is a mud wallow.
Is there nothing happier than a duck when you fill its pool with fresh water? Mine would motorboat around in circles as fast as they could whenever I cleaned their pool, splashing half the water out! It always made me smile.
Wow, look at all that space for the ducks ! Fantastic! I realized recently why your ducks were so spooky in the other pen. Part of my garden is enclosed by a fence and loaded with thick vegetation. The ducks were in there looking for bugs and I moved to do something and one of the girls freaked out and dashed as far away from me as she could get, really panicked. I realized they want a wide open space so they can SEE. When they are in close quarters they spook easily. Have you seen them watching the big birds flying overhead? Their instincts are so interesting and it’s amazing how good their eyesight is.
Yes! I agree completely. Now they are on the open field they are different birds. That is a bit of learning for us!