A Duck's Life

Our ducks are either incredibly smart or completely stupid.
Either way, though, all 18 continue to survive...
the best luck we have ever had with raising ducks.

Now, I would love to credit Hubbs and I, saying that it is because we
painstakingly herd them into their duck hut each night.
But that is no longer the case.
No,
the ducks are rebels.
They refuse to take shelter at night.
Add to their obstinacy the fact that the pond is too frozen for us
to attempt to "canoe herd" them into their hut.
And so they remain floating in the water all night long,
or perched, sleeping, on the ice.

The pond would be totally frozen solid, if not for Hubbs'
aerator providing surface movement;
not to mention giving the ducks their very own "spa".
Invariably, you will see at least one duck enjoying the steady
stream of bubbles in two separate locations on the pond.


Now, this is how crazy we are about our critters...

Those aerators significantly raise our electric bill each winter
with their motor humming along 24/7.  Yes, we are crazy.
But, we get a lot of enjoyment having these beautiful ducks on our pond!

Visiting the pond is part of our daily routine.
Filling up their empty feed dish with game bird pellets and two grain scratch
will assure that all will make it nicely through the winter
(as long as the predators stay away!)

The dogs' daily romping through our woods seems to
take care of that situation.
Ok, well, Oakley does the hunting...

Sam chases Oakely.

And Maddie?  Maddie only hunts butterflies.
Although she often imagines great adventures
with Oakley and Sam...
 Maddie is a BIG girl and just can't keep up.


And Sadie?  Well, Sadie has never thought of herself as a dog,
so hunting is out of the question!


But, look out predators....
here comes Hickory
(our 15 year old huntress!)


Comments

Ginny said…
They are being rebels. When I had as many as 15-18 ducks, we would have trouble getting them back into Duck Hilton from time to time. But then all of a sudden it would be be "Hey how come you are leaving us out"? We have just four now, they live the life of riley, hot & cold running water and heat set at 60 degrees, we are nuts, but we love them! Have a great day.
Carla said…
I'd be worried about predators too. If anything, the Great Horned owls.
Silly ducks, they refuse to be anyone's sheep and be herded. :)
Michelle said…
Such a blessing to be surrounded by such beautiful animals! You are good farm parents taking care of those animals.
xoxo
Patricia said…
I'm smiling at the photo of Sam and Oakley. What fun they must be to watch. Take care.
Kelly said…
As long as they stay in the water hopefully they will be safe. We work so hard trying to save their lives. The guineas are alway looking for some way to commit suicide.
Unknown said…
Ahhh...freedom...nothing like it! All kids grow up eventually, and want to get away from ma and pa!
I love the temperments of all the different dogs. What a menagerie...hope I spelled that right!
Sadie is very pretty. I have never seen one like her. We are now at 5 ducks. We have lost 2 this winter. We heard our little flock into the duck house after being out & about. I would love to let them roam but our neighbor has bird dogs who are set free each eve. They attacked & killed one duck & attacked & disabled another. They are safer in the duck house. I had one die of I guess old age. She was so tame she would sit in a lawn chair with me. Blessings!
Verde Farm said…
Bev, we have teh same trials with our ducks. We tried and tried to herd them in at night and that worked when they were young but then, out of the blue, they just dug their webbed feet in and would not come in at night. They are tough birds for that :)
Sandy said…
I love hearing about the doggies. They each have their own personality, don't they? I think Sam is in love with Oakley and I don't think he would ever want to leave the farm.