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
Silly ducks, they refuse to be anyone's sheep and be herded. :)
xoxo
I love the temperments of all the different dogs. What a menagerie...hope I spelled that right!