Ducks

I spend too much time on Facebook. 

  I belong to a lot of community boards.  2:30 one afternoon I saw a posting of someone getting ready to leave town and wanting to get rid of ducks.  I didn’t see an amount and said I would take them if they were free.  Not expecting to get any but it doesn't hurt to ask.  At 3: I got a response saying they were free AND they would bring them to me.  YAY So I started figuring out a place to put them to have them get used to the dogs and us before we let them into the pond but I didn’t put too much effort into it because I was ½ sure it wasn’t going to happen. 

Ducks and sheep meeting for first time.

  The 9 Dutch Harliquine Ducks arrived at 4: and after we put the ducks in the ½ of the sheep pen we don’t normally use I showed the ladies who were giving them to us the pond.  I think that convinced them they were giving the ducks to a happy home.  Right away Oakley got protective of the ducks and when one of the ladies went to go into the duck pen Oakley gave her a low growl. 

The man we bought our pigs from saw the postings on Facebook about the ducks and asked me if we wanted more.  I know nothing about ducks and asked if they would fight or if the two groups would get along.  He thought they would get along as soon as a pecking order was established.  So he brought his 9 mixed breeds of ducks over 2 days after we got the first batch. 

Wild ducks checking out the new ducks.

Every year in the fall 3 to 10 wild ducks spend winter in the pond.  I guess they fly this far south and decide why go further. 

Happy wild ducks.

The wild ducks arrived the same day as our second set of 9.  We went from no ducks to 21 or more in 2 days. 

We kept the ducks in the enclosure for 10 days.  When I decided to let them into the pond they were not happy to leave the encloseure and kept running back to it.  Finally I decided to pick one up and put her into the pond and see if the rest would follow. 

Nothing happens without the sheep helping.  They did chase a few ducks out of their pen for me.

The first duck that I dropped into the pond at first acted shocked and started swimming for the bank but then realized how wonderful swimming was and started splashing in the water. 

  I did 4 more and the response was always the same with each one, a shocked get me out of here followed by woo hoo how fun! 

The ducks left behind were quacking like crazy but the ducks in the pond were too happy to quack they just swam and explored the water.

                                      

They almost are over the edge.  

From here they can see the pond!  PLEASE go in!

Please water is just 5 steps away!  

 See your friends having fun!

 

  I tried herding the rest into the pond but they kept looping back to the pen so I went back to picking up each one and dropping it into the water.  I did 9 more when Wonderful Teen Son came home and helped with the rest.