- Apr 22, 2014
- 2,666
- 1,115
- 326
I haven't been on the forum much lately because I have been very busy with my work, and so what little free time I have had I have spent with my ducks instead of chronicling their lives here. With the 4th of July holiday upon us, we went out last night (after making sure the duckies were tucked into their house.) We got home very late and slept in this morning.
We have an automatic door on the duck house that (at this time of year) opens around 5:30am, and closes around 10:00pm. Montana has fairly cool nights and their ventilation is adequate to keep the ammonia levels down and to insure a comfortable environment through the warmest nights we have (mid 60s). It is not adequate to handle direct mid-day sun in the summer, but the ducks are never in it during the day except for on the worst winter days. We have had the door for over a year and had no reason to doubt its function. But this morning, it failed to open. (It seems to be working fine now, the battery is fine, I don't know what happened.)
We woke up around 11:00 and my wife noticed that the house was still closed
. By this time it was 90+ degrees! We rushed around and got outside as quickly as possible, but we were too late for Snow
. She had died from excessive heat and dehydration.
Most of the other ducks seemed fine (I guess it affected Snow most because she is so big and is affected more by the heat.) Mystique and Noir seem a little fatigued and are probably somewhat dehydrated. We put out extra convenient watering bowls for them with some electrolytes (from when they were 'lings) in them and some watermelons for them to snack on. (Plus they can go in and out of their 12' pool whenever they want.) We are keeping a close eye on them but they seem to be coming around.
We have tried several ways to give them water in the house and have always ended up with lots of mess and probably an empty water container an hour after they go inside. They don't seem to be under any stress when they are in their house "normally" (Some come out of the house and drink right away, but only sometimes, other times they eat first or just find an nice place to sit - anyway it is not a mad dash for the water in the mornings.)
So we decided, we would leave the house as is, but revert back to how things were when we first got the door... Set an alarm for 5 minutes after the door opens so we can check and make sure it actually opened. All the time... Every time! We are responsible for our animals, not some automatic door. We are sorry we failed you Snow.
Snow was the strongest personality in the flock and certainly the smartest duck. She could be anywhere in the yard and I could ask her a question and as long as I used her name, she would honk back at me. When the treats went out, she would wait patiently for her turn for about 2 - 3 hands full then demand her due... NOW! She would watch me do every project and chore in the backyard, then inspect the results afterward and usually comment on it. She will be sorely missed by both us and the flock. She was loved dearly and will never be forgotten.
We have an automatic door on the duck house that (at this time of year) opens around 5:30am, and closes around 10:00pm. Montana has fairly cool nights and their ventilation is adequate to keep the ammonia levels down and to insure a comfortable environment through the warmest nights we have (mid 60s). It is not adequate to handle direct mid-day sun in the summer, but the ducks are never in it during the day except for on the worst winter days. We have had the door for over a year and had no reason to doubt its function. But this morning, it failed to open. (It seems to be working fine now, the battery is fine, I don't know what happened.)
We woke up around 11:00 and my wife noticed that the house was still closed
We have tried several ways to give them water in the house and have always ended up with lots of mess and probably an empty water container an hour after they go inside. They don't seem to be under any stress when they are in their house "normally" (Some come out of the house and drink right away, but only sometimes, other times they eat first or just find an nice place to sit - anyway it is not a mad dash for the water in the mornings.)
So we decided, we would leave the house as is, but revert back to how things were when we first got the door... Set an alarm for 5 minutes after the door opens so we can check and make sure it actually opened. All the time... Every time! We are responsible for our animals, not some automatic door. We are sorry we failed you Snow.
Snow was the strongest personality in the flock and certainly the smartest duck. She could be anywhere in the yard and I could ask her a question and as long as I used her name, she would honk back at me. When the treats went out, she would wait patiently for her turn for about 2 - 3 hands full then demand her due... NOW! She would watch me do every project and chore in the backyard, then inspect the results afterward and usually comment on it. She will be sorely missed by both us and the flock. She was loved dearly and will never be forgotten.
