Maybe you could order them online? I found them at my local farm store. They are literally just quart sized burlap bags stuffed with barley straw. You could prob order barley extract if you can't find the straw.
Oh and I can actually leave it off during the day then give everything a good stir at night and its pretty darn clean by morning. Next challenge was algae but 2 $5 pouches of barley straw took care of that.
Yes! I bought a sand swimming pool filter. The hardest part was adapting the connections to the pond but fortunately pvc parts are inexpensive. I'd do it a little different if I did it again but it saves me a ton of labor and my newest additions love playing in the rapids the filter creates!
When I bought her (about a week before pic 1), she was in with the Pekin ducklings but a bit smaller. I chose her bc I wanted a duckling about the same size as the "orphan". Turns out she was smaller not because she was younger but a different breed. But none of that matters because she is a...
Omg! My "Pekin" duckling looked so much like yours at that age and we are still trying to figure out what she really is! We got her from a farm store to be the buddy of one that lost his companion. She's getting her juvie feathers and coming in fawn and white!
Any guesses? The one that is quacking does make louder honks but mostly makes what you hear. The other is still peeping but sounds like it's hawking, honking rather, a loogy on occasion.
I use a kiddie pool. I drilled a 1.25" hole in the bottom and put a rubber tub drain plug in it. I dug a tiny drainage rut running out under the pen's fence. Every day I pull the plug, the water runs out of the pen and I refill with clean water.
I bought a low profile camp chair (so I don't have to sit in duck poo). I sit and read a book while they do duck things. My ducks come and pick on me in between their duck activities of foraging and swimming. They have also JUST started to lay near me when they need a duck nap.
Herding is the key with a yummy reward at the goal.
As far as generally being fearful, I started out making a lot of mistakes. I wanted cuddly ducks. Once I learned to stop acting like a predator (handling/chAsing/appearing out of nowhere), they really came around. Sit on the ground with them...
I have a duck that does this and then wants snuggles. I think it is an over-excitement reaction. When she was little and got scared I would hold her close and she would nestle in tight against my neck. Now she seems to do it when she wants contact. Usually after a good bout of playing and...
What do ducks love? WATER and TREATS. Try sprinkling their fave treat in their food and water at night. If I put peas in their water, I can't get out of the way fast enough.
I have two round rouens and they seem to bob their heads when they are excited in general. They do it most when they see me coming to let them out in the morning and when I get home from work. They also do it when an especially tastie treat is involved.
Finally some relief to my duck sexing wait! Noodles, who I was sure was a drake let out a blatant Honk today and several Honk wannabes throughout the afternoon. Still hoping Pek Pek is a duck as he/she is getting the same new brown feathers around the bill as Noodles. But I'd be happy with one...
I'm going to be upgrading from a kiddie pool to a larger preformed pond for my ducks. I've been looking at different pond filters but have doubts they can keep up with duck poop.
Any recommendations on filters or DIY filters that can keep a duck pond clean?