Cantaloupe - A first look.

When we were picking up the ducks' usual 18 heads of lettuce at Costco, we saw that they had a pretty good price on cantaloupe so we decided to try it out. Historically the flock don't like to eat orange things:

Carrots
Pumpkin

So I halved a cantaloupe and set it out for them. First there was some apprehension:



Then some hesitant nibbling...



We figured out that they couldn't get purchase on a half melon while being timid, so we made the half into two quarters.

With the opportunity to try the flesh while still being timid, several members of the flock decided it was good.







We left them alone to contemplate the other quarter (it is still kind of cold and windy). I think they will decide it's a hit. We will see for sure when the next half goes out...

This is so cute!!!

Tevyes Dad said:

When we were picking up the ducks' usual 18 heads of lettuce at Costco, we saw that they had a pretty good price on cantaloupe so we decided to try it out. Historically the flock don't like to eat orange things: Carrots Pumpkin So I halved a cantaloupe and set it out for them. First there was some apprehension: Then some hesitant nibbling... We figured out that they couldn't get purchase on a half melon while being timid, so we made the half into two quarters. With the opportunity to try the flesh while still being timid, several members of the flock decided it was good. We left them alone to contemplate the other quarter (it is still kind of cold and windy). I think they will decide it's a hit. We will see for sure when the next half goes out...

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Ha-ha. Awesome and cute at the same time. The apprehensive picture is my fave. Then the timid nibble with the neck outstretched as far as it could go with the duck bod far away. So funny. In love, again.

Tevye's drake feather. Black webs and orange webs. HOOPOOSE!! Does anyone else think it's all cute?

It looks like it was a hit with the ducks. Everything new is scarey at first. Tevyes a doll he is so cute he looks like a cartoon character. Thanks for sharing with us.

How cute, lol. It probably seems very sweet to them. Mine haven't cared for bright colored things. Carrots, pumpkin and tomatoes have all been ignored and stomped into the mud. EXCEPT goldfish, the only orange "food" my ducks will eat lol. Haven't tried watermelon yet tho...

PotatoWaffles said:

How cute, lol. It probably seems very sweet to them. Mine haven't cared for bright colored things. Carrots, pumpkin and tomatoes have all been ignored and stomped into the mud. EXCEPT goldfish, the only orange "food" my ducks will eat lol. Haven't tried watermelon yet tho...

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Watermelon is probably their favorite thing in the world that isn't a meal worm. They can completely clean out a half of a watermelon (The real big American style, not the little round European ones) in less than an hour - the first half is gone in 5 minutes but after that the pieces that come off are smaller. Tomatoes are a real hit too. We give them a full sized tomato (remove the leaves) and toss it in the air so it cracks a bit when it lands and that is all they need. They pick it up and run from the rest of the flock, but when they tear off a piece to eat it, the tomato falls and the next duck nabs it and runs from the flock.... repeat. It is great entertainment - watching a runner shooting across the yard, tomato in bill, with the whole flock in pursuit. They get very excited when they see tomatoes. We usually give them 2 or 3 and everyone gets at least one bite.

pattyhen said:

It looks like it was a hit with the ducks. Everything new is scarey at first. Tevyes a doll he is so cute he looks like a cartoon character. Thanks for sharing with us.

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We'll find out for sure later when it is a bit warmer. I will put the other half out. They did completely eat the first half within an hour of the picture session.

As expected, it was a success. This time the ducks were up to the challenge of getting the flesh out of a half cantaloupe because they knew what they were fighting for. The last pic in the series is about 20 minutes after the melon was put down.








@Julie Bird I know you will notice Mystique's blueberry speckled webs on the last pic