Destruction and Genesis

[Tevyes Dad]

We're hoping to come visit you around the same time next year... Hope you don't mind if I swing over to visit my sister's family and mom for 6 days or so as long as I'm there...

 

[Miss Lydia]

We're hoping to come visit you around the same time next year... Hope you don't mind if I swing over to visit my sister's family and mom for 6 days or so as long as I'm there...

Oh great news please feel free to stay over night here too. But we'll let you go and visit family while your here.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

This is a bad time for predators here! There has been a fairly heavy snow cover that hasn't gone away and temps have been going negative for quite a while. That means the rodent activity is way down so there are fewer opportunities for the predators that prey on them. I am really glad we got the secure kennel up. There was a bobcat sighted across the street (They don't normally come in this far) and our local bald eagle is looking around:





Duckies aren't going to have much freedom for a while. If we have a nice day, they may have some supervised time out, but only if we are there... and possibly armed.

 

[Amiga]

We have days - usually the high-traffic raptor migration days - when the ducks don't get their casual amble around the woods time - they go straight from the night pen to the day pen. I have received no complaints about that.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

We have days - usually the high-traffic raptor migration days - when the ducks don't get their casual amble around the woods time - they go straight from the night pen to the day pen. I have received no complaints about that.

This winter has been bad. Usually it gets this cold, but there are some warmer days in between where rodents frolic, duckies swim and predators fill their bellies. It's been about 1-1/2 months since the last real reprieve so rodents are sleeping, ducks are grumpy and predators are hungry.

Sunday it's supposed to get up to 27F, maybe they can have a pool for a couple hours then...

 

[Miss Lydia]

This winter has been bad. Usually it gets this cold, but there are some warmer days in between where rodents frolic, duckies swim and predators fill their bellies. It's been about 1-1/2 months since the last real reprieve so rodents are sleeping, ducks are grumpy and predators are hungry.

Sunday it's supposed to get up to 27F, maybe they can have a pool for a couple hours then...

That sounds like a heat wave for your neck of the woods.

That Eagle is gorgeous, Just hope he/she moves on.

Hawks are the worst here this time of year no leaves on the trees for the flock to hide under. I have the predator flapping in the breeze sure hope it helps.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

That sounds like a heat wave for your neck of the woods.

That Eagle is gorgeous, Just hope he/she moves on.

Hawks are the worst here this time of year no leaves on the trees for the flock to hide under. I have the predator flapping in the breeze sure hope it helps.

I think that's the girl, there is usually a couple. The male is the smaller one. That tree usually has some type of predatory bird on it all year around, but usually they easily get gophers and wouldn't bother with a duck, plus the ducks have lots of cover, and for the time they are in the secure area and are.... um... secure. I only worry now because the gophers and mice are all hiding underground and have been for quite a while.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I think that's the girl, there is usually a couple. The male is the smaller one. That tree usually has some type of predatory bird on it all year around, but usually they easily get gophers and wouldn't bother with a duck, plus the ducks have lots of cover, and for the time they are in the secure area and are.... um... secure. I only worry now because the gophers and mice are all hiding underground and have been for quite a while.

Actually I don't have a predator flapping in the breeze but predator tape.

We've only seen Eagles around here maybe 3 Times they love to fly along the river.

 

[Amiga]

This winter has been bad. Usually it gets this cold, but there are some warmer days in between where rodents frolic, duckies swim and predators fill their bellies. It's been about 1-1/2 months since the last real reprieve so rodents are sleeping, ducks are grumpy and predators are hungry.

Sunday it's supposed to get up to 27F, maybe they can have a pool for a couple hours then...

2010 - 2011 was like that here. Three feet of snow on the ground. We did not shovel paths, we shovelled out the canyons. My legs are only 28 inches long. They are good legs, though. Reach the ground, good and strong, get me where I need to go.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Well, it has been 2 years since I finished the secure kennel. I am happy to say it seems.... secure. The lights I had running up and down frequently shorted out when they got shaken by the wind, so I finally removed them and replaced them with 4 LED flood lights at the top of the mast. I also removed the hula hoop since it was no longer holding the light strands. This made the top of the net only supported by one strand, so I put an old circular serving tray with a rod in the middle of it (it used to be a two tier tray) in the top of the mast so that the net was supported by the tray. This works quite well, but now the net is a bit loose when it is wet (after a rain or snow).

I may tighten it a bit next spring. The only other change I have made is I changed out the thermal outlet that goes to their heat lamp. The old one came on at 10F and went off at 20F. This seemed to make them uncomfortably warm when it was closer to 20F, so I changed it out with one that comes on at 0F, and goes off at 10F. It is only on 10% as often as it was before and usually by the time it comes on, at least one duck thinks it is a good idea to be under it. By -20F they all think it is a good idea

Kaine is no longer going to jail - he is reformed, but the "jail" has come in handy to isolate ducks temporarily while still keeping them in view of the flock. Mostly that area is now open and we put the straw there in the winter to give the ducks a place to sun where they can stay out of the snow. Currently it is snowing so they will just have to wait until it stops. I flipped the straw a half hour ago and it was covered in snow again before a single duck sat on it. If they really want to get out of the snow, they can always go into their house. It is actually reasonably warm (for this time of year), currently 38F so the ducks have chosen to hang out in the "center strip" in the back yard...

It is supposed to stop snowing this evening, so I'll flip / add their straw then. Most every evening, they are inside their kennel waiting to be shut in so I'm sure they see or hear the predators outside at night and like the security of their kennel. Their house is now optional and they use that most of the winter but like to stay out in the kennel when the weather is nice. Although I saw a couple raccoons poking around the kennel a couple of years ago, I haven't had any attacks, nor have I seen any signs (including tracks in the snow) of raccoons lately. My guess is they got shocked a few times and moved on. I am sure new raccoons will stop by and test the kennel, but it seems up to the task. I do still physically check the electric fence with a voltage tester at least once per month (every weekend if I think about it.) I have occasionally seen evidence of attempted digs under the kennel, but they seem to give up quickly after running into the buried hardware cloth. We push the dirt back into the small hole, and whatever it was gives up. (I know at least one time it was a skunk - caught him on video.)