TJAnonymous
Enabler
Last spring my husband bought 2 ducks from TSC on a whim.... His intention was to have a couple of ducks on our pond and maybe they would also eat any mosquito larva wiggling around in puddles around the farm. All I can say is the "Road to hell is paved with good intentions...."
These ducks drive me bonkers. We've guessed from their look that they are Pekin duck or a Pekin mix. One actually looks closer to an Aylesbury but I doubt TSC would have that breed so I'm assuming it is a mix.
Pros:
They are pretty and soft
They are noisy, much like guineas, which could alert our chickens to potential predators.
Cons:
They are ridiculously stupid. Is this normal? I wish the money in my investment accounts piled up as quickly as stories of these ducks' stupidity.... They do not know how to use a feeder. Even when you toss them some food (on the ground, in their general vicinity, because you can't get within 10 feet of them), they ignore it. Doesn't matter on what type of food (veggies, fruits, pellets, doesn't matter). They could be STARVING and are too dumb to eat the food you give them. Honestly, I'm not sure how they are surviving but they must be eating something out of the pond because they aren't skinny.
They chase 2 particular chickens (1 hen, 1 roo) like the hounds of hell. These 2 particular chickens were raised from babies with these ducks. I don't know why they have such a vengeance for these these two particular chickens, but every day...all. day. long.....they chase these two *if* they can get to them. The ducks are not allowed in the chicken yard which is the "safe space" for my birds. However, the ducks will run up and down the fence and try to bite them through the fence. If I let my birds out to free range, they chase them all over the pasture and barnyard. I have nearly 20 chickens. They don't bother ANY of the others except these 2....
My husband asked me if I wanted to cull the 2 ducks. I'm torn. I hate killing them needlessly, but they do drive me nuts.... If there was a way for me to improve the situation, I'm open to suggestions. I THINK they are both girls although neither of them is laying yet. They are approx. 5 months old. I guessed on their sex because they have a clear, loud "quack" and not a hoarsey whisper.
Thoughts? Opinions? Advice?
These ducks drive me bonkers. We've guessed from their look that they are Pekin duck or a Pekin mix. One actually looks closer to an Aylesbury but I doubt TSC would have that breed so I'm assuming it is a mix.
Pros:
They are pretty and soft
They are noisy, much like guineas, which could alert our chickens to potential predators.
Cons:
They are ridiculously stupid. Is this normal? I wish the money in my investment accounts piled up as quickly as stories of these ducks' stupidity.... They do not know how to use a feeder. Even when you toss them some food (on the ground, in their general vicinity, because you can't get within 10 feet of them), they ignore it. Doesn't matter on what type of food (veggies, fruits, pellets, doesn't matter). They could be STARVING and are too dumb to eat the food you give them. Honestly, I'm not sure how they are surviving but they must be eating something out of the pond because they aren't skinny.
They chase 2 particular chickens (1 hen, 1 roo) like the hounds of hell. These 2 particular chickens were raised from babies with these ducks. I don't know why they have such a vengeance for these these two particular chickens, but every day...all. day. long.....they chase these two *if* they can get to them. The ducks are not allowed in the chicken yard which is the "safe space" for my birds. However, the ducks will run up and down the fence and try to bite them through the fence. If I let my birds out to free range, they chase them all over the pasture and barnyard. I have nearly 20 chickens. They don't bother ANY of the others except these 2....
My husband asked me if I wanted to cull the 2 ducks. I'm torn. I hate killing them needlessly, but they do drive me nuts.... If there was a way for me to improve the situation, I'm open to suggestions. I THINK they are both girls although neither of them is laying yet. They are approx. 5 months old. I guessed on their sex because they have a clear, loud "quack" and not a hoarsey whisper.
Thoughts? Opinions? Advice?
