Fugly Farm

[igorsMistress]

They're a lot of fun to watch!

That’s cool. I watched one where they were used to eat all the slugs and snails in a rice field the other day. They are herded, pretty neat

 

[igorsMistress]

Even though they are messy, I think they are so worth it. They are fun to watch and when little they are just so adorable

That they are! I always thought of them as delicate but they aren’t from what I read. I can handle a little mess and I intend to use the pool water in the gardens so that’ll be nice and make the mess more worth it!

 

[springvalley123]

I’ve had a chance to think things over a bit. It’s not realistic to enclose the coop yard; there’s a big tree in the middle of it and two coops in there that are 6+ feet each. I feel like I should give it a full year before I keep chickens again, that’s a long time but I really don’t want to start the cycle over again. So I’m going to try Runner ducks. I’ve read quite a bit about them and I think ducks may offer some advantages over chickens, primarily their ability to forage under water which can be kept deeper than what pigeons would be able to manage. I also read about feeding schedules and found a few ideas that will help regardless of fowl type that I think will work for me. I miss having the chickens to care for, maybe ducks will be an acceptable substitute for now. Hatching eggs arrive next week.

How exciting! I had a few runners including a great drake, and a couple other breeds. They quacked a bit, but we really enjoyed them. watching them dive in their pond, or even a big stock tank is great fun. And heat is no problem, with the water and a mister. That is the one factor that makes ducks so much easier than chickens in the heat. I hope you enjoy the ducks!

 

[igorsMistress]

It’s beautiful outside this evening. The herbs are looking good and I moved the fairy dusters so they’ll get a bit more sun, I’d like to transplant those before they get too big. I noticed a couple of the bells of fire looked a bit wilted so I watered them, removed the cages from a couple of shrubs and started looking through the shed for a few things. I moved the nest box out of the coop today, will remove the roost and put all the litter in the trash, then scrub the inside with soap and water and sanitize. It can dry for a week before I whitewash. I hope to get both coops done since it’s supposed to maybe rain next week. The mini coop may become a pool house. I have several pavers I can put in there and then fill between them with pea gravel. I don’t think sand will work because it’ll wash out when I dump the pool. The waterers have been out in the sun, I think I’ll bleach them and then put them away and switch to buckets and bowls for the ducks. Maybe I’ll give them to the boy for his crew but I’m not too sure about that. I’ve been looking for pools and not sure if I want a huge one or a few smaller ones in addition to the one in the mini coop. Some that I found have a drain plug so no trying to lift a heavy pool but they’re plastic so the sun will kill them in short order if they’re out all the time. I think the smaller pools will work a little better and I can put out a few in different areas of the yard. The water can do double duty, ducks then plants which is pretty necessary here. Would probably help my water bill too. The incubator is clean, will fire that up tomorrow; some hairy guy took over the desk I keep it on so I gotta give him some time to clean that up as there are RC truck parts all over it. Abby goes next Tuesday to get her stitches out so hopefully we can get back to the park again next weekend. I also need to get the dirt out to the garden this weekend while it’s cool and go get more. Covid numbers are frightening again and we’re pretty much staying home. Maybe it’ll cool off enough to paint soon...

 

[igorsMistress]

How exciting! I had a few runners including a great drake, and a couple other breeds. They quacked a bit, but we really enjoyed them. watching them dive in their pond, or even a big stock tank is great fun. And heat is no problem, with the water and a mister. That is the one factor that makes ducks so much easier than chickens in the heat. I hope you enjoy the ducks!

Thank you! I was thinking about that just today. The ducks at the park seem to be fine even with the heat here so I’m planning for lots of options.

 

[springvalley123]

Thank you! I was thinking about that just today. The ducks at the park seem to be fine even with the heat here so I’m planning for lots of options.

and if you leave it to hubby to collect the eggs daily, and he forgets, the ducks will make great incubators!

 

[igorsMistress]

and if you leave it to hubby to collect the eggs daily, and he forgets, the ducks will make great incubators!

Yeah he doesn’t collect eggs. This is my thing, he just eats them.

 

[N F C]

It’s beautiful outside this evening. The herbs are looking good and I moved the fairy dusters so they’ll get a bit more sun, I’d like to transplant those before they get too big. I noticed a couple of the bells of fire looked a bit wilted so I watered them, removed the cages from a couple of shrubs and started looking through the shed for a few things. I moved the nest box out of the coop today, will remove the roost and put all the litter in the trash, then scrub the inside with soap and water and sanitize. It can dry for a week before I whitewash. I hope to get both coops done since it’s supposed to maybe rain next week. The mini coop may become a pool house. I have several pavers I can put in there and then fill between them with pea gravel. I don’t think sand will work because it’ll wash out when I dump the pool. The waterers have been out in the sun, I think I’ll bleach them and then put them away and switch to buckets and bowls for the ducks. Maybe I’ll give them to the boy for his crew but I’m not too sure about that. I’ve been looking for pools and not sure if I want a huge one or a few smaller ones in addition to the one in the mini coop. Some that I found have a drain plug so no trying to lift a heavy pool but they’re plastic so the sun will kill them in short order if they’re out all the time. I think the smaller pools will work a little better and I can put out a few in different areas of the yard. The water can do double duty, ducks then plants which is pretty necessary here. Would probably help my water bill too. The incubator is clean, will fire that up tomorrow; some hairy guy took over the desk I keep it on so I gotta give him some time to clean that up as there are RC truck parts all over it. Abby goes next Tuesday to get her stitches out so hopefully we can get back to the park again next weekend. I also need to get the dirt out to the garden this weekend while it’s cool and go get more. Covid numbers are frightening again and we’re pretty much staying home. Maybe it’ll cool off enough to paint soon...

I agree with you about the smaller pools, at least they would be easier to handle.

Tell that hairy guy to move his stuff, you have duck eggs to prepare for!

 

[igorsMistress]

Both coops have been gutted and scrubbed with a brush and some dish soap. The shed is straightened up and I found the bowls I was looking for. I bought some pea gravel at Home Depot today to fill in the spaces between pavers in the mini coop for a pool house, which is still a work in progress. I need to level it all out in there and haul the rest of the pavers from the front yard tomorrow. I’m considering removing the shades from the coop front because I think they inhibit air flow, and we still need to build covers for the bottom half of the wall for winter time. I had to turn on a fan to help it dry out in the big coop. Waterers and feeders are clean and ready to go, incubator is running and eggs shipped yesterday.

 

[N F C]

Both coops have been gutted and scrubbed with a brush and some dish soap. The shed is straightened up and I found the bowls I was looking for. I bought some pea gravel at Home Depot today to fill in the spaces between pavers in the mini coop for a pool house, which is still a work in progress. I need to level it all out in there and haul the rest of the pavers from the front yard tomorrow. I’m considering removing the shades from the coop front because I think they inhibit air flow, and we still need to build covers for the bottom half of the wall for winter time. I had to turn on a fan to help it dry out in the big coop. Waterers and feeders are clean and ready to go, incubator is running and eggs shipped yesterday.
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You sure had a full day's work IM, but it will be a nice home for the upcoming ducks!