Going above and beyond for your feathered friends

Well I do love my call ducks and spend more time caring for them than the poultry! I bought a playhouse kit, had put together and painted and modified for them. I hand dug a hole and placed a 170 gallon preformed pool for them.. Once a week I dip it out with a bucket and add fresh.... Priced a sub pump but I am too cheap to buy it!
I also gather fresh grass clippings and clover for them each a.m. Toss it in the water just to see them play and dribble with it!

When on vacation the care taker is instructed to let them out of their playhouse first thing in a.m. And lock them up first each evening.. Not only do they have a 10 ft. by 20 ft. dog kennel run but have the netting on top and shade cloth also on one end.
Planted expensive evergreen shrubs so they could lay up under them during the day.
I guess I could go on and on about them...... And what do they do for me? They are so much fun to sit and watch the way they just love life.. Most fun to watch them dive and play in their pool when it is just refilled...

 

When you have pets, it's a responsibility just like having children. You are obligated to do the best you can for them.

I spent $14,000 on chemo for my last dog when he got multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer. It bought him 3 good years. I could have had most of a new car (well, not a fancy car, but basic transportation) with that money. I'm still driving the 1999 Chevy on a daily basis. But we had 3 extra years together, and for the most part they were quality years for him, since the type of chemo he had was just a pill form that didn't have too many major side effects, thank God. I don't regret my choice at all. It makes me happy to see them happy.

 

It's funny you should post that this morning. I just got in from cleaning out the duckhouse and the kiddie pool - all before breakfast. It's worth it to hear the ducks' excited gurgles as they dig around in the fresh straw.

 

A friend reminded me today that my ducks' digs are better than what many people have these days. She did not say it to make me feel bad, as she knows some of the other things I am involved in to help.

But we have so many predators here, and I feel that I am responsible for my animals' well being. It is a joy to raise them and watch them and interact with them. Few people fuss about a couple going on a cruise (how much do those weeklong cruises cost, anyway?) once or twice a year. So, this is what I do for myself - it is really healthy for me. Gets me outdoors, moving around, and cheers me up.

Above and beyond? Most of that took place from 1 day old to three months old - for their health and the hygiene of my home, I did quite a bit of brooder cleaning (eleven ducklings).

I built their night pen and day pen myself. Hauled lumber, concrete, learned some basic carpentry. I heave fifty pound sacks of feed from the car or truck to the storage room, thirty pound sacks of sawdust to the bedding storage.

I had a similar realization about me treating the ducks better than myself. And yes, I did put off new shoes for months! I also noticed I was better at making sure the ducks had good nutrition than I was for myself. Thanks to the ducks, I now eat many more fresh vegetables and drink more water, often with ACV. And because without decent shoes I could no longer get around as well, I did buy a good pair recently. For the sake of the ducks, of course!