Let em loose...now can't get em back in their pen!

[Amiga]

Okay so we went out to our pond and my wife jumped into her Kayak, the one I bought for her for Christmas in 2012, and we are proud to report that the ducks are all safe in their home. I wish someone had a camera recording the scene when I opened up the clean-up door to escort the ducks in, but unfortunately wasn't quick enough to close the front sliding door. In one door out the other the ducks left, making a run for the open pond. My wife and I were back at it again trying in vain to safely put our 10 ducks away for the night. But, as stated above, and after a little patience all is well. Thanks for the advice and humor. Believe me humor is always appreciated. Now if only the row cover on our onions and garlic had gone as well...must be blowing 25 mph out there...oh well..

All's well that ends well. They can make us into comic foils, can't they? And I hope y'all are unhurt. Row covers in the wind - yes, wind can also laugh in our faces. Mercy.

Proud of you both!

 

[Harriet&Lucy]

Well done! I would have loved to see video of the great escape.

I imagine that you and your wife will get very adept at duck roundup - and that would be fun to see as well.

Having been in your situation a bazilllion times, I can tell you that I no longer keep my ducks on our pond. It seems a crime, but they make do with wading pools. (We have coyotes, raccoons, otters, hawks, eagles, you name it.) Reading of your dilemma, though, I realized that there was something I should have tried before giving up. Maybe if a person went out every night at twilight with something really, really delicious - for my ducks, that would be peas - the ducks would learn to come ashore for treats when you appear. Then (with luck) you could herd them into the duckhouse.

That's sort of a long term training project, though. For the immediate situation, aren't we glad we have Amiga?

 

[Amiga]

Harriet&Lucy, treat training works with the ducks, and with our runners, it works quickly.

At the same time, I was just telling my beloved that Carmella Buff recently overshot the gate when I was hustling the ducks into the day pen (I heard the neighbor calling after her dog that had gotten loose and wanted to take no chances). Carmella just seemed clueless about the urgency of the situation. Happily, Petunia the dog came nowhere near us. Just goes to show, even with some of the friendliest, trained flocks, someone can miss the boat.

 

[Workinthedream]

So went out this morning (14F right now and forecast for 28F high today) and let them out into the pond. Of course they are fat and happy and ran for the pond like it was their salvation. Pond only had some light rim ice on it so I know it was warmer than the air temp. Only got down to 10F last night as the low so not as bad as some out there. Hope everyone made it through the night ok. God bless all of our little beasties! Thanks for all the help.

BTW the row cover (after all of that work!) just ripped apart in the wind! Grrrr....

 

[Amiga]

Thanks for the report! About that row cover.. .

 

[Carcajou]

Ok so last weekend we decided our 10 black swedes were old enough to finally go out to the pond and their permanent place of residence. I built them a duck house with a sliding front door, bedded them down for the first night and then came the big day! We let them out (or at least opened the door) and....nothing. They wouldn't come out. I made a big door on the other side of the house for cleanout purposes, so I put my 5 yo in and let him slowly shoo them out of the house. They walked up to the water but they didn't run and jump in like I thought they would. Oh well, I was finishing up the fence around the pond and the 1.5 acres that I set aside for them so I kept a watch on them. That night I just kind of herded them back into the pen. Next day I opened the door and out they came headed straight for the water. Eventually one of them got in and then it became a free for all! They were all going crazy splashing around and diving under the water. Really funny to watch their unbridled joy.

So night came around and time to put them back in the duck house (because that is where everyone says they have to be or then will get eaten!) and we spent an hour trying to get them out of the water. No luck. Finally left them out (worried the whole night) and went out to check on them in the morning. All were fine and looked at me like "What? Why were you worried?". They have been out for about 2 weeks now. As far as I can tell they have never used the duck house. But now I am worried again....like all of the rest of the country we are scheduled for record lows here tonight (14F) with a high tomorrow of 24F. I have been out when they were swimming around with ice on the edges of the pond (gave me chills just to watch - brrrr) but am worried that they will not use the structure I built for them tonight. There isn't any electricity out there (because I just wasn't expecting these low temperatures in our location - God's sense of humor again!) and they are getting most of their food from the pond as they are not going through a 7 lb feeder every 4 days. Any ideas if I should be worried or what I can do to entice them into the duck house? They are only 10 weeks old so although they look full grown I don't think they have enough experience to know if I was offering them something really tasty to lure them into their house. Any suggestions? Thanks

I had this issue once also. I eventually built a fence around their coop with part of the pond inside the fence. I went to feeding in the morning and afternoon. It didn't take long for them to get the idea that they needed to come inside the fence for food in the afternoon. It then is easy to herd them into the coop at dark. However, with this cold, minus 25 wind chill and below zero weather I keep food out all day and try and time it so they are only without for an hour or so. Using lettuce and their feeder to lure them inside the fence. So guess what - this coldest and rawest day of the year they did not want to come off the pond as the water is the warmest place for them. I was outside with them for about 40 minutes before they were all hungry enough or separated long enough to want to be all in one spot. As others have stated, they certainly keep us guessing. I wonder if they find me as entertaining as I find them. I wonder if they wonder, "When is he going to dispense with the baby talk?"

And I like the idea of the pond sweeper! We should start some sort of contest for the most original attachment for our canoes and kayaks!!

Keep warm all

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'd like to hear the baby talk.

 

[Carcajou]

I'd like to hear the baby talk.

T'mon wittle one, you can do it!

 

[Amiga]

I thought baby talk was in the contract.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I thought baby talk was in the contract.

It is but we don't get to hear men use it much.