*Rant Begin*
Well, I had two ducks and two drakes (miniature appleyards).
One of the ducks disappeared a few weeks ago, possibly foxes as I've seen those nasty things around lately. The other duck , Andrea, normally spends her days wandering between the water troughs as she is a good flier and always escapes. The two boys however have difficulty escaping. Andrea always came back for dinner with the boys and usually hung out with them until she took off again in the morning. Sometimes I'd let the boys out so they could swim too, and an early evening call of "duckduckduck" always had them waddling (or flying) home.
About a week ago, they started staying out. I've been almost bedridden with a fever/chest infect/sinus infection, so I've been unable to go get them, and now they're hanging out in the river (well, the puddle that is sometimes a river), which they have discovered is such great fun they don't want to come home. They have also discovered that there is an endless supply of grain about 20 feet from the banks (the silos, and grain shed) so they don't need to come home for tea anymore.
Every time I go near them, they hop back in the water where I can't get them. Jerks.
Going to enlist hubby tomorrow morning after milking to create a trap. When I finally catch them, they are going to poultry jail (a smaller, enclosed area in the coop) until they learn to behave like domestic ducks again. Then the un-named, larger drake is going to a new home at an aunty's place, leaving me with just Andrea and Draco (he's my favourite, don't tell the others)
*Rant End*
Well, I had two ducks and two drakes (miniature appleyards).
One of the ducks disappeared a few weeks ago, possibly foxes as I've seen those nasty things around lately. The other duck , Andrea, normally spends her days wandering between the water troughs as she is a good flier and always escapes. The two boys however have difficulty escaping. Andrea always came back for dinner with the boys and usually hung out with them until she took off again in the morning. Sometimes I'd let the boys out so they could swim too, and an early evening call of "duckduckduck" always had them waddling (or flying) home.
About a week ago, they started staying out. I've been almost bedridden with a fever/chest infect/sinus infection, so I've been unable to go get them, and now they're hanging out in the river (well, the puddle that is sometimes a river), which they have discovered is such great fun they don't want to come home. They have also discovered that there is an endless supply of grain about 20 feet from the banks (the silos, and grain shed) so they don't need to come home for tea anymore.
Every time I go near them, they hop back in the water where I can't get them. Jerks.
Going to enlist hubby tomorrow morning after milking to create a trap. When I finally catch them, they are going to poultry jail (a smaller, enclosed area in the coop) until they learn to behave like domestic ducks again. Then the un-named, larger drake is going to a new home at an aunty's place, leaving me with just Andrea and Draco (he's my favourite, don't tell the others)
*Rant End*
