My Love Affair With Ducks...

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Duck PMS gets scary, especially with my muscovy hens

Muscovies are much larger than Mallard derived ducks, aren't they?

 

[Enten4life]

I'm definitely learning about the adult molt moodyness of ducks. Norbie never got like this before, but at least I know it's normal now (she's 2 years old). My other two ducks are only hrm, let's see here... Born Aug 16th... carry the one... avoid dividing by zero... they're 16 weeks.. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long. I think I should be expecting some eggs soon!! Right now, between my 8 birds (5 are chickens), I'm not getting any eggs (three of them are of layer age). One was sick, almost died with yolk peritonitis , and might not ever lay again (we're okay with that), the other Chicken decided it was getting too wintery I guess. My angsty Norbie doesn't lay while molting, and the rest are too young..... I've actually had to BUY eggs because we needed them for baking. It's been a crazy autumn here that's for sure. I also think 8 birds in my backyard is too many given the amount of poop on my patio. But I love them so much.

 

[Mimi13]

I'm definitely learning about the adult molt moodyness of ducks. Norbie never got like this before, but at least I know it's normal now (she's 2 years old). My other two ducks are only hrm, let's see here... Born Aug 16th... carry the one... avoid dividing by zero... they're 16 weeks.. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long. I think I should be expecting some eggs soon!! Right now, between my 8 birds (5 are chickens), I'm not getting any eggs (three of them are of layer age). One was sick, almost died with yolk peritonitis , and might not ever lay again (we're okay with that), the other Chicken decided it was getting too wintery I guess. My angsty Norbie doesn't lay while molting, and the rest are too young..... I've actually had to BUY eggs because we needed them for baking. It's been a crazy autumn here that's for sure. I also think 8 birds in my backyard is too many given the amount of poop on my patio. But I love them so much.

Sorry, I had to give your post the LAUGH emoji because of your next to last sentence. I wholeheartedly feel ya there. My deck is covered. I have little land mines everywhere out there. And around the dogs’ water bucket and under my table the ducks give me NO break. Ugh! Good grief! I try my best to wash (at least) the portion of the deck that is used coming from where we park every day so others don’t have to “watch where they step.” I don’t need to give my DH anything to be upset about with my birds! The opposite end of the deck heads to the barn and chicken/duck area and no one uses that but me, so eh!

 

[Mimi13]

I couldn’t get a good enough picture of her outside so I brought her inside. Of course she was scared. She hadn’t been inside since she was 6 or 7 weeks old. I could literally hear her heart beating. Bless her! I did give her some of her very own duck soup with boiled egg and cat food. She was thankful, but when I put her back outside (the other four were standing at the back door waiting) as soon as I set her down she started that chattering and I just know she was cussing a blue streak!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I couldn’t get a good enough picture of her outside so I brought her inside. Of course she was scared. She hadn’t been inside since she was 6 or 7 weeks old. I could literally hear her heart beating. Bless her! I did give her some of her very own duck soup with boiled egg and cat food. She was thankful, but when I put her back outside (the other four were standing at the back door waiting) as soon as I set her down she started that chattering and I just know she was cussing a blue streak!
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Just a few more days and the new feathers will split open and she will be warm and flighty again.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Ouch!

 

[Enten4life]

I couldn’t get a good enough picture of her outside so I brought her inside. Of course she was scared. She hadn’t been inside since she was 6 or 7 weeks old. I could literally hear her heart beating. Bless her! I did give her some of her very own duck soup with boiled egg and cat food. She was thankful, but when I put her back outside (the other four were standing at the back door waiting) as soon as I set her down she started that chattering and I just know she was cussing a blue streak!
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Yep. that is what my Norbie goes through (painful pin feathers for sure) whereas my chicken don't LOOK like they do (they'll lose their tails which is kind of funny to see). She is BEAUTIFUL by the way.

And fortunately The wife and I both love our birds (I'm more of the duck lover, she's more of the chicken lover). I never thought I'd ever have to "rinse" my grass, but here we are.. Watering down the poop left behind by sleeping ducks by the pool. . . I can't wait for my duck pond I'm getting next month. It will make everything so much easier to keep clean!!

 

[Enten4life]

Oh and this is what happens when I leave the slider open for too long. They come asking for snacks.

 

[duluthralphie]

Thank you. That is very kind.

I give free advice too..

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

…
I can't wait for my duck pond I'm getting next month. It will make everything so much easier to keep clean!!

You have no idea what will happen with the duck-pool: They will splash the water to you precious lawn to create puddles and use those to drill for crude-oil.
My duck-yard looks like a huge golfball…