My Love Affair With Ducks...

[Mimi13]

On the plus side though, ducks usually lay in the mornings - I never have to go egg hunting with mine because they lay before I let them out. May depend on the duck though

This would be awesome! I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

@WannaBeHillBilly I need Blanca Duck to live in my house for a while. The rain the other day has caused the scorpions into the house. We have killed two in three days after not seeing one the first six months in the house. I saw one in the coop when we first moved here but I thought we must have brought it from my parents

I get them in the light fixtures. We had a party once and one got in the beer cooler. Be sure you shake out your shoes before you put them on. Nasty little bugs.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I get them in the light fixtures. We had a party once and one got in the beer cooler. Be sure you shake out your shoes before you put them on. Nasty little bugs.

Scorpions in light fixtures!
Terrifying!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

At least you can look up and see their shape in the light. In the toes of my shoes is terrifying to me.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hillbilly. You have the damndest luck with duck.

The universe loves me!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Psst. fake Eilleen and hillbilly...

If your having trouble with dux choking issues, I am willing to see if I can help...

Brave man! - But i assume Blanca wouldn't choke on you…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

@WannaBeHillBilly I need Blanca Duck to live in my house for a while. The rain the other day has caused the scorpions into the house. We have killed two in three days after not seeing one the first six months in the house. I saw one in the coop when we first moved here but I thought we must have brought it from my parents

No problems, you can come here and pick her up! - Btw: Is scorpion venom dangerous for ducks?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I guess it was the spring of 2018 I went crazy and got 25 new chicks (added to my 4 girls) that it was like a horror show here after a rain. At night, I could go out onto my back deck and they were literally EV-ER-Y-WHERE! My master bath and closet are add-ons and have white siding. These things were all on the walls, the eaves, the gutters, the deck, and of course all my new plantings. It was war and I wasn’t winning. I bought salt to pour on them. Kind of got the same feeling seeing them shrivel as I did watching fire ants die.

Our back deck is about 2’ off the ground and it is nasty as hell under it. No person has crawled up under it. You couldn’t pay me to. It mostly stays wet simply from all the flower watering, water play, cooling off, etc. on the deck. Obviously this is where the slugs bedded down AND overwintered. That summer (2018) my 29 chickens decided they liked it under the deck. My two dogs had been staying under there during the day to escape the heat as well. That next summer (2019) I barely saw any slugs at all. Every once in a while I will see where a slug has been up on the deck after the dog food, leaving their old slimy, iridescent trail behind.

Once I decided I wanted ducks, I have been worrying about under the deck. I know that that will be the CHOSEN duck hang out unless I fence the whole thing off to all critters. I can’t and won’t be Easter egg hunting for duck eggs under there.

I’m really kinda torn cause I liked the chickens and dogs getting under there, keeping all other varmints run off or eaten. I guess I’ll choose the lesser of two evils when the time comes.

I would grant access to that under-deck space to the dogs, the chickens and the ducks. First it is an excellent hide-out for the hot summer days and second there will be no slug-army anymore. especially with the ducks patrolling the area. Slugs are like marshmallows for ducks.
And once your ducks are used to sleep in their house and they have built their nests, they will lay most of their eggs there.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Are ducks more inquisitive with possible food than chickens? Are they as quick as a chicken?

I remember tossing a frog to my first four chickens before. I think after all was said and done they each had a quarter. I asked them if it tasted like chicken. They just stared, waiting for another. Now that they all free range, I’m sure they all get their fill of frogs, if they happen up on the frog’s resting spot during the day. My chickens do not bother toads at all.

I’ll have to read about Blanca Duck’s snake adventure.

(My) Ducks are very inquisitive! Careful like hell: That white bowl looks suspicious, it might eat me, but there might be some food inside…
A duck's bill is like our hands, they touch and nibble at everything that catches their eyes and if it turns out to be edible…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

As many of you may know, i am a computer nerd and i collect data from my ducks, store and process it, so i can see if things change. I have observed that my ducks are eating much less of their layer pellets since they have discovered the frog, toad and nute spots on my property:

Pellet usage is down from 7-9 days to 12-16 days for 50lbs, 50% less!