My Love Affair With Ducks...

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I have plenty of girls.
But it makes a difference that mine are confined to a run. They can't get away.

That is in fact a problem for the girls. No chance to let them roam the backyard for a couple of hours a day?

 

[duluthralphie]

Where do you come up with all these names?

My over sized hard working brain.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Well, there’s one thing for sure, he is the sweetest one of the ducks, towards me anyway. Even though he may have ulterior motives, he is the easiest to pick up and love on...as long as he can see his girls! He actually lays in my lap and lets me love on him. The girls, not so much. I can catch Petey’s big butt on occasion. She’s the slow one of the bunch. Hershey would be the next easiest simply because she always thinks I’ve got food for her! Peaches and Quinny - yeah, I can forget about catching and loving on them.

Every duck develops her/his own personality. For example the four remaining F&W Runners from my first flock: Limpy Drake is sweet and calm and i sometimes can pick him up without him pinching my nose. Nona Duck is smart and allows me to touch her. The other two, Katharina and Curiosity Duck turn into rubber birds to avoid my hand, at least Katharina eats (out of) my hands, but Curiosity takes off quacking when my hand comes too close to her. They are all so different!
Sometimes i wonder if they really like me or if it is only because i am handing out the cat-food? But then, when i take a break during some challenging work, sitting down in the grass, huffing and puffing like a steam engine, one of them runs to me, stands in front of me and asks "Quack Wack?!", as if they are asking if i'm ok. - Of course they're only worried about their cat-food supplier…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Where do you come up with all these names?

Personal Experience?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

My over sized hard working brain.

So in other words you are top-heavy?

 

[shawluvsbirds]

That is in fact a problem for the girls. No chance to let them roam the backyard for a couple of hours a day?

The big dux get to roam the yard under supervision.
I don't have a fenced yard over where the Little dux are kept. We live in city limits, but still have lots of predators to worry about besides them getting over on the train tracks or out in the road...or across the street into my neighbors coy pond. She'd love that. Haha.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

We originally intended to fence off a large area over there where the call dux palace is so they could have an area to sort of free range. But then we bought property outside of town and plan on building a house and moving out there eventually so we don't want to spend any more money here.

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

We originally intended to fence off a large area over there where the call dux palace is so they could have an area to sort of free range. But then we bought property outside of town and plan on building a house and moving out there eventually so we don't want to spend any more money here. View attachment 2316702

Very nice !

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The big dux get to roam the yard under supervision.
I don't have a fenced yard over where the Little dux are kept. We live in city limits, but still have lots of predators to worry about besides them getting over on the train tracks or out in the road...or across the street into my neighbors coy pond. She'd love that. Haha.

Well at least you have a flat piece of land! Not like here where i finally gave up on fences, because building a fence on a 30° hillsite is something for experts and i'm only an eggspert…
As far as i can see on the picture, all you need to do is run a one foot chicken wire along the fence and the gate to keep the ducks from crossing the road. - And around your beautiful pond to keep it beautiful…

 

[Mimi13]

We originally intended to fence off a large area over there where the call dux palace is so they could have an area to sort of free range. But then we bought property outside of town and plan on building a house and moving out there eventually so we don't want to spend any more money here. View attachment 2316702

I like your set up. It all is very pretty.