Sorry I was offline for a bit there...dodgy internet connection lately for some reason...
Cabelwife - Hello in Abby! Closest member so far to us!
DrakeMaiden- no worries I know your just concerned for everyone's well-being.
My ducks will be staying in his poultry pen only a certain percentage of the time (its about errrrr I'm totally eye balling it hmmm....70 feet by 45 feet?) because it is where my boyfriend and I built the duck pond for his birds and we'd like them (my guys) to be able to enjoy it as well.
Also, I called it "shoddy" in the first post, but I didn't mean to make a bad impression of it...currently its cleaned up and enjoyable again thanks to our hard work.
We rent and can't do the same thing (make a pond) to our side of the property although they can roam and explore it all they like and forage all they like. The neighbor and us technically live on the same farm...its one massive farm property and we rent the second home...the landlord doesn't live on it at all. I should have asked permission LOL before I excavated the poultry pen but I was only thinking of the birds at the time and not the renter damage deposit...ooops!!
*evil grin*
Anyways our backyard is connected to the poultry pen, so I am going to make a door through it so I can let them in and out as they like (well hahahaha when I am there to let them in and out) and so they have access to our yard as well and all its scrumptious vegetation (the neighbor's Muscovy ducks can fly so they already graze our lawn freqently and one of the Pekins climbs over the 5 foot fence to get out and in to graze as well on our lawn...crazy duck lol). But, that is the main reason I want my guys to have access to his pen...for the use of the pond.
As for him messing with my birds...he doesn't own any pure bred Indian Runners...only one runner cross duck...and so he has been warned not to sell/remove any Indian Runners (lucky they are so recognizable as a breed).
As for the Muscovy orphans who are now mine as well, once they mature enough to be distinguished from fuzzy yellow and black bundles lol and actually have some recognizable markings, hopefully I will be able to show him which are mine and not to touch...I will post photos inside the barn LOL if it helps him.
I have asked him not to feed the birds at all (his and mine). So I know exactly what they are eating. No more moldy hot dogs for anyone here!! It is going to cost me a lot of $$ but if it keeps all of them safe and healthy and happy than oh well...will just edit my budget to make it all work.
And as for the way he treats the birds...he hasn't gone into the pen to do anything with them in the last year...at all...so unless he changes his outlook & attitude on poulty farming, I think we will not have to worry about him bothering the birds. His only interaction with them ever has honestly been throwing in hotdog buns once in a blue moon!
Wow, sorry I didn't think it would be such a long answer...LOL...I run on forever sometimes LOL...sorry!
from S. Florida! Thats wonderful that you have "taken over" the care of your neighbors flock. I just don't get it, why would you get them, if your intention was not to care for them??! You're the best for taking them in. So, you're a duck person, huh? Great! Ducks are so cute, and fun to own as well. Enjoy, its a blast!!
Yes, I have no idea why he bought the birds- it baffles me as well!!
A local poultry farm closed down down the road from us and he went over and brought all the "left overs" home I guess the farm couldn't sell.
Maybe he thought he'd make some extra $ selling them or their eggs or maybe he actually intended to try to have his own fresh eggs so he wouldn't have to buy his own, I really don't know...he's a lazy man and pretty unorthodox in his behavior and thinking...I could see him thinking he had this great idea to make extra $$ on the side or save $$ by eating them and their eggs...and then realizing he bit off more than he could chew and just gave up and abandoned the project. He's really weird!