Peas or watermelon?

[A Renee]

I find it almost... disturbing theceay my ducks attack watermelon. Like piranhas. All that red flesh flying everywhere....

*shudder*

But watermelon, cantaloupe, kale, and peas are their faves.

The first time I gave them watermelon they turned their nose up to it. The second time, they dug in like ravenous dogs. It is interesting to say the least!

 

[A Renee]

It's part of my routine... after giving them their reward for going in their run for the night, I come back in, rinse old remnants out, grab one handful of cat food (which barely covers the bottom of a child's sandwich container), put enough water in to make the kibbles float, put the lid on the container and pop it in the fridge for the next morning. In the morning, I take it out of the fridge and sit it out on the counter so it can be room temperature by the time it's ready for them to go to bed. When it's time for bed, I empty the soaked & soft kibble into their special neon green bowl, top it off with a handful of mealworms, add more water, enough for everything to start floating again... Walk out the backdoor, announce "ALL DUCKS GO TO BED" and they haul ass from wherever they are, straight to their run, step in and turn to wait for me. Works everytime. I'll try to get a video up of the process.

Caveat is that this is the only time they see this bowl & for the majority, it's the only time they get cat food (unless we leave the back door cracked and my girl pushes the door open and they both make a hard left as soon as they waddle in and make a beeline to the cat's feeder )

Oh and I don't give them as a treat but my SA loves eating my damn jalapenos in my garden.

Wow, they truly do like jalapeños? I’ve heard of it, but just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I guess my naive mind just envisions them avoiding them.I hope I get to the point where my group knows and participates in bed time. Right now I feel like I’m running a day care and no one is cooperating.

 

[indianaducks]

Peas and shredded zucchini

 

[ProudRedneck]

Wow, they truly do like jalapeños? I’ve heard of it, but just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I guess my naive mind just envisions them avoiding them.I hope I get to the point where my group knows and participates in bed time. Right now I feel like I’m running a day care and no one is cooperating.

My SA does but not my Muscovy, and they both loved the cilantro in my garden as well, to the point that they destroyed it and I have none left.

The feeling of running a daycare with ducks will not stop (going on 5 months now) until you have blocked them from having access to anything you are constantly shooing them away from. I finally put a fence around my garden yesterday so that's one less space in my yard I have to keep an eye on with them. I had to put a baby playard fence around our old burn pit because the ducks were dabbling in the dirt enough to expose old nails and staples from scrap wood we used to burn. Obviously that was at a time where having ducks wasn't even a thought in our mind. Needless to say, you will spend a lot of time duck proofing along the way as you find out more and more things that may hurt them or get them in trouble.

My babies currently at 4 months old

* 1st edit to correct spelling
* 2nd edit to add pictures of my babies

 

[A Renee]

Your babies are beautiful, thank you for the pictures! I have that exact baby fence in my sunroom right now, which I’ve converted into the hospital “wing”. My Rouen, Ralph, Is currently recovering from a sprain. As far as the daycare, yes, I fear that will never end. I like to pretend that they know their names and respond to my scolding, but deep down I know the truth

P.S Don’t you know, you are planting a garden for the ducks, not yourself silly. Heehee

 

[ProudRedneck]

Your babies are beautiful, thank you for the pictures! I have that exact baby fence in my sunroom right now, which I’ve converted into the hospital “wing”. My Rouen, Ralph, Is currently recovering from a sprain. As far as the daycare, yes, I fear that will never end. I like to pretend that they know their names and respond to my scolding, but deep down I know the truth

P.S Don’t you know, you are planting a garden for the ducks, not yourself silly. Heehee

Hindsight, that was the way of the universe aligning itself LOL considering I had the garden started before I got my babies. We found our Muscovy at a couple days old and we bought our SA to be a companion 7 days later while on a vacation cross country. Yes our 2-3 day old Muscovy traveled with us because I wasn't leaving her.

 

[Luv Ducks]

My ducks are rather strange. They only like lettuce for a treat and leaves from a locust tree! They love the lettuce and eat it out of my hands. When I sit down in the chair in their free range spot in my dog pen they know its time for their lettuce and they surround me. Some are more grabby than others but they all get some and the grabby ones have to wait a little longer for being rude, lol.

 

[A Renee]

Hindsight, that was the way of the universe aligning itself LOL considering I had the garden started before I got my babies. We found our Muscovy at a couple days old and we bought our SA to be a companion 7 days later while on a vacation cross country. Yes our 2-3 day old Muscovy traveled with us because I wasn't leaving her.

The things we do for our babies, I know. Credit to you for not leaving her. I’m the same way, almost obsessively.. maybe bordering smotheringly.. when Ralph got hurt I quickly “built” the hospital, and found myself sitting there with him well into the early morning hours. I have that nature I guess, I like taking care of everybody. I even grocery shop with three lists.. human groceries, dog groceries, and now duck groceries. Weird? It’s ok, I totally own it LOL

 

[ProudRedneck]

The things we do for our babies, I know. Credit to you for not leaving her. I’m the same way, almost obsessively.. maybe bordering smotheringly.. when Ralph got hurt I quickly “built” the hospital, and found myself sitting there with him well into the early morning hours. I have that nature I guess, I like taking care of everybody. I even grocery shop with three lists.. human groceries, dog groceries, and now duck groceries. Weird? It’s ok, I totally own it LOL

My SO would argue you and I are siblings so no, absolutely NOT weird! Being a mother and caring for something other than ourselves, rather it be a human or an animal is not a negative trait!

No offense to the gentlemen on here that take just as good of care of their animals as us women. You have my utmost respect for being outliers of your gender.

 

[A Renee]

My SO would argue you and I are siblings so no, absolutely NOT weird! Being a mother and caring for something other than ourselves, rather it be a human or an animal is not a negative trait!

No offense to the gentlemen on here that take just as good of care of their animals as us women. You have my utmost respect for being outliers of your gender.

I couldn’t agree more. I think it says a lot to be 100%, unequivocally selfless.. especially this day and age when it’s every man for themselves it seems. Ahh the stories I could tell, my life has been pretty filled with animal stories of success, sadness, determination.. but hey, it makes me feel like I’m making my life mean something.

Here’s baby Ralph and big brother Honk. The other ducks were preoccupied, can you believe it.. they found some mud.