Nice to have you here! Your ducks are adorable and I really enjoyed your intro! 
Do I detect a Star Trek fan? Thank you for joining us at Backyard Chickens.
It takes one to know one! Actually when the ducklings were very little, they used to cuddle and watch TNG with me in my bedroom every evening! They are too big and way too messy for that now, but that's where the names came from for the blue ones.
We're so glad to have you here with us! 
Thank you for joining our wonderful community of fellow poultry enthusiasts! 
Best wishes and have lots of fun! 
welcome to BYCHello, um, er, Quack!
As you might have guessed from the thread title, from my screen name and from the greeting, I raise ducks! I used to raise chickens several years ago, and was recently thinking about bringing up a new flock, but it was my love of gardening that made me consider ducks this time instead! I heard they are great for pest control and for natural fertilizer! So I dove in, webbed feet first, and now I am the proud mama of six ducklings!
I have a pair of five-week-old black Swedish named Quimby Picklebottom and Petunia Potts, a couple of four-week-old fawn-and-white runner ducklings who we have been calling Mischief and Mo, and two three-week-old feed store ducklings who I believe are blue swedish, who I have named Riker and Troi. Our flock also includes a sibling pair of two-year-old border-collie mix pups named Ace and Georgia who like to guard the yard and the flock and finish any feed they happen to leave behind! The dogs and ducks share a bone-shaped swimming pool which I dump into my garden beds and refill daily.
My favorite aspect of raising waterfowl is just spending time with and watching them! They all are very social and have unique personalities. Though they can all be a bit skittish, Mo is my sweet girl who doesn't mind snuggling up in my lap while I sit and pet her. Petunia Potts (called Potts, for short), is definitely the alpha duck and really quite vocal. Quimby is not exactly the sharpest...every day, long after everyone else has ascended the brick steps into the swimming pool, Quimby is still waddling around it in circles trying to figure out how to get in! Mischief is the most curious and always checking things out. Troi is second in the pecking order to Potts and usually stays pretty close to her, and then Riker stays close to Troi.
I am originally from California but currently reside in Texas. I am 39 years old and retired from the Navy. I am currently not employed, but I am taking some online courses on fungi and on permaculture. I would eventually like to do something related to permaculture--I have a few ideas but not sure yet where to go with it so we shall see...
I have a passion for the environment. I love nature, the outdoors and keeping an organic garden. I grow a lot of my own food and food for the Ducks--which they help to feed and fertilize
I have known about BYC for several years now, going back to when I raised chickens. The ducks are what made me finally join the BYC community! This is my first raising ducks and I am finding it quite different from keeping chickens. Many people in my area keep chickens but I have not met anyone else who is keeping ducks. I wanted to be part of a supportive community, learn from others and maybe share what I learn with others who are learning too!
I'm so glad to be part of the community and looking forward to getting to know all of you!View attachment 1878998
