~ Retired and Starting My Future In The Foothills ~

[maple]

yuck.... let's just go back to thinking about silly ducks.

I think that's a good suggestion to see if your neighbors will help for some extra cash.

 

[debilorrah]

Linda I pray that citation is in the wind somewhere, and if they don't send it with a signature request, how do they ever know you received it?

 

[HHandbasket]

One of the things I have discovered by talking to many others living in this county is if you know all the "right" people, certain things can get back-burnered for YEARS. I think Linda's well-to-do real estate lady with all the right connections has made all the "right" ripples in the pond. I think this is going to be indefinitely on the back burner.

That's my feeling on it... I'm hoping that's the way it goes.

It still bugs me that the "complaint" was filed before she brought any real chickens to the property, and I cannot help but be bothered by wondering who filed it in the first place.

 

[gryeyes]

Paprika laid another egg in the house, in the exact same spot as her other one. That girl really believes in delivering the goods right TO me!

There are only four ducklings in the yard... I have no idea where the other two ... went.... I really hate not being home that much. Eventually this busy, busy, busy moving stuff will be DONE.

It looks like Kate is trying to become the ducklings' Big Sister. I have been worried about her harassing them, but no, she's just gently herding them around. Angus watches with interest, but is not interfering (or assisting) at this point. The Cayugas - all being male - don't give a quack about the ducklings. The call duck pair - now named Elvis and Priscilla - are Cayuga sycophants right now, following them around and hanging with 'em.

 

[maple]

sychophants...

 

[maple]

...but those lil calls are soo cute....

 

[gryeyes]

Predator(s) got the two ducklings. I found evidence ... or, rather, one of the chickens found the evidence, snatched it up and ran with it. A duckling leg. Crap. It will be SO much better when I can actually get home by 7 p.m. every night after work to herd the ducklings into the coop. It will be dark by then, very soon, but it's a whole lot easier to hunt for black peepers than 10, 11 or midnight! Thank goodness the little girls DO peep and make noise so I can zero in on 'em. Plus they are growing fast, already with some hard feathers on their wing shoulders. They are nearly the size of the call ducks - who fly very well. I am NOT clipping anybody's wings.

The hazards of letting a flock range freely when I'm not home. <*sigh*>

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
I know calls are SUPPOSED to fly, but my trio is well grounded. I have never seen them leave the ground. They are noisy little suckers.

I am bummed they were attacked.

 

[HHandbasket]

Linda's calls fly. I've seen it. But they just make a circle and come right back home. They know where they live. They know who loves 'em. LOL.

Linda, I am sooooo sorry to hear something got your cayuga girls.

I still don't think Dooley and Zorro would be too terribly pushed out of shape if you got a nice outside dog for flock protection when you can't be there. Because we do see more predators this time of year up here, we have been leaving Ginger outside in the yard everytime we leave now because I can hear something out in the woods & I see their little beady eyes out there when I shine the flashlight down the hill at night. I don't know if Ginger would really attack a predator, but she barks and is big and scares 'em off, and that's good enough for me. Also, when she starts barking, so do Beau & Summer (my landlady's great pyrenees that she has to protect her alpaca herd here on the ranch). With all the dogs barking, tends to scare off a predator.

 

[debilorrah]

The closer to winter we get the more coyotes and mountain lions come out. We actually have a security camera pointed at the coop with a flood light on it, so we can see if the dogs start making a fuss.

A dog is a good idea.