San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[desertdarlene]

So far, they look OK, but they had only been there a short time. They're very hungry, though. I think if Louie leaves them alone, they may be OK for a while as ground predator activity in that area has been on the low side, lately. And, they are in the area where people feed them. They seem to be taking to the water OK and are wary of dogs, but are very friendly with humans.

I'm worried about the Welsh Harlequin that is there, too. He's so thin now, I don't think he's going to last much longer, but I could be wrong. The blue Swedish, his friend, is in better shape, but thin, too.

 

[dfdesigns]

I bought one of those huge bags of mixed organic veggies at Costco a while back. I came home, threw it in the chest freezer, and promptly forgot about it. Today I was digging through there looking for something and found the bag. 3/4 of it had frozen into a big brick, so I stuck it in a pie tin and put it in the chicken run... I can't remember the last time those chickens had so much fun! The corn is the biggest hit, but they are enjoying the green beans and carrots, too. The littles in the barn got all of the loose veggies, and those were quite popular, too.

Lots of cheap enjoyment and nutrition to be had for $3.99!

 

[perchie.girl]

OK I have one more Wellie laying..... Gawd my life is sooo bizar..... I thought I would be spending these days reflecting on the Rocket ships I had designed or the novel I had wrote or the art i had created..... What makes me happiest is a teeny little speckled egg....

The other egg is probably from the first hen that layed an egg.....

deb "loving the simple life"

 

[desertdarlene]

One of the ducks has a black band or electrical tape around its leg. I hope that doesn't mean it's a girl and I hope it doesn't interfere with their growth. Doesn't look tight or restricting.

 

[aaajjss1]

Poor ducks i wish i didn't have so many, i have two ore males than i need i am trying to re Home them, but could never send them to starve. Mskes me mad

 

[Aumlet]

All these abandoned ducks make me so sad.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

All these abandoned ducks make me so sad.

X2. What's sadder is that if they are all boys where is there for them to go?

 

[desertdarlene]

And, these big boys sometimes kill the little female mallards which makes the male-female ratio even worse.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

And, these big boys sometimes kill the little female mallards which makes the male-female ratio even worse.

It really should be the responsibility of whoever is responsible for the lake to make sure that the animals there, especially the native ones, are safe. They should have a drop off pen (with food and water) where people who are going to do this can leave them safely. Then the lake can offer the ducks up for adoption or call animal control to come and get them. Ultimately the animals suffer. I'd rather see them put down humanely, or even butchered for someones table, then to see them linger, starve, hurt one another and eventually die anyhow.

 

[desertdarlene]

I feel that the staff tries very hard to deal with the dumped waterfowl, but, unfortunately, they have too much to do and too little staff to deal with the never ending drop offs. One of the staff members didn't even know about the two ducklings that were there a couple of weeks ago even though they were there for several days. They're dealing with getting ready for fall and fire season right now and are focused on that.

I think, though, some people think they're enhancing the lake by dropping these ducks off. There used to be a lady who purchased swans there all the time. When one pair of swans died, she would buy more. She wanted to see swans there, so she continued to buy them until she was told to stop after the last two pairs there lasted less than a year.

I've talked to people and most lake visitors have no idea that all, except two or three, of the non-flying domestic ducks have been there less than two years. There are about 30-35 domestic-type ducks there, including large mallard mixes.