Show off your house ducks!

[kukupecpec]

You are very lucky it didn't spray you. Never make loud noises or fast movements near a skunk. Back away slowly & quietly if you ever encounter another.
We have tons of skunk around here. My son caught 1 in his live trap in December. Shoulda seen him sneaking up on the trap from behing 1 of my old sheets. Once he got the sheet over the trap he could shoot it in the trap without getting sprayed. The 1 he shot from a distance last fall sprayed as it was dying & we smelled it for 2 weeks after. And yes, skunk mating deason is stinky. We've been smelling the suckers for the past 2 weeks.
You are allowed to own descented captive bred skunks in Ohio with a permit. Same for deer, raccoon & opossum and pretty much any other wild animal native to Ohio.

Oh man i really am! I was more worried about getting bit (raised afraid of rabies!) and having never been around one before I just behaved the we do with all wild animals in the desert. Be big, log, and angry! If it's not in a pack it will run away! I lived way out in the boonies so we had tons of wild animals on the property allllll the time, but it's all different i suppose. The worst was even the mountain Lion came down and we had a lockdown at my school. Thankfully no one's pets were hurt as far as i heard and the Rangers came and dealt with it.

Lol!!! I was so focused on protecting the birds it didn't even register that I had run out without any pants! Eventually it dawned on me, and I was extremely happy it was as early in the morning as it was (just getting light out) so most folks weren't up yet!! I beat a hasty retreat into the house to dress before disposing of bodies and assessing the damage...
Now with the geese I can't just do a quick run out the back door to feed anyone either. They know I have food, and feel they must inform everyone within a mile radius that the food giver has arrived, and that Narcissus gets the first bite because he is so beautiful, and that the ducks should be in awe of his very presence...
...so loud that one day I went to a local drive through and the guy at the window asked if I "still had those d@&% geese" I said, "why yes, I still have those d@&% geese, and they are laying eggs!" He then proceeded to tell me he had decided to get chickens, and was expecting Jersey Giant chicks in May. I have started a trend!
The bird virus is spreading! Mwahahahaha!!!

i know the feeling of running out to protect my animals! I usually get a robe on halfway out the door, but we also live in the middle of the city lol there are ALWAYS people around and if rather not show off my body lol
Narcissus is such an awesome name for a gander! And it sounds like he lives right up to his name! How cute!

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Oh man i really am! I was more worried about getting bit (raised afraid of rabies!) and having never been around one before I just behaved the we do with all wild animals in the desert. Be big, log, and angry! If it's not in a pack it will run away! I lived way out in the boonies so we had tons of wild animals on the property allllll the time, but it's all different i suppose. The worst was even the mountain Lion came down and we had a lockdown at my school. Thankfully no one's pets were hurt as far as i heard and the Rangers came and dealt with it.
i know the feeling of running out to protect my animals! I usually get a robe on halfway out the door, but we also live in the middle of the city lol there are ALWAYS people around and if rather not show off my body lol
Narcissus is such an awesome name for a gander! And it sounds like he lives right up to his name! How cute!

Narcissus totally lives up to his name. I'm pretty sure if I put a mirror out back he'd stare at himself for hours!

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Field trip outside for the babies today. Their first one! They ate snow, played in the mud, picked at grass, and didn't hear me tell them "don't put that in your mouth!" even once!!
Mr. Perfect was still not ready to stray too far from Mommy though. He climbed into my lap and slept there instead!

 

[Charlierbrt]

Help just took in 3 baby ducklings. Around 4-5 WEEKS OLD. I have 11 chickens. Can I put ducks in with chickens? They are not free range but have a large run

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Are

Help just took in 3 baby ducklings. Around 4-5 WEEKS OLD. I have 11 chickens. Can I put ducks in with chickens? They are not free range but have a large run

Are they used to being outside? At that age they aren't well feathered, and if they are outside they will still need access to supplemental heat until they get some feathers across their backs (they can get wet and chill because there is no mama duck to oil them). Also, what are your chickens like? I wouldn't suggest young ducks in with an established flock until they can protect themselves. Even though the heavy duck breeds get large fast, they are still quite vulnerable at that age.
My suggestion if you want to keep them outside would be to fence off a smaller area for them at first. They can get used to the chickens, and the chickens can get used to them, while the babies stay safe. Give them their own shelter, with a heat lamp available should they need it. For bathing, give them a shallow pan of water to play in - you can go deeper as they feather out, but the goal at that size is to keep them from getting waterlogged. At about 8 weeks, they will be waterproof and able to hold their own against the other birds, and you can take the fencing down and let them in with the flock. Chickens and ducks do fine together, it's just the first few weeks when they are very young, the ducks need a little extra care.

 

[SilkieSensation]

I have done similar things in that attire only brandishing a ball bat instead of a gun & chasing a coon instead of a skunk...lol

Lol!!! I was so focused on protecting the birds it didn't even register that I had run out without any pants! Eventually it dawned on me, and I was extremely happy it was as early in the morning as it was (just getting light out) so most folks weren't up yet!! I beat a hasty retreat into the house to dress before disposing of bodies and assessing the damage...
Now with the geese I can't just do a quick run out the back door to feed anyone either. They know I have food, and feel they must inform everyone within a mile radius that the food giver has arrived, and that Narcissus gets the first bite because he is so beautiful, and that the ducks should be in awe of his very presence...
...so loud that one day I went to a local drive through and the guy at the window asked if I "still had those d@&% geese" I said, "why yes, I still have those d@&% geese, and they are laying eggs!" He then proceeded to tell me he had decided to get chickens, and was expecting Jersey Giant chicks in May. I have started a trend!
The bird virus is spreading! Mwahahahaha!!!

Precisely why the waterfowl are penned here. The turkeys & chickens trying to walk right in the house are bad enough...lol

You are very lucky it didn't spray you. Never make loud noises or fast movements near a skunk. Back away slowly & quietly if you ever encounter another.
We have tons of skunk around here. My son caught 1 in his live trap in December. Shoulda seen him sneaking up on the trap from behing 1 of my old sheets. Once he got the sheet over the trap he could shoot it in the trap without getting sprayed. The 1 he shot from a distance last fall sprayed as it was dying & we smelled it for 2 weeks after. And yes, skunk mating deason is stinky. We've been smelling the suckers for the past 2 weeks.
You are allowed to own descented captive bred skunks in Ohio with a permit. Same for deer, raccoon & opossum and pretty much any other wild animal native to Ohio.

Oh man i really am! I was more worried about getting bit (raised afraid of rabies!) and having never been around one before I just behaved the we do with all wild animals in the desert. Be big, log, and angry! If it's not in a pack it will run away! I lived way out in the boonies so we had tons of wild animals on the property allllll the time, but it's all different i suppose. The worst was even the mountain Lion came down and we had a lockdown at my school. Thankfully no one's pets were hurt as far as i heard and the Rangers came and dealt with it.

Lol!!! I was so focused on protecting the birds it didn't even register that I had run out without any pants! Eventually it dawned on me, and I was extremely happy it was as early in the morning as it was (just getting light out) so most folks weren't up yet!! I beat a hasty retreat into the house to dress before disposing of bodies and assessing the damage...
Now with the geese I can't just do a quick run out the back door to feed anyone either. They know I have food, and feel they must inform everyone within a mile radius that the food giver has arrived, and that Narcissus gets the first bite because he is so beautiful, and that the ducks should be in awe of his very presence...
...so loud that one day I went to a local drive through and the guy at the window asked if I "still had those d@&% geese" I said, "why yes, I still have those d@&% geese, and they are laying eggs!" He then proceeded to tell me he had decided to get chickens, and was expecting Jersey Giant chicks in May. I have started a trend!
The bird virus is spreading! Mwahahahaha!!!

i know the feeling of running out to protect my animals! I usually get a robe on halfway out the door, but we also live in the middle of the city lol there are ALWAYS people around and if rather not show off my body lol
Narcissus is such an awesome name for a gander! And it sounds like he lives right up to his name! How cute!

Big, loud & angry is definitely not how you want to deal with skunks. Small, quiet & slow is best. If you scare them, you get sprayed.

Help just took in 3 baby ducklings. Around 4-5 WEEKS OLD. I have 11 chickens. Can I put ducks in with chickens? They are not free range but have a large run

Depending on your weather, they may not be ready to go out yet. Pix & weather stats would help.

I try not to mix waterfowl with regular fowl. The mud & wet they produce is not good for other birds at all.

 

[18angovem]

While we are on the subject of predators, I thought I saw my dog outside (She is a red lab) and she is in heat right now so I went to bring her back inside and when I yelled for her to come inside she looked at me and to my surprise IT WAS A FOX!!!!! And it was in the middle of the day!!! I have kept the ducks inside for now... Hopefully my aviary can withstand the fox... I am just scared the fox will dig underneath. I need to put electric fence on the bottom of the aviary!

 

[SilkieSensation]

While we are on the subject of predators, I thought I saw my dog outside (She is a red lab) and she is in heat right now so I went to bring her back inside and when I yelled for her to come inside she looked at me and to my surprise IT WAS A FOX!!!!! And it was in the middle of the day!!! I have kept the ducks inside for now... Hopefully my aviary can withstand the fox... I am just scared the fox will dig underneath. I need to put electric fence on the bottom of the aviary!

Foxes are feeding kits right now, so they can be out any time. You may want to let the dog out (even if she is in heat) to keep the predators away from your birds.

 

[18angovem]

Quote:
I did.... They played. Facepalm. I let the dog out and the she just ran around my yard with the fox. It only lasted about a minute before the fox ran away but it was obvious they were playing... And she is a hunting dog! But for birds. (I know I shouldn't own a bird dog with birds but my brother cant own a dog where he lives so when I got a lab he trained her to be a bird dog)

 

[Charlierbrt]

Are

Are they used to being outside? At that age they aren't well feathered, and if they are outside they will still need access to supplemental heat until they get some feathers across their backs (they can get wet and chill because there is no mama duck to oil them). Also, what are your chickens like? I wouldn't suggest young ducks in with an established flock until they can protect themselves. Even though the heavy duck breeds get large fast, they are still quite vulnerable at that age.
My suggestion if you want to keep them outside would be to fence off a smaller area for them at first. They can get used to the chickens, and the chickens can get used to them, while the babies stay safe. Give them their own shelter, with a heat lamp available should they need it. For bathing, give them a shallow pan of water to play in - you can go deeper as they feather out, but the goal at that size is to keep them from getting waterlogged. At about 8 weeks, they will be waterproof and able to hold their own against the other birds, and you can take the fencing down and let them in with the flock. Chickens and ducks do fine together, it's just the first few weeks when they are very young, the ducks need a little extra care.

t

Do they eat chicken feed