The Quack Shack

[rjohns39]

Vitamin D is presumably part of the vitamin concentrate we are adding to her water but yes, I guess I can try with fish. But is canned fish OK - I mean because of the salt and oil? I do have some salmon in the deep freeze...

Cheap canned salmon is best.

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning / evening folks

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So many videos!!! Sorry Frank, I did *not* watch the 3 hour one, lol. And I did do some fast forwarding through most of them. I caught you saying "Duckling's first zoomies!" though!

Buffzilla is quite the architect! She's more dedicated to that nest than to her babies!

Are you going to try to move the new duckling up to be with the others?

I did not expect anybody to watch a three hour video, but according to YT it was opened 60 times already. To be honest, i cannot open that video in the avidemux program, so i am unable to cut it. It also does not play in the vlc player but does play with the Windows Media Player, so i decided yo upload the whole three hours. As you said, you can fast-forward and find the interesting moments in the YT-player.

Yes, that "nest"! - I wonder at what point there is so much insulation that she will cook herself. She is crazy about straw, every little bit of straw that she can get she adds to the nest. I just hope that the little ones will force her to go outside soon.

Moving the new duckling? - First i doubt that Buffzilla will accept this one and second, i love my fingers!!! This duckling is guarded by a fearsome dragon by the name of Violeta Duck.
First thing this morning was to run out to the duck house and rescue another duckling which had fallen off the cliff. The dragon did nothing to the duckling, but as soon as she saw my hand she began to hiss and poke.

When I was cleaning the Kindergarden, i stepped too close to the nest and the dragon ate my left foot! - Once she clamped down her bill she is not letting go! I dragged her with me into the other bedroom in the duck house before she ran back to her nest. And during the whole time she was beating me with her wings and scratching with her toenails. Those toenails can cut through a Neutronium-Alloy like butter, tell you.
Nop, that duckling stays with its dragon momma!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Here - we managed to make a short video of Junior walking and then giving up. I think this link should work fine - if the embed fails, use the view on youtube option

I've also watched some of your videos, I love the kindergarden one

She is walking weird. I do not think something is wrong with her legs, she is waling on her feet and puts the full foot down to the ground. But have you noticed her back curling with the rump pointing downwards? I have no clue what that could be, @casportpony @shawluvsbirds can you please have a look at this video of a five months old duck, having difficulties to walk? - Thank you very much in advance for your help.
I assume she was not well fed as duckling and may has some issues with her hip or spine? Or maybe she just needs to develop some more muscles?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

At that too-many-ducks farm that's what the ducks had... bread in water, and some crumble and cracked corn.

And i still see too many people in parks here feeding bread to the wild, feral and dumped ducks. Just bread. Last time i brought a bag of cat-food with me and was quickly overrun by hungry birds. Park "ranger" came and asked me what i was doing and i had a good conversation with her about not allowing visitors to "feed" bread and the difference between wild Mallards and (abadoned) domestic ducks. I would have taken all of the domestic ducks home with me (about a dozen) but the have become feral already and wouldn't let me touch them.
At least the county has invested in some "Don't feed us bread" signs at the pond. Still bread in the water…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

We have some heavy weather rolling in and I was wondering... Will hail hurt ducks? I would figure the answer is yes. Will they know to take shelter under trees shrubs etc?

My ducks knew instinctively what to do. They hid under the trees, standing upright to show as little surface to the incoming hail as possible. Also watching so they could move out of the way in an instance.
And some ducks ran into the house and a third group (the oldest and experienced ones) just sat down under the overhang of the house and watched the show…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Greetings everyone. Hope everyone is safe with all the crazy weather around the world and the unintentional export of second-hand smoke from Canada

Maybe its a good thing! - That smoke i mean: Today i read that NYC experienced the orange haze and smoky air, so i thought it might drive all the rats (four- and two-legged!) out of the city…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The storm cloud has arrived. The ducks have moved into the deep orchard (mature apple trees, practically closed canopy) and are huddling closely around a water basin. They seem to know what to do.

They do know how to stay safe! - Never seen a duck being injured by a hail.

 

[Supercow]

She is walking weird. I do not think something is wrong with her legs, she is waling on her feet and puts the full foot down to the ground. But have you noticed her back curling with the rump pointing downwards? I have no clue what that could be, @casportpony @shawluvsbirds can you please have a look at this video of a five months old duck, having difficulties to walk? - Thank you very much in advance for your help.
I assume she was not well fed as duckling and may has some issues with her hip or spine? Or maybe she just needs to develop some more muscles?

Yes, immediately before dropping down she gets into a hunchback pose. Makes a step or two after that and bam, done for a while.

We believe the conditions on that farm were really bad and all the young ducks were malnourished due to competition and due to food and water lacking in quantity and quality.

So we're trying to make up for that but I don't know to what extent developmental problems can be fixed after 2 months (not 5 - that's our oldest batch, they are fine) of a duck's life.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Maybe its a good thing! - That smoke i mean: Today i read that NYC experienced the orange haze and smoky air, so i thought it might drive all the rats (four- and two-legged!) out of the city…

Yeah, my bf lives in Brooklyn and he couldn't believe the colour of the sky! I told him to stay inside.