The Quack Shack

[Canadian Wind]

Well, that definitely makes me feel better! - Confident that you're not attempting to re-grow dinosaurs by crossing turkeys and emus…
He still looks much larger than the wild turkeys here though

The wild ones here are fairly big, and tough as nails. I hit one last fall with the truck and it went rolling over the hood, windshield, and roof, and when I stopped to see if I'd gotten a free Thanksgiving dinner, it was nowhere to be seen!

Oh well, meat probably would have been just as tough.

 

[Canadian Wind]

I was sitting in the coop yard in the wet muck, with a slow drizzle raining down on me, holding a precious little duckling who was more than happy to snuggle into my hand. And eat the mosquitoes!

Absolutely hilarious to watch these tiny little things jump and snatch the annoying bloodsuckers out of the air! Or off my arm or pant-leg.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I'm 5' 7", so not too short, haha. He's just tall! Seriously, males can get up to 4 feet tall. They're bigger than you would think.

And they have loooong legs and can run really, really fast!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I have been very fortunate because none of my ducks have ever had a foot problem and two are big Rouen that are 6 years old and my one Huge Mule Duck that is as big as a Pekin. I bought a Gorilla Cart that is like a wagon and it dumps. It made moving the sand a lot easier as I pull it and then dump it. I got it from Walmart online and it was a great investment. Thanks for telling me about your wood chips. With them being free I can see why you would want to use them. I still work and my Ducks are my hobby. I have no real vices other than candy, lol, so spending money on my ducks is something I don't mind. If I didn't eat sugar I would not weigh anything. lol

It is not only the wood-chips being for free, as said when they are soaked with duck they will decompose in 3-6 months, depending on the temperatures, and make eggcelent soil. Screened with a 5mm kitchen sieve (don't tell the Missus!), mixed with a little bit of barn-lime and you have eggcelent potting soil. That's why i am currently drowning in tomato plants.
Would love to have a bit of a farm here when i reach my retirement, so i wouldn't turn into a couch potato and on a farm everything must have a purpose, even wood chips…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I have always wanted Turkeys. We have the wild ones here but never seen the Toms with and hens and poults.

You should come over here when its Turkey season.
They all know that i am not into hunting - except for raccoons, two this weekend…
Gobble Gobble!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I am 18 Miles East of Columbus in Pataskala. I live in a housing development but was born and raised in Columbus where I never got to have many pets. I now think I am a farm girl which has always been my dream and have my 20 ducks. lol Some people think I am crazy and others love it as they know no one else with ducks. My neighbors are very tolerant of both me and my ducks so I am very fortunate. If you ever needed any Mallard Drakes I believe I have at least 2 month old ones and can do a road trip, lol.

You live just 2.5 hours away from me! - Housing development? I hope you don't get an HOA! They will force you to get rid of your ducks asap. It seems that the "no poultry" rule is part of all HOA rule-sets. They have the loud roosters in mind, but the rule will be applied even to the quiet Muscovies. I hope you don't get an HOA!!!
The HOA was one reason why we fled the suburbs of Houston!

 

[Luv Ducks]

You live just 2.5 hours away from me! - Housing development? I hope you don't get an HOA! They will force you to get rid of your ducks asap. It seems that the "no poultry" rule is part of all HOA rule-sets. They have the loud roosters in mind, but the rule will be applied even to the quiet Muscovies. I hope you don't get an HOA!!!
The HOA was one reason why we fled the suburbs of Houston!

Our development is very old and there will never be any HOA. We are blessed by that. We are not in town but in an old development that was always referred to as Little WV, please don't take that personally. I have had a Pot Belly Pig here and a few streets over used to have a horse! I have lived out here for 50 years and no one has ever bothered me. I was on the Board of Zoning Appeals for our Township for 30 years! lol I am Blessed by where I live and love it here for that reason. I would never buy a house with a HOA as I like my freedom too much. We are outside of town in a Township and that is why we don't have to worry as much.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

In today's noon swimming session Junior swam completely submerged by her own decision, thus gaining the rank of the duckiest of our ducks (nobody else did this so far). It was only a small 3-ft-accross grape picking tub but it was enough for going underwater. I really must dig a pond.

Your ducks will love to have a pond. - But make sure that you can either drain that pond or that there's a creek flowing through, alt least temporarily. Ducks turn all water into brown soup (which they then drink with joy ) in no time.
Glad to hear that Junior is making progress in the water. How are her legs doing?

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hello hello, hope you all have a good Sunday. We had thunderstorms yesterday, I was out gathering food for the rabbits and got utterly soaked!

»When thunder roars, stay indoors!« - I know, food for the babies is more important that your life! I'm the same…

 

[Luv Ducks]

I had a drake like. I was constantly chasing him off my Muscovy girls, all the while the scovie drakes doing nothing.

And it's not like he didn't have females of his own! Considering eight out of my thirteen ducklings are blue (his colour), he was breeding them, too!!!

What did you end up doing with your drake that was a bad one?