The Quack Shack

[WannaBeHillBilly]

We lost a duck yesterday.... Or so we thought.

I came back in the evening from the regular dog patrol and everyduck was OK. An hour later one was missing.

We packed up the others and went looking... With a flashlight... Calling duck-duck-duck...

Nothing in the orchard.
Nothing in the outside orchard.
Nothing around the field.
No duck
Sneaky fox, that's 2 this year (

However, context:
- 3 of the ducks are broody ("broody" - it's not at all sure anything will come of it, I think they are poseurs)
- 1 duck in the other house was also trying to set up a nest but I kept frustrating her attempts
- and this is the house / flock from which one duck was missing, so hmmm....

Found her today deep in the black raspberries when she hissed at the dog who was rummaging around

Are broody ducks and super rapey drakes going to stop anytime soon? They have been at it full steam for two months now.

That reminds me of Pinball Duck, in 2022 she hid a nest under the garage-roof overhang and went missing every evening until i finally discovered her.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Coons are seen as pest here, there is no coon-hunting season, they can be disposed year-round by any means.

It does! - Got the trap in the mail on Friday, installed it in the evening and caught a Trash-Panda during the night. Quick and swift, i consider that less cruel than sitting in a cage for hours and being shot then.
I am using one of my cold frames on my work platform, setting the trap in the middle with sardines behind and ½ covered with a heavy piece of wood on top.
The one i caught knew about the cage traps and would not go inside. But they have no chance to learn with the Coni-Bear trap…

It's not about killing the coon being legal or not. . it's the style of trap because it can easily kill things that are not intended. There are regulations regarding using that style of trap, where they can be placed.
I wouldn't go around bragging about it locally is all I'm sayin.

I love F@T
Everything I've bought from there has been quality.

 

[Supercow]

 

[Supercow]

Sooo if you separate your drakes .... but there is only a wire fence between them and the ladies (there's not a duck-free space in between) -- does that work? Or are they constantly frustrated trying to cross the fence?

 

[Luv Ducks]

Sooo if you separate your drakes .... but there is only a wire fence between them and the ladies (there's not a duck-free space in between) -- does that work? Or are they constantly frustrated trying to cross the fence?

What happened to me when I did that was my huge Muscovy drake tried to mate my Mallard drake so I ended up getting rid of both of them. I felt bad for the Mallard drake and could not stop the Muscovy from trying to mate him all day.

 

[Supercow]

What happened to me when I did that was my huge Muscovy drake tried to mate my Mallard drake so I ended up getting rid of both of them. I felt bad for the Mallard drake and could not stop the Muscovy from trying to mate him all day.

We have

- 2 adult KC drakes

- 3 growing up SA drakes (not miniature) ... two of which started bobbing their heads at each other at 3 months old ... those are really big, like small geese, stocky body like a barrel, when you pick one up you automatically think "mmm roast duck" even if that was not your intention

- 2 WH drakes, also 3 months old, they seem generally chill and laid back

- 1 other KC drake 2 months old, too young to judge character

- 6 mint new KC's a few days old of which ?? might be drakes

That's a lot of drakes...

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Sooo if you separate your drakes .... but there is only a wire fence between them and the ladies (there's not a duck-free space in between) -- does that work? Or are they constantly frustrated trying to cross the fence?

It would be best if they can't see the girls. They will probably do nothing but pace the fence.

 

[Supercow]

So much duckness

 

[Luv Ducks]

We have

- 2 adult KC drakes

- 3 growing up SA drakes (not miniature) ... two of which started bobbing their heads at each other at 3 months old ... those are really big, like small geese, stocky body like a barrel, when you pick one up you automatically think "mmm roast duck" even if that was not your intention

- 2 WH drakes, also 3 months old, they seem generally chill and laid back

- 1 other KC drake 2 months old, too young to judge character

- 6 mint new KC's a few days old of which ?? might be drakes

That's a lot of drakes...

If you have a huge pen and places where they can get away from each other a bachelor flock might work. I never knew when I used to let my Mallard hatch out her babies that the hen is what determines the sex of the babies. She had 35 ducklings over the years and out of all of them 2 were hens and the rest drakes. After I discovered that the hen determined the sex, no more babies from her.

 

[Luv Ducks]

It would be best if they can't see the girls. They will probably do nothing but pace the fence.

Either that or take their frustrations out on each other.