Will our ducks ever "NOT" think that we are axe murders?

[ajallchorn]

Azure Moon, I am so sorry for the late reply due to an internet outage. I've tried feeding my ducks a variety of treats, but the only things that they really end up eating are peas, corn, and, believe it or not, little pieces of bread or good-quality hot dog buns free of preservatives, hydrogenated oil, and l-cysteine. It is common knowledge that bread is a highly controversial food to give ducks, and I am aware of this, but I only feed it to them on occasion and in VERY limited quantities. They love it, though, and beg persistently.

-Alexandra33

I have offered mine little pieces of bread on the odd occasion and they turn their nose up at it! I can't believe it - is it possible to have snobby ducks!! Unless I have crumpets, then I don't have a choice haha

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Dear cry4nr. I live in Eastern Wash. Too. Look at what Amiga says about smoke and approaching ducks. I suspected the smoke was driving my ducks to flee me she seems has more insight on what animals go through. Good luck Tom

@Amiga is one of the best of the best. Very difficult to add anything to her always wise advice. I do want to throw one thing out there in case I missed it in reading this thread, which is entirely possible because I'm very out of sorts today because of the death of one of my most favored feathered friends.

Smoke can be a terrifying thing to ducks. Not the kind that comes from your grill when you're cooking, but the kind that obscures their view of the sky, or of parts of the sky. If you watch ducks closely, you'll see them often looking up to scan the sky. In mixed flocks of ducks an drakes, one or two drakes will often take on a sentry role. They will alternately scan the perimeter and the skies while the females forage, and the drakes will take a quick nibble from the ground, then resume their scanning. If there is so much smoke in the air that the ducks or drakes can't see what's in the sky, they'll be hyper-alert because they have no way to know if a raptor is about to swoop down and grab them.

As far as just calming in general outside the smoke problem, we use standard phrases with the ducks, spoken softly, just as @Amiga does. Our ducks also react well to soft music and singing, and we start them on that at an early age. Some of ours will just calm down, set down, and listen when I start singing, almost like children being read a bedtime story.

 

[Amykins]

Agreed, Amiga's seen it all and she is a wealth on knowledge and wisdom. And for the sky watching thing, it really does make them unnerved when they can't see the sky, although I don't know how they instinctively know the difference between smoke and a thick cloudcover. It kinda breaks my heart a bit every time my babies tilt their heads up and flatten themselves against the ground whenever a helicopter passes overhead!

Um, this may sound a bit silly, but do you think you guys could bring your ducks inside for a couple of nights, just to get them away from the danger and give their air sacs a chance to breathe easily without the smoke, soot and ash? I bet that sounds ridiculous, bringing whole flocks indoors and piling them in the kitchen or something...I just hate the thought of them staying out there all afraid and paranoid at the unending fear that they'll call for an evacuation at any moment... :/

I really, really hope you guys are okay.

 

[ducks1959]

Thank you for the reply. Frustration also loves company as well as misery. Perhaps BYC will open a forum site on the psychological effects of poultry ownership. Mine too are slowly coming around. Fortunately, my neighbors already thought I am nuts. I talk extensively to my dogs and pond fish. They often have very good answers. I hope to hear more post regarding the dilemas with ducks. Tom

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Thank you for the reply. Frustration also loves company as well as misery. Perhaps BYC will open a forum site on the psychological effects of poultry ownership. Mine too are slowly coming around. Fortunately, my neighbors already thought I am nuts. I talk extensively to my dogs and pond fish. They often have very good answers. I hope to hear more post regarding the dilemas with ducks. Tom

Tom, welcome to BYC, in case I haven't already said it!

I personally worry about people who don't talk to their animals. Talking to them tells them they're part of your family/clan/pack/flock/whatever. Many of my animals actually become kind of sullen when I don't talk to them. Is that a case of conditioning? Possibly to some extent, but not entirely. They show that behavior very early on. Animals want their existence acknowledged, same as we do.

 

[JLynnsDuckies]

Yep, I'm among those who talk to their animals. When their little it's baby talk. They seem to really like that. When their older I talk to them the same as I would another person. My geese tell me all about their day. Honestly, even if someone thought I was nuts it wouldn't change my mind!