Hi everyone, hope your weekend is going well.
I just wanted to say that I'm taking a small break from the forums after a really hard week at the farm. The flock of 10 Ancona ducks and 3 Welsh Harlequin that I absolutely adored were lost to an unnamed event this week. Five bodies were found, very little damage, and scattered throughout the 15 acres. No trace of the other eight, no tracks discernable, and somehow the chaos escaped the game camera wHich is mostly focused on the rabbit barn. The duck pen (uncovered) was undisturbed, and no litter of feathers. I'm thinking two - legged predators, with a dog (or the dog came later and got the Ducks left behind and out of the pen). I'm devastated.
The only bright spot is the few EE eggs I've got hatching, and the 11 CCL eggs in Lockdown. I have about five turkey eggs about to go into lockdown, but I'm not so optimistic about them. It seems that they are really sensitive to the vibration of the egg turner, as most seem to quit. I'm thinking I'll try hand turning a batch next. Anyhow, have a good week all, and I will be back in a bit.
