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No more ducks

We've made the decision to sell off our ducks. As much as I love them, it just hasn't been working out. The first year we had several different breeds and 1 pen/pond so purebreds were impossible. A turkey vulture got one of the call ducks so we decided on Khaki Campbells, netted the pen and sold off the rest for the next season.

That year both the girls got eaten by a fox. This year that darned fox came back and ate the male. I've tried a fox trapper, my own safe traps, and just plain waiting for him every night with a loaded 22. Nothing has worked. Well, except making sure the dog is outside every night about an hour before dusk (that's Mr Fox's hunting time) and getting everyone in before dark every single night. 

baby duckling

Fox problem aside, all our waterfowl have had a fondness for the back door. They sit on the patio and wait by the door for us to come out. They know I'm a sucker for their cute faces and always give them snacks! Unfortunately ducks poop where they sit, so every time we walk outside we have to dodge giant piles of ducky poo. I think my husband was ready to move out and leave me to the ducks! Lol We use that door a lot so it was a constant problem. 

Oh, and they knock! They bump their bills off the door to call us which results in a slimy, sticky, messy door. That didn't actually bother me though.

We decided to sell the remaining girls and found them a home down by Pittsburgh with another flock of Khakis, 2 boys and a girl. I think they've missed their BF so that will make them happy. We're going to lay off the waterfowl for now. We'll spend tomorrow cleaning the duck house and renovating it for the Mille Fluer D'Uccles. I plan on rerouting the fence so the pond is on the outside of it and will probably add water plants and some fish this summer. I'll miss them of course, but I really think its for the best. So, no more baby ducklings...but we really haven't managed to have many anyway. *sigh*

~L

4 comments:

  1. So sorry you had to rehome the ducks and that you had so many predator problems. Sounds like they have a wonderful new home, though.

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    1. Thanks! I think they have a great new home too. Maybe we'll try again in a couple years, but for now...it's the right thing to do.

      ~L

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  2. Timing is everything. I'm reading your post just minutes before heading out to get a few ducks. We haven't had much luck with ducks either for various reasons... we even have had 2 drown. I didn't even know that was possible. But, we are going to give our duck raising another shot mostly to try and keep slugs out of our garden. This post reminded me that they do poop... a lot. Decisions aren't easy to make, but most of the time I feel like actually making the decision is the hardest part. So, hopefully it just gets easier & you can enjoy your duck free, less poop, lifestyle.

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    1. Good luck with your new ducks! Hopefully it will work out this time. They certainly are fun to have!

      ~L

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