Here's a video from this morning. About halfway through, there is a REAL quack!
http://flickr.com/photos/10178403@N05/3193300670/
Ducklings - first bathtub experience
I just KNOW that was Blub who let out the quack. It's so like her/him. When do you know if they are boys or girls?
i have absolutely NO clue!
LMBO. They shall be what they be, quacking all the way ^_^
SWEET!!!!!
I heard the quack, oh my gosh how cute is that
Dove
Every time I go down there, at least one of them quacks now. They are so funny.
Look how big they are! This tank is 2 feet tall, for scale.
Here's another!
they are sooooooooo cute, I seen some little runner babies last night, I had to turn my head. I wanted them so bad.
LOOK HOW BIGGGGG THEY HAVE GOTTEN.
I did not know they grew so fast!! wow
I didn't know either SC! I figured they'd be like chicks, but NO WAY! They grow huge and fast. They take forever to get feathers though, which is unlike the chicks, who feather out quite quickly. Just amazing how different they are.
Its a cool experience though! Thanks for letting us in on it.
How long until you can let them outside?
I'm not sure Dovey - kind of depends on the weather here. Probably mid to late March.
Can you let them out on warm days and shoo them back in if it's going to be too cold? Are they shooable?
They are just sooo cute, I want a couple of ducks. I think I'll name them Dooney & Bourke ☺
Of course Dooney & Bourke won't be for eating, they can be the mascots.
Are you raising your ducks for food or fun?
Talk about fat and sassy!! Has anyone seen Aristocats? Every time I look at this thread I get the theme song for the geese stuck in my head...just for the waddley-ness of 'em...
I have seen the Aristocats a couple of times. Love it.
Sometimes I think googleguy is a bit of a weinerbrain. I asked him about 'shooing ducks' and all he wanted to do was talk about hunting humfph.
maybe try "herding ducks"?
wren have you been bribing googleguy with your fabby southern cooking? BINGO! Although it does sound more complicated that 'shooing'. I used to shoo ptarmigans away from the end of the driveway every morning with a straw broom when I lived in the Arctic. Here is the herding technique:
"Depending on the location of the capture efforts, birds can be driven between the corral wings and ‘funnelled’ into the corral either by rowing in small boats, wading through shal-low water or walking behind them. General instructions for ‘herding’ birds into the corral are described below:• The number of “herders” required will depend on the number of birds to be caught, the size of the corral enclosure and habitat. A minimum of four herders will be required.• The herders should form a line with the birds between themselves and the funnel shaped corral opening (Figure 3.3); in cases where the final capture site is uncertain, the herders should form a circle and drive birds towards a central point, then con-struct the corral near the herded birds and move them into it.
Using coordinated movements, the herders should then drive the birds as a group toward the corral opening (or central point).• Birds should be herded at a steady pace so that they do not panic and scatter in all directions or charge at speed into the corral causing the walls of the pen to col-lapse.• Hand nets or poles can be used to direct the birds’ movements and catch any birds which try to escape through the line (although it is better to let a single bird escape rather than break the line and risk losing the entire flock); waving a hand-net will persuade a bird to move away, while pointing the net to the right or to the left, may persuade birds to move in the desired direction.• Once all birds have entered the corral, the mouth of the corral should be carefully closed (making sure no birds are caught in the door) and the designated bird extractor should position him/herself inside the pen and in front of the exit."
OMG have you ever tried, they all go in unison, you go one way they go the other. And usually not where you want them to go. I would make them a pen and pen them up with some type of "pond" watering hole. I was able to catch 19 mallards the other night only because we caught them in the coop and just chased them until we got a neck or a leg.
Thanks luvs. Note to self: ducks are unshooable.
lol dnut that is to funny been there done that. My last time to do it was with 3 people. Ok we had to sync ourselves, you go this way ill go this way and you dont move............ grab and snatch.
I use my DH's golf clubs to herd....just wiggle it on the side you want them away from...No critter likes weird long wiggling things protruding from persevering people...
ever try to catch a piglet, almost about the same thing..............just hope u dont dive into the muck
LMAO grow................................I am in tears.
Dnut I just have a strange mind. LOL Beside I live with a herding dog breed and some of the animals used to train them are ducks.. Anyone wont's to hire him, let my know. He is driving me nuts, as it is to nasty to go out and play!!!!!!
Dooney and Bourke would be funny, especially since that is my current favourite purse. I call it "Baby" and I'm always asking Kelly to "hold Baby for me" when we're out shopping, etc.
The ducks came from the Animal Rescue League and as such, we signed a contract to say that they are only to be companion animals and are not for eating. We can eat the eggs though. :-)
I'm not sure if they are shooable. They are quite skittish and apparently think my sole intention is to frighten them, because they stay to the other side of the pen at all times when I am around. I am afraid that they might run away still. I need to get them used to being fed by me, and when they go outside, hopefully I can keep them enclosed for the first week or two, so they know where they live and will return home each night.
I surprised they don't think its a giant heebiejeebie worm and swarm you. What's better cousin nut, a wood or an iron?
Try live worms, as they wiggle in your had that may overcome there fear.
This message was edited Jan 13, 2009 3:07 PM
Can you lure them with lettuce?
Have you read the hereding ducks entry on the new agrarian site?
Quoting:
Herding ducks
Herding ducks take a little practice, but their instinct is to flock closely together, so it is not too difficult. Because they can see almost 360 degrees, you can simply walk behind them and guide them with small motions. To get them to turn right, for example, I just swing my left arm out to the side. Sharp or sudden movements can spook the ducks and be counterproductive.
The only time we have problems herding them is in the morning when we have moved their pen to a new location. Occasionally, one duck — usually Sybil — will miss the gate to the pen and run around the side, and then the only thing to be done is to let them all back out, round them up, and herd them in again.
Basset hounds, sadly, are of little help in this endeavor.
http://www.newagrarian.com/2008/05/12/daily-routine/
Quoting:
Duck linguistics
And finally, a brief note about ducks’ ability to understand spoken English (or, I assume, any other human language). Ours seem consistently to recognize three words: pen, bedtime, and lettuce. “Lettuce” is obvious. “Pen” is their grazing pen, where they go in the morning, and “bedtime” (or sometimes just “bed”) is their house, where they go at night. I had assumed that they went to the correct place in morning and evening merely out of habit, but twice in the past month, Kathy or I have made the mistake of saying “go to your pen” when we meant “go to bed” — and both times, they immediately peeled off and headed into their grazing pen. Both times, Eddy was at the lead. I figure with things like this that once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. If it happens again, I may really have to think about breeding that duck.
http://www.newagrarian.com/2004/03/02/raising-ducks-the-second-year/
That is so cool!!! I wonder if Sybil is Blub's cousin. Claire hopefully you have an 'Eddy' to lead the swarm. We will definitely need to see herding videos when the time comes.
Iron. Love the post G_M
CMoxon ,
Hubby is quite indulgent with me when it comes to Dooney & Bourke bags.
We have a standing joke, on payday when we each get our allotment of mad money, Matt always says he's feeding the Dooney.
I've never eaten a duck egg... any idea how they taste compared to hen eggs?
No matter they are just too cute.
Dove
Claire, it looks like you may have a black Cayuga there!
Dovey, I think duck eggs taste much like chicken eggs. The shells are much thicker, and there is quite a bit more white, so you need to cook them a tad bit longer, but the taste is very similar.
This message was edited Jan 13, 2009 11:02 PM
Guess what! The ARL contacted me. They have a muscovy duck needing a rescue home. And you KNOW what that means...
How fabulous - Muscovies are way cool.
http://geocities.com/MUSCOVYDUCKS/
Dove
The ARL, Claire? OR THE DUCK FAIRY???