Homestead mailing list

["Lisa K.V. Perry" <lisakvperry AT gmail.com>]

On 8/28/06, SISU! <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net> wrote:
> They do seem to have personalities.  I didn't clip wings either, but had I
> known they would fly as far as they did, I probably would have.

We got 5 out of 6 duck wings clipped this morning. Could not catch the last
hen, she kept hiding and running behind the alpha drake.  That was
interesting.  We're so used to chickens and decided they are much easier to
catch than ducks, am glad we only have to clip once a year.  We'll see how
this next year goes.  They have been in the hen house all week.  We kept
them in so they would be good and sure to know where home is--we hope.  Have
been giving them fresh water 2x day and laying mash, supplemented with diced
cucumber and grass on alternating days.  Was told how much these ducks love
watermelon, but we didn't grow any and it's too expensive for free ducks.
After the wings were clipped, we opened the hen house door to the hen yard
and also the hen yard door to the farm (directly across from the blueberry
field).  So far, no duck has made it to the hen yard, we may have to shoo
them out.  Maybe they'll figure it out and venture out later on their own.
The hen yard has a mulberry tree on the other side of the fence, one of the
low hanging branches is in the hen yard.  May have ducks in the tree when we
return.  Have to run errands in town, will come back and check to see if
progress has been made--and change the water.

We aim to put together a water pot contraption that I saw on a duck
website.  It's simple, just need to find a large containment 'pot'.  Put a
big square of carpenter wire on top of containment pot, then put their water
pot in the middle of the carpenter wire.  This way they can get to the
water, but instead of splashing water all over the place, the catch pot will
contain most of it.  Dump containment pot as needed.  Also saw a better
system, someone used a sheep watering trough for the water source.  They
buried most of it in the ground (it's approx. 18" wide x 2' deep), then
surrounded it with carpenter wire so the grass doesn't get torn up and
muddy.  We're set up for chickens, so all of this is new to us.

Thinking about advertising on freecycle for a sheep watering trough or
similar.  You never know.

Lisa