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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Wow and ducks

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  • From: "Wyatt Jones" <wyatt_jones AT netzero.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Wow and ducks
  • Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 08:59:54 -0400

I managed to minimize damage from Raccoons by planting a different kind of sweet corn.  I planted types that had the ears positioned higher and that had a sturdier stalk, one was called Ka-Ching, unfortunately these were mostly later types.  It seemed to get rid of the raccoon problems but deer are such a big problem around here that I haven't been able to solve that problem yet.  There are some BIG deer around here and they don't seem deterred by much of anything.  Its odd, I'll have great corn stand with lots of ears but just before they get ripe I'll go out and from a distance the corn looks beautiful but when I get closer I find there isn't an ear left even though the stalks are still unmolested. weird.  Anyway I planted grinding corn this year, a red heirloom called Floriani.  I had to plant it late to try to avoid GMO contamination but I'll see how it goes.
 
On a side note I hatched out a couple dozen ducks, Khaki Campbells and Welsh Harlequins, both layer types and all but 3 turned out drakes, really bad luck there.  Anyway they are getting more mature and now starting to fight and kill each other, need to get rid of a BUNCH of drakes though I hate to do it given all the work I put into them.  It was ok when the dead ones were drakes but I found one of the hens dead so I guess its culling time.  I think I'm going to have to pen up the hens for their own protection until I can get that done 5 of the drakes were ganging up on one of them this morning, I about killed them on the spot I was so mad.  I was hoping to get more duck eggs but I guess I just got a really bad turn of luck with them.  I was also thinking the raccoons would be a bigger problem but even when the bodies are out all night they haven't been touched by any predators.  Ducks are a real pain anyway.  I like having them but they turn everything into a mudhole,splash all the water out of the chicken fountains, eat all their food and half of it ends up in the water that's left mucking everything up, dirty little stinkers.  They have been free range so far but I think they all need to be penned up to keep them out of the chicken coop
 
Wyatt
Jamestown Ohio

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