North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <dyellman@earthlink.net>]

Rondi:

At the risk of trying to change your fowl habits, I thought I might 
mention that I am keeping a flock of small call ducks in the orchard 
area, and they seem to be having a great time eating small creatures 
that emerge from soil.  I have a couple of small ponds -- almost a 
requirement for keeping ducks happy -- and every evening at dusk I scoot 
them into a contraption I built that I call the "duck mobile lounge". 
It has a couple of wheels on it, and I can move it around to new areas 
so the turf doesn't suffer too much.  They need that protection from the 
foxes at night, but seem able to avoid daytime predators like hawks on 
their own.  They are interesting and amusing to watch, quite a bit more 
playful than chickens and such, and seem to have a very complex social 
order that I do not fully understand.  They are always available to help 
when I start digging in a bed, looking for worms and grubs, and they 
sometimes do get in the way a little, since they will stand right on the 
spade, waiting.  Neighborhood children visit them frequently.

Maybe I am a little prejudiced, but to me turkeys are turkeys, and 
ducks, well, they are waterfowl.  Ducks are tough little critters, quite 
waterproof, and seem to require very little protection in the winter.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA