Neither can I.
Copyright 2014, Lori Fontanes
Can you imagine what it’s like to spend all day using your face to dig bugs out of the ground?
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Me neither!
So that makes two of us…and probably more!
very beautiful click 🙂
Thanks!!!
Haha, ew no! But ducks are cute when they use their beaks to do duck things!
I know, right? 🙂
Nope!
That really made me think…
Terry
In a good way? 🙂
How did you know that was my hobby–slugs are the best. My ducks are free now. We released them in our garden and I think they’ve only left the pond for about three minutes in three days.
:)! Congrats on your ducks’ graduation to the great outdoors!!!
Do you feed your ducks or let them just forage?
It’s a combination & it changes seasonally. Right now, there are lots of bugs and other growing things that they can eat but they’re also producing eggs (which I think makes them hungrier). During their egg-laying months, we provide organic layer pellets and (oyster shell on demand). In the winter, they get the poultry feed and also supplementary lettuce treats now and then. PS, we don’t eat their eggs, though. I’ve written about this before but always recommend having soil tested in any area where crops will be grown and/or animals will be foraging. Cornell has some useful guidelines on this, btw. Good luck with your ducks!!!
Do you mean because the eggs could be contaminated by bad soil or because the animals will need extra nutrients depending on the forage etc?
Both, I guess. Have you read Dave Holderread’s masterwork on duck raising? It’s called “Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks” and it has a lot of good stuff on nutrition, etc. In terms of contamination issues, the NY Times did a story a little while back on lead and urban poultry which raised some awareness. Brooklyn College has a wonderful soil testing program and they will also test other things such as eggs and plants. We don’t live in a agricultural area so I especially wanted to test our soil before I started planting things.
I have the other storeys books for chickens and goats, but haven’t gotten the duck one yet–though I will–thanks for the reminder. Those books are pretty great. We live on a property that has been a hayfield and forest for years and years and years.
I’ve been meaning to get the soil tested for the acidity, etc.This is another good reason. The ducks are slowly realizing they have a house to sleep in at night (or the undecorated shell of one that my husband’s building. Right now they’re very happy pond side. Thanks for the info Lori!
My pleasure! PS, don’t forget those nighttime predators!!! I’m working on a pen-hardening project this morning, as a matter of fact… sigh.
We have the garden fenced in but it’s still not perfect which is why we’re trying to get them trained to go in their house at night–but so far they just jump in the pond when we get close 🙂
They can be guided–mine are pretty biddable–but, then again, they don’t have a pond option. 😉