I am on to my second round of trying to raise some ducks. Ducks lay eggs that are wonderful for baking, and they make very amusing pets to have around the farm. Here are the chicks that arrived around late July of this year:
The mother is the only duck I had left from the last batch. My biggest problem is with predators... foxes, hawks, owls are all very abundant around here. I generally let my poultry free range. Not only do they get more natural food and exercise that way, but if a predator does come for them, they can run and hide, and they aren't, well.... sitting ducks!
Since I think much of the predation is happening at night, I bought this handy little device called Nite-Guard. It's simply a solar powered, blinking red light. It confuses predators into thinking there's another predator there, and they steer clear. So far it seems to be working pretty well. I'm hoping they all make it through the winter with no problem.
Here is a more recent photo.... the other nice thing about ducks is that they are full grown in only 2 months! (vs. having to wait over 6 months to get your first eggs from chickens).
The mother is the only duck I had left from the last batch. My biggest problem is with predators... foxes, hawks, owls are all very abundant around here. I generally let my poultry free range. Not only do they get more natural food and exercise that way, but if a predator does come for them, they can run and hide, and they aren't, well.... sitting ducks!
Since I think much of the predation is happening at night, I bought this handy little device called Nite-Guard. It's simply a solar powered, blinking red light. It confuses predators into thinking there's another predator there, and they steer clear. So far it seems to be working pretty well. I'm hoping they all make it through the winter with no problem.
Here is a more recent photo.... the other nice thing about ducks is that they are full grown in only 2 months! (vs. having to wait over 6 months to get your first eggs from chickens).
