Whenever I go out to feed and visit with my ducks, there is one that inevitably gives me this cute little head-cocked, sly look. I wonder what’s going through her mind as she stares at me. Is she wondering if I have more treats than what I’m sharing, or does she suspect me of being a wolf in people’s clothing? She doesn’t seem to be afraid, just watching. Sizing me up. Taking it all in. This silly little duck got me wondering about the senses that a duck uses to navigate in their world…so I did some research.
My mom tells the story of when I was a toddler, we went to the park. There, of course, was a lake at the park with lots of ducks. I had a bag of popcorn which I was evidently sitting on the bench thoroughly enjoying. My mom suggested that I share some of my popcorn with the hungry ducks and my response was, “No! I no like ducks!”
I really enjoy spring. It signals not only the end of cold weather and snow, but also new life. It’s the time of year when we see animals come out of hibernation, bees and butterflies make their appearance once again and all sorts of baby farm animals take to the stage! There is not much that is cuter than a baby anything with their pure innocence and clumsy antics. Spring is also the time for planting and realizing new growth on our perennial plants. I always get excited when I see new shoots on my rose bushes. There are so many varieties, colors and smells of roses and they are a plant with many benefits, even for our chickens and other farm animals.
Are you thinking about adding some ducks to your flock or hobby farm? There are a couple of really important things that are good to know if you plan to take the plunge and try your hand at raising ducks. One has to do with water and the other has to do with Niacin.
I am a planner. Spontaneity is not my strong suit. It stresses me out. During the winter months I plan out my schedule to include spring cleaning, planting the garden and animal acquisitions. I allow room for change, because you never know what might come up, but I try to stick to my schedule. This year I had planned to add some baby ducks to my flock, as my ducks are getting up there in years and no longer lay eggs. They just hang out in the pasture, enjoying life. I had decided that late spring would be a good time add the ducklings, when the weather was a little warmer and some coop changes had been completed. Well…you know what they say about the best laid plans… Earlier this week I needed to make a trip to the feed store. With this being baby chick season, it is impossible to walk down the aisle of any feed store and not have the opportunity to ogle at the sweet little balls of fluff. As I walked by the tanks filled with little peepers, I noticed the one with the ducklings and a big sign advertising “Ducks, $1.00 with the purchase of feed”. Well, I was already buying feed and $1.00 a duck was a price that was hard to beat. To top it off, these ducklings appeared to be between two and three weeks old, so chances are they were a little hardier than fresh hatches. The situation wasn’t ideal, but a buck a duck was difficult to pass up! So…I went home with five yellow, fluffy, peeping ducklings! I enjoyed watching my daughter-in-law pick them out and I think she did a superb job. My ducklings are adorable!
