a ducks daily life

i thought that perhaps i would tell you all the daily life of the duckies

as i got told off roundly yesterday by a certain ms lillianna for being late getting them out

morning:


'GOOD MORNING duckies, rise and shine..............time to go out in the day pen'

(cheeping and grumbling from the duckies who seem to think we should have been out HOURS and DAYS ago- hissing from falstaff)


i fill the food troughs with a mix of either layer or maintenance food, scratch, gravel, and for the layers, oyster shell
open the basement door and the duckies crate door

out they tumble (no kidding they still tumble out)

we walk back to the day pen
sorta

we start to walk back and first there is the morning 'decorate the driveway' squirts
where mom gets to see what duckies have eaten that i didn't know about
multiple colors
some days black ( too much garden soil in search of worms)
green ( way too much fresh greens)
brown ( i don't want to know)
tan ( only duck chow)
and so on

we have a wing stretch and then they RUN off to hunt worms
while i walk their food ( and when i am feeling better again) their full water buckets down to their day pen

i let them graze a bit lately as it was a LONG winter for little ducks

then off they go to the day pen for a few hours of eating and drinking and hanging out

meanwhile after that falstaff goes into his day pen with his food trough and bucket of water

he's a good boy and i just open his crate door now...... and the pen door and he goes right in
he doesn't really want to graze, if i let him he just runs down to the babies pen and tries to jump them so no letting falstaff to graze ( although now with his new wife, he will be getting a mobile day pen just like the girls have to graze in during the day)

his new wife follows him in and out without giving me a problem so that is a very good thing

some time during the day ( and sometimes MULTIPLE times during the day, weather dependant)

i go out and let the duckies out to graze and bath and just spend quality time with them
during this time i may also clean their night crates
and i normally bring them all some sort of treat
lettuce
cabbage
tomatoes
oatmeal raisin cookies

if it's warmish and rainy they won't be interested in my treats but will be on the hunt for worms
i have mighty worm hunters
i watched lilli schelp up the BIGGEST worm yesterday
i thought it would eat HER
but she got it

after 'walksies' they go back in their pen to digest or preen if they bathed

i also give them walksies right before bed
on the way in
unless the weather is really cold

and like any other kids.....they don't always WANT to go to bed
they run here and there and sometimes get into falstaff's pen
or go in to see the chickens ( the chickens HATE THAT)
but eventually they end up in their pen
falstaff comes in
and i tell them good night duckies........tomorrow is another day

and turn their lights out

now when they are out on walksies
i get to pet them
hug them and generally spend time with them

they take turns nibbling my boots
sometimes i take a chair out and sit with them
and sometimes i sit on a hay bale and they sit next to me
they do love to be carried............. lazy duckies that they are
and they love under their chins rubbed
spoiled duckies that they are

i will tell you all that the duckies, chickens, and cats make me laugh so very hard
they light my life up daily
I highly recommend them to you all

get yourself some poultry and spend some time with them

they will slow you down and calm you down
and give you breakfast


there ........your health tip for the day