The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Mel Rice on June 22, 2012, 11:09:02 am

Title: Safe and sound.
Post by: Mel Rice on June 22, 2012, 11:09:02 am

 Last tuesday we had a huge thunderstorm right overhead. It was continuous strikes from about 11 till almost midnight. When I went out to open up in the morning the ducks were nowhere to be seen.....
 
They are free range in the day but are in an old rabbit hutch overnight, It is getting a bit (a lot) small and I think they could have opened the door by banging it but due to no feathers I really thought humans were to blame. No very likely in our area, but they were big enough to eat if not adult.
No sign of them all day and I started to look in stupid places. No sign thurs am....Ah well no ducks again (last years went to the fox too) We went out for a couple of hours and there were two ducks sitting on the lawn when we returned! They had oil on their backs. I thought I had looked under the caravan  but I tried again...no..So I tried under the old van in a garage way away from their usual teritory....no...But I did hear some peeping from an old machine wedged in the corner. If their house was small this space was tiny, but there they were. Far too frightened to come out even with a shake of food pot. It took two of us on waggling a grass rake down the gap between one wall and the machine..and me crawling in to grab them as they came slightly forwards.
All 5 back safe and sound...smallholdings are never dull........
Now I MUST get round to making that new duck house!!!

Title: Re: Safe and sound.
Post by: Mammyshaz on June 22, 2012, 11:11:45 am

 :&> glad they are all found safe.

Title: Re: Safe and sound.
Post by: Bionic on June 22, 2012, 11:12:04 am

Well it was good news in the end
Sally

Title: Re: Safe and sound.
Post by: omnipeasant on June 22, 2012, 01:28:55 pm

It is nice to have a happy ending :thumbsup:

Title: Re: Safe and sound.
Post by: Mel Rice on July 04, 2012, 11:02:26 am

Sad up date....Mr/Mrs fox came visiting sunday night!!!! It broke the door off the hutch (Knew they should have been upgraded sooner!) I found two ducks, dead, with chewed necks. No black/brown feathers from the two largest but no sign of them either.
 
Ive ordered some more...to try again. Third time lucky?

Title: Re: Safe and sound.
Post by: jaykay on July 04, 2012, 11:04:52 am

Oh no, after all that.

Seems like you need a pretty secure house and run against the foxes there  :-*