The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: jaykay on January 10, 2012, 06:23:50 pm

Title: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: jaykay on January 10, 2012, 06:23:50 pm
Arrived home in the dark. Went out to put the ducks and geese to bed. Normally it's a hitch-free business, I shout 'ducks, ducks, ducks, geese, geese, geese' and they get out of the beck and go into their respective houses.

Something odd tonight - I find out as I am walking towards them, looking at them and not where I'm going, by falling into the 3ft deep trench  :D It seems the man has come to dig the land drain, two days early. Which is good  :) But there is now a 3ft deep trench, and the accompanying mound of soil, between the ducks and their houses.

I find some planks and build a bridge. And cut them a pass through the soil mountain. Some ducks are smart, see the pass, cross the bridge and go to bed. Other ducks climb the mountain, fall into the trench, flap about and shout and have to be caught and posted through the duckhouse door. The call ducks fly away and refuse to come to bed at all. The geese have to be herded out of the beck, which turns out to be deeper than my wellies but do finally go into their house, muttering quietly to each other.

Now I need a cuppa. Well actually I need a stiff gin, but there is still work to do  :D
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: Cinderhills on January 10, 2012, 06:27:43 pm
 ;D ;D  Poor you, and them.  But very funny too!
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: Sylvia on January 10, 2012, 06:39:26 pm
Have any of you read Joyce Fussey's books? I have them all and read them at least once a year. Some of the posts on here could be hers ;D ;D
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on January 10, 2012, 07:34:01 pm
I did love the bit about posting them through their door  ;D :D
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 10, 2012, 08:31:14 pm
Brave face, jaykay  :thumbsup: and thanks for the laugh.   ;D

I hope your call ducks come home and/or spend the night safely.  And that your feet, socks and wellies are now dry and warm.  That you didn't bruise yourself and the ducks and geese were not too traumatised.

But good news that the drain work is at last underway  :thumbsup:

Hope you've done the rest of the work and had that stiff gin by now  :wave:
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: Brucklay on January 10, 2012, 08:43:40 pm
I certainly know what you mean re the calls - mine are very suspicious of chance and although I can walk them home - if they get spooked doing that it's along evening!!
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: jaykay on January 10, 2012, 09:02:27 pm
All in one piece thanks Sally - just a bit surprised! The runners were very stressed, I hope they're ok. The calls have just disappeared up the gill - hope they keep safe. It won't be the first night some of them at least have stayed out - Dad manages to spook them if he's shutting up for me. They fly well at least.

Nigel, the builder/roofer/digger rang - it seems the trench might be there a week, so I'd better find some bigger pieces of plywood for bridges and shovel some of the soil mountain away. Won't happen before tomorrow night though  :P

Now sitting drinking sloe gin and spinning  ;D
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 10, 2012, 09:16:29 pm
Now sitting drinking sloe gin and spinning  ;D
Perfick!
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: StephB on January 10, 2012, 09:29:21 pm
Hehe thats a story you may be able to laugh about in a few weeks time, but for now you will have to ease your strain with a strong gin.  :yum:

Steph x
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: Penninehillbilly on January 10, 2012, 11:09:09 pm
Sounds fun, can you get someone with a night vision camcorder next time ;D

Hope you're all OK
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: jaykay on January 11, 2012, 07:36:23 am
 :D it would have made a good silent movie (as long as the sound recording was switched off, it wasn't very silent at the time  :o)
Round two tonight, I have found every piece of plywood I can to cover over the trench by the duckhouses at least.
Title: Re: Tried to put ducks to bed......
Post by: northfifeduckling on January 11, 2012, 11:40:45 am
I can so imagine what you went through! Ducks are the most irritable animals I've encountered, anything ever so slightly different in their surroundingsand the get so confused, poor things  :D :&>