[northfifeduckling]

Hello!
Although we've been growing veg and fruit from the moment we arrived here in this beautiful place, we stumbled into having birds last year. I always wanted hens and a friend had kindly given us her hen house when she moved, so we could get started. One day my man came home with the news that we would have ducks as they needed a new home asap! There we are now, had to learn everything from scratch, the first traumas of ducklings lost to sparrowhawks and the bad weather last summer behind us. I'll be around a lot, asking questions, reading the diary and am looking forward to a lot of discussions, too!

[doganjo]

Hi, welcome to TAS.  Appreciated your email re drake. As I said in my reply I was given a big bitsa grey drake at Christmas (NOT for the table) and he is lovley!
Hope you enjoy being on this forum.  Perhaps you might like to join the smallholders association too?
Annie

[HappyHippy]

Hello from me too !

I'm still waiting for the chance to get my birds - holding off til the weather improves (I might still be waiting in May lol!)
Look forward to hearing more from you !

Karen 

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome. Where in Fife are you?

[northfifeduckling]

Hi again,
We're overlooking the River Tay, near Newburgh.
Are you hoping to get some ducks, too, Karen? I never thought I would get so fond of them, when I had my mind set on hens!
Kerstin

[Fluffywelshsheep]

hello from fws
ttfn
Linz

[HappyHippy]

Hi Kerstin,

We had some Muscovy ducks before - got a lovely big pond at the side of our woodland and it was ideal for them, they even managed to hatch some chicks.

Unfortunately the cat's took a liking to them and brought the babies in for presents to us (sooo horrible  , but just doing what comes naturally i guess) after the chicks dissapeared the parents seemed to go looking for them and wouldn't come back to the house at night, unfortunately we've a lot of foxes in the area - so, enough said !
My theory with hens is that I can keep them nice and close in the garden where they won't get the chance to go off exploring too widely and the scent of my dog will (hopefully) keep the foxes at bay.

I'll keep you posted !

Karen

[northfifeduckling]

Hi Karen,
I thought Muscovys were such brilliant mums and both parents looked after their young. Our mother duck (Campbell) was rubbish at it. What a shame about your ducklings. That would dishearten me to try it again, at least the hawk was none of "our own"! We were worried about the cat, but she's actually scared of the ducks, a very noise sensitive soul who decided that ducks and her don't go in the same territory...Thank goodness! We've got plans to lock any new ducklings away in the future, I hope we will get organised in time.