[jameslindsay]

I am sitting here chuckling away to myself. As some of you are aware I live beside the River Eden which is quite a wide, tidal river. It is a protected site due to the birdlife that it attracts and quite often people appear on the old foot bridge with their state of the art camera/filming equipment to take pictures of the rare birds that often arrive. Well, a few moments ago a big van pulled up and 2 guys with massive camera's got out to take some pictures of the wild life. When I was outside only 2 minutes before they arrived, all I could see on the river were a dozen swans, MY 2 geese and MY 9 Ducks. What a disappointment for them, mind you it did make me laugh. I think most bizarrely of all my 7 Pygmy Goats and 4 of the bigger ones are all along the river bank grazing, bet that's not a site they see every day!!!!

Incidentally they are now packing their equipment up - waste of time I reckon ha ha ha.

[cmorrell]

Now that's mean!

As a photographer used to spending a week at a time on a shoot, it's so often the case you get somewhere and the setup just isn't the way you need it to be, or the light is wrong, or it's raining (in a way that prevents what you need), or there's low level fog for the entire s0##ing week around Ullapool and the only thing you can see are fungi ridden trees as long as you're within a few metres of them. ahem.

[Fluffywelshsheep]

right time, right place.

[sandy]

I was involved in some film projects as a Youth Worker and worked with the directors of photography for, cold feet, amongst other stuff, it took us ages and ages to set up shots, thats why I was there, to keep the troops entertained!!! I try to take the camera when I go for a drive or walk but I never am able to capture the things I see. When my daughter was here we all went for a long walk around Devillia Forest Fife and first saw some Deer watching us but taking my camera out disturbed them, then, a moment later was a Red Squirrel, again, it was soo quick I ended up with another tree photo, I met a man yesterday who had also seen a Red Squirrel in Devilla, e said th rangers had not seen one, if only I had been quick enough!!!!!!!! Oh, James, how are the Ducklings?? I luck forward to having them, there home is ready!!!

[jameslindsay]

Sandy - the ducklings are doing very well and growing every day. They now spent all day out in their enclosed run which they love. They can also see the other ducks which is good as they can interact through the fence but still be safe. I let them out for about 12 hours a day now and the heat lamp in the shed has been switched off.

[sandy]

I have just been trying to coax my three chickens to eat layers pellets, they remind me of my children, so fusy, they have not touched them again, how do other people get them to eat them?

[Fluffywelshsheep]

don't fed em anything else?
then it is a fight of wills lol

[sandy]

I was going to do that but I just gave them some bit's,bread soaked in tin tomato's, they lke that and a bit of sausage and tiny bit of fatty bacon that was left........I'll do it tomorrow

[Fluffywelshsheep]

then it is a fight of wills lol

Will sandy make em some cooked food later or not lol

[sandy]

Not!! there on there own now, just pellets I have some cake though!!

[northfifeduckling]

my ducks didn't like pellets in the beginning, took them a few days. Now I have to regulate the intake as too much is not good for them. If you have boys they might stay hungry, I never watched them eating pellets.
Re photographers, I drove by Cupar Court today, watching the local wildlife - a small crowd and 2 guys beating each other up. No police in sight, but a photographer was on the scene. There were some birds there, too, watching the show, maybe it was the same guy, lol

[doganjo]

I didn't know layers pellets aren't good for ducks.   That's all mine get, that's all they got when I was in my last home.(except for veg scraps about every third day, and whatever they get when they are roaming round the garden.)  I think the girls are about 5 now and still laying fine, seem well enough too.  What does it do to them? And what do I give them instead?

[jameslindsay]

Annie - I have only ever fed my ducks layers pellets and that is all I was ever told to feed them. They are free range though but they still love their pellets. One of my old boys was 12 when he died last year so they didn't cause him a problem!

Just read this;

Ducks are incredibly hardy and adaptable, however to maintain optimum egg production and health they need the correct balance of nutrients and a constant supply of water.
For domestic laying ducks it is perfectly acceptable to feed them chicken layers pellets which have the right concentrations of protein (16-18%), calcium (2-3%), carbohydrates, fibre (6%), Omega 3 oils (4%), vitamins and minerals.

[northfifeduckling]

I got this information from a former breeder for the Rarebreed Trust, when we first got our ducks. He said it can cause kidney problems (as with humans on a high protein diet). The same applies to other birds, like hens, especially the males. Also, when I researched egg binding, which one of our girls suffered from last year, the amount of pellets came up as a cause. Some manufacturers actually give a maximum amount per bird a day on the bag, I think it's Dodson and Horrell's pellets. Also one reason for me is that wheat is much cheaper (I paid £9 to our local farmer today for 50 kilos) than pellets and the ducks had never seen a pellet or eaten one before we got them, so it took them some time to get them used to them anyway. No problem for them staying on a mixed diet. Annie, you feed them porridge and if they are free range and eat whatever they find, I suppose they are much better off anyway! But I do find it interesting, that with the option available, none of the drakes has ever even tried the pellets. It's all for the girls!

[doganjo]

I read somewhere (on here maybe?) that each hen needs 110 grams a day and ducks a little more, so I work out the total and divide it by 3 and they get three meals a day of the correct amount, plus fresh veg, as much grass as they want, and occasional other treats, such as the porridge and honey, and currant or malt bread,