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Post by bunkie on Feb 21, 2013 10:29:02 GMT -5
more winter fun...finally got some more sunshine the other day... icicle...  snowblowing...  mr. owl, solar powered, protecting ducks from the little birds...   pete on the prowl...  pete and owl joining forces...  pete ducks sam...  sammy watching over his flock...   ducks swimming...  attitude...looks like spring can't come soon enough...  |
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Post by richardw on Feb 21, 2013 14:24:00 GMT -5
Neat photos,what type of ducks are they??
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Post by wolfcub on Feb 21, 2013 14:34:12 GMT -5
Love your pictures.
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Post by bunkie on Feb 21, 2013 18:14:34 GMT -5
thanks wolf!
richard, they're welsh harlequins. we wanted Khaki Cambpells, but these are all they had, and they're a relative of the Khakis. beautiful royal blue colors in their wings. they're finishing molting, so not so much color yet...eggs...mmm...soon!
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Post by olddog on Feb 22, 2013 20:17:05 GMT -5
Pete is cool! Beautiful photos.
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Post by richardw on Feb 23, 2013 12:19:11 GMT -5
Been reading up about those welsh harlequins bunkie,they reckon they can lay three eggs per day at times,have you had them lay that many?
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Post by davida on Feb 23, 2013 13:11:45 GMT -5
Been reading up about those welsh harlequins bunkie,they reckon they can lay three eggs per day at times,have you had them lay that many? Also, do you let your ducks into your garden area? Are they better at eating unwanted bugs than chickens? |
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Post by bunkie on Feb 24, 2013 11:00:24 GMT -5
...Also, do you let your ducks into your garden area? Are they better at eating unwanted bugs than chickens? we haven't got them to the gardens yet. hopefully this year. we need to get more control over them. they do follow when clucked too and with hand motions or weilding a stick, but there are always a couple in the bunch that want to take the other fork in the road, so to speak. ;D will take pics and report later. Been reading up about those welsh harlequins bunkie,they reckon they can lay three eggs per day at times,have you had them lay that many? no richard. two a day at the most. the biggy is that they're supposed to be able to lay 365 days a year like the Khakis. that ain't true here either , so far! |
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Post by richardw on Feb 24, 2013 12:30:01 GMT -5
But still even two eggs per day is good going.
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Post by bunkie on Feb 25, 2013 12:54:28 GMT -5
you bet!  |
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Post by bunkie on Apr 27, 2013 13:45:27 GMT -5
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Post by billw on Apr 27, 2013 15:50:17 GMT -5
Also, do you let your ducks into your garden area? Are they better at eating unwanted bugs than chickens? We consider ours to be indispensable garden assistants. I don't know that they are better bug eaters than chickens, but they eat one thing that chickens usually don't: slugs. Even the big banana slugs. Chickens would just give those a desultory peck and move along. The ducks will swallow them whole and then desperately search about a 10 foot radius for more. They are definitely less damaging to vegetables than chickens often are, but that doesn't mean that they don't do damage. We fence off seedlings and keep them out of crops that are easily damaged by trampling. Even a foot tall fence will keep them out, unless you have a breed that flies. They'll eat the outer leaves on brassicas and greens, but won't whittle them to the ground or pull them up like chickens will. They totally ignore our raspberries, gooseberries, and kiwis while doing weed and pest patrol underneath them. In general, I've found that it is less work to move short fences around to keep the ducks out of sensitive areas than it is to keep up with the pests and weeds that the ducks take care of. And, they do a really nice job on compost. I can't imagine gardening without ducks anymore.  |
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Post by bunkie on Apr 28, 2013 12:00:11 GMT -5
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Post by 12540dumont on Apr 29, 2013 0:55:41 GMT -5
Bunkie,
We've had both. Our ducks were noisy. Our chickens are noisy. I must say I've never had a chicken arrive on the back door to peck at the door to announce that someone is late for feeding.....
Or is that beak at the back door?
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Post by richardw on Apr 29, 2013 3:44:50 GMT -5
Is that gorse in the back ground Bill |
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