Kitchen Garden Forum

Darkness falls quickly at the moment, so I hurried out to put my ducks safe in their pen in the fast fading light - they are easy to herd and I count them in three white, easy to see in the fading light and three black, easy to miss ... careful double check - 3 white errrr 4 black? I had gained one, I guess it may be a lone duck flying over who fancied my ladies, well they sure are cute. There are ducks at the end of our lane too, so I will have to check with them tomorrow in case they are missing one! They seem quite happy together, it tucked into supper with mine, if its male hopefully they won't mate at this time of year, but I couldn't tell in the dark !

Life sure is full of surprises, some unwelcome but most of them are gratefully recieved.

Hi OH, Yes it was a surprise. In daylight the bird is a reddish brown with a dark stripe highlighting the eyes, a little blue/white on wing tips,looks handsome and healthy, I am guessing young male the way it is walking round my girls. I let them all out and it seems to want to stick around, but my neighbour was out so I couldn't check if it was one of hers yet, somehow I don't think so, she had a heavier breed, and also some indian runners like mine. but she has some new hens could have new ducks too.

NB - do you still have your surplus duck? Perhaps she's judged that there are better food pickings in your place than her previous home? Or maybe she lived at the home of a butcher and realised that Christmas was coming ??

Yes Primrose, it emigrated to us from a neighbour up the road, they said keep it if its happy ... and yes, they do get spoiled, and the others seem fine with it.

I wish a couple of ducks would adopt my garden, it would make my mind up for me about keeping them.

They are such fun Plumpudding, they do need a pond though - diving ducks need a big pond and dabbling ducks are content with a smaller and shallower
pond.

Does that mean, Indian Runner Ducks, will need and athletics track, sorry.

OH, Well yes but the garden is enough for the indian runners to run around and play, they tend to run instead of walk or should I say waddle, the new duck is more sedate and decorous. I love it when the indian runners corkscrew their neck to crane skywards, they seem very curious if a plane, helicopter or geese fly over.