Recent content by IthacaNancy

Sadly, my ducks completely refused to live indoors and settled by the side of our pond. It has a good flow, and now that our property is fenced, we have few worries about predation. I don't get many eggs, since the crows usually find them first, but I don't have to worry much about cleaning...

Our ducks have continued to insist on outdoor living. But with temperatures projected to go below 10 degrees below zero tonight, we put up a little straw bale shelter with a wooden roof right next to their favorite spot on the pond. I don't see them anywhere around the pond this afternoon, so...

What lovely duck houses! Perhaps our refurnished chicken coop was too tall for the ducks, though I see some larger structures that are successful too. Maybe if I'd started my ducks as ducklings in the coop they'd like it better? This thread must have escaped my attention for some time...

I've been totally unsuccessful at convincing the ducks to move from the edge of the pond into the coop at night. They won't lay inside the house, so I have to hunt for the eggs everyday, and try to get to them before the crows so. Luckily my husband agreed to chickens too, so the chickens lay...

Your duck sounds like a lucky girl! I have 8 Cayuga 'girls' and two Cayuga drakes (absolutely one more than I need). I have four blue Indian Runner ducks. I know we have had (and probably still do have) foxes on the hill across the street and we hear coyotes some nights. I've read that...

I don't have a photo (yet) of my duck house, but they never used it. So I got chickens. The ducks stay on the pond and only go into the chicken run for food. I'm still hoping they'll acclimate to my presence and that they'll use the run/coop someday. It would make picking up the eggs much...

Yes, they are messy. I didn't get my ducklings until early June, so it was fairly warm outside. I moved them out to the grassy patio in an enclosed giant dog crate after just a few days. At least they spent most of the time on the grass, had their food and water there, and only went into the...

I found very good information in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks. There are also many sites online that were helpful. Make sure you feed NON-MEDICATED food and that the ducks have constant access to drinking water. Keep the litter dry - not easy. Ducklings from a hatchery won't have oils in...

I butchered the five of the seven drakes in my straight run flock of 18 total birds. I waited way too long to do it- almost a year - so the drakes were tough. But they'd been harassing the ducks, and needed to go. Actually I was reluctant to do it myself, so I enlisted some recent immigrants...