This report is an update from 2020, when I again ran the domestic duck experiment in our trout pond. I decided to do it again after the wild wood ducks arrived. What better way to spend the summer of Covid-19.
The sights and smells of spring were upon us. This included the spectacular peonies.
And the blooming apple trees covered with honey bees and future prospects.
But before I could start the domestic duck project again, I first had to rebuild the floating dog house raft in the pond, as last winter's ice did it a serious disservice. Once completed, the new platform achieved a height that kept the nesting area well above the water line.
Next I needed to find a pair of ducks suitable for the project. I liked the Rouen ducks I had raised last year so I found a source for a breeding pair nearby and got the farmer's last pair! These are the French ducks that look like giant mallards. Below is the male.
The two of them got onto the the feeding ritual quickly, and happily for me, they liked the cheap whole corn better than commercial food. I would feed them at the pond shore side in the late afternoon.
On most days, they would spend their time swimming around in the pond enjoying the many varieties of weeds that are available to munch on at that time.
As they had started breeding regularly, I was hoping that the female would eventually discover the dog house and find it safe enough to use as her nesting site. Happily she did and I caught it on film in the form of a movie below. She usually had a bath after mating, which she did again here before entering the house. The male never entered the house at any time throughout this period.
Every day she would return to the 'henhouse' and presumably lay another egg. After laying what she felt was a sufficient number of eggs, she began to stay in the house during most of the day to incubate them, but would come out for food in the afternoon before returning immediately again to the eggs. My hope was that a swimming raccoon would not discover her this year and we would have a successful hatch. And then voilà! Twenty eight days later she came out of the house with a few chicks in tow, seen below as little dark spots on her right side and a couple of egg shells sitting in the doorway to the nest.
Soon there were a bunch of chicks in the water with her. Twelve chicks the first day and two more the next. And apparently two more hatched later that day after she and the main batch were out on parade, for a total of 14 chicks.
Quite a cute group on day 1, who followed mom everywhere.
They soon followed her up into the yard to look for insects in the lawn.
Also they soon recognized that I was not a problem and indeed was a significant source of food.
In fact, they often would come to our pond-side door to get me or just hang out waiting for their daily corn hit, and would accompany me to the pond for that meal.
As time progressed, they grew rapidly...
and were becoming quite handsome birds.
As the season progressed, the foraging ducks would engage in the yard with wilder animals like turkeys and deer.
The summer matured into fall and the needles fell into the yard from the white pines.
The apples fully ripened under the netting that protected them from the blue jays.
And the flower gardens became radiant at home,
with some of my favorites like the gladiolas.
And the leaves at camp ....
... and at home were impressive.
While this was all happening, the ducks were spending the late afternoons and nights on and in the dog house 'knowing' that this was the safest place to be overnight.
Yet they had to be captured by me at the end of the season, otherwise the coyotes would simply kill them over the winter when the pond was frozen. Thus I built a net system seen below near the water and fed them under the net daily so that all the birds would be in a small group in one place at the same time. This worked well, and at at the appropriate time I dropped the devise over them and captured all of the birds.
Also at the very end of the season, we often got visitations from a variety of wild animals coming into our adjacent fields to feed on numerous weeds and other vegetables like field turnips. As you can see, the deer and turkeys don't mind being near each other.
And now the pond rests, as the dog house is frozen in, waiting to see if we will do this project again in the spring.
All this seasonal ending was being carefully observed by our visiting barred owl, who wishes you a Happy New Year, devoid of covid-19, which as far as we know, has no impact on him. 😊
Adieu ...
