Recent content by Mashie

I can't quite believe it but last night a fox broke into the coop and got our two babies. I'm still in shock. I don't know how we could have made them more safe.

Hi - nice to hear from you! My two ducks Bella and Coogie-Boy are still doing well. I lost 8 ducks in 18 months (foxes and mink) before managing to keep these two for 18 months (so far) and they are adorable. I'm allergic to their eggs so they are just pets, but they coexist beautifully with...

Oh, thank you so much -- silly of me. I spent ages trying to remember how to post then I forgot to check exactly where I was posting :-) Thanks!

Hi - I need to worm my two ducks.. they seem perfectly healthy but I happened to see a huge worm ejected in Bella's poop (long, fat and white, I think a roundworm). I have 1% Flubendazole for them. Not sure of dosage for ducks, can anyone advise, please? I have read a lot of posts here about...

Hi lovely people - I'm torn. My white campbell Bella produces an egg every day. She has made huge nests in her coop but never sat on them (20 eggs). Twice recently a crow got to her eggs and took all of them (we used to leave the big coop door open all day but now close it daily to keep out the...

She has not sat the nest and is still laying one a day -- I have removed some but there are about 20... so I think I have to give up -- maybe clear the nest and see if she starts again. I had some hope a week ago when she did something new, she covered the nest with hay before going out to...

thanks so much that all sounds super sensible... understand about small numbers giving poor results... our feral ducks died out because for the last 5 years there were 10 males and one female.

Hi - I've had feral ducks for 10 years but now am trying with domestic. Due to fox and mink my tiny flock was down to one white campbell who has never laid an egg for me (she is 3 years old, a lockdown rescue, I'm told she laid in the past but infrequently). A week ago I acquired a Cayuga...

I really miss the days when we had 20-30 freely roaming and in little armadas all over the pond. I don't seem to be able to find that breed of duck anywhere (pure white but mallard shape and bill, strong fliers, a bit bigger and a bit slower flying than mallards but happy to flock and fly with...

@Miss Lydia all sound points. I do want her to be happy! She has a kiddy pool...

Just a quick update. Bella the lone Campbell has started quacking again and she definitely likes her mirror (in fact she barely moves a foot from it except when I put her to bed or feed her, or when she is stretching her wings). She is still very nervous. I do feel she would be happier with a...

Thanks for the encouragement. I have been giving her peas but she hasn't eaten them with me watching since I penned her in (peas was how I coaxed her into the pen). The first night they didn't even go from her bowl, but they did next day. Peas are more fun when you can catch them in shallow...

quick update to you friendly folks: she now has a mirror (thank you, charity shop)... she may be using it, I'm not sure. every time i approach she thinks I'm going to let her out (she can see the pond from where she is, as I didn't move the coop). I haven't seen her drink or preen for 3 days...

That's really helpful, thank you. I'm looking at paddling pools right now. She has a large black plastic tray with water already, I always had that for them to drink from and the Cayugas especially liked to wash in it, making a heck of a mess. The mirror idea is fascinating, I may try that...

thanks everyone. I managed to coax her into a 'funnel' of chicken wire fencing yesterday (an hour spent tossing her peas :-). Then I cornered her and 'encouraged' her into her coop. Once she was locked in I completed the fencing as a circle so she has a fairly large space to roam, but no access...