Late this afternoon when we went out to round up the ducks and geese, feed them their grain dinner and tuck them away safely in their respective pens for the night, they were all paddling around in the pond.
For the very first time (I'm sure just to play mind games with us), the ducks came in first. The geese always are the first ones into the yard for some grain.
Despite our plans to do so, we did not get the new waterfowl house constructed this year. But we did make some good changes to the various pens we had for the different groups of ducks and geese and arranged them in kind of a square with a center "courtyard" in the middle.
Even though all eight of the remaining geese could fit comfortably into either of two of the bigger structures, they all seem to prefer sorting themselves out and going into the houses they are used to. Above some of them are starting to go to their own house. (The ducks were already fed and closed up in their one big pen.)
Our three oldest geese, a gander and his two girlfriends, occupy this pen.
It's a good feeling knowing that even though we don't yet have the ultimate housing arrangement we want for them, everyone will be cozy and well protected all winter.
21 comments:
They look like fowl condos!!! :)
Yippee for snow and for fowl! I find it interesting that your snow and our snow to come tomorrow are almost on the same date. Who would have thought? Glad you got some of the white fluff and got home safe and relatively sound.
No white stuff here yet, I love how they all come in at feed times, I hope mine will be as well behaved when we get them next year :-)
Gee, why would the geese be dragging their feet coming in???? Wouldn't be what happened just the other day, would it? LOL!!
We are under a winter storm WARNING. I am doing my happy dance all over the house!!!!
Tomorrow is going to be one fine day--coffee, something sweet in the oven, Christmas music, and wonderful wonderful snow piling up. Hooray!!! Out come the skis.................
Oh, and LOVE LOVE LOVE the pics of your feathered brood. Keep em coming, dear lady!
LHinB - Heehee, and they come with maintenance service! ;o]
Goatldi - The crazy weather . . . we still can't predict it, can we? The Farmer's Almanac said we were to have a colder and snowier winter. Now the weather "experts" are saying just the opposite. ?????!
Dawn - Up until yesterday, they've still been grazing on green grass (crazy for this time of year here in northern Minnesota!) so they're not hungry for their grain as much as they will be in a month or so, but they still have to come "check out" what's for dinner! I'll be eager to hear all about yours next year!
Sue - I get such a kick out of your glee over a coming winter storm. I was once that way, but am now somewhat of an old humbug as for the past several years, none of our winter "storm" warnings have amounted to a hill o' beans . . . let alone hills o' snow. (Maybe we should move to Michigan.)
Thanks for the encouragement re the feathered creature pictures. We sure are enjoying them! (The real birds, I mean. Well, it's nice to have the pics to look back on, too. But the antics of the birds are always fun to observe . . . and work around! Drink some more coffee, Mama Pea, and you'll be a little more coherent.)
Lovin' your Winter Wonderland photos!! Does that mean you should have a White Christmas?!! You live in such a beautiful place. Had to chuckle after reading Sue's comment above, as that was me earlier this week, as our temps cooled to low 40s and a steady rain moved in!! This was a big deal after no rain for months with lingering high 70s/80s temps!! Felt like some sort of 'winter storm' to me! :) P.S. LOVE the rug you made a few posts ago!!!!
Well, I'm glad my ducks do not have access to the internet. They'd ride me out on a rail if they saw the nice big pond that you provide your waterfowl. They have a dinky water dish and a pond the size of a baby's bath tub.
Haven't commented in ages, but read on a weekly basis - so love all your stories. I love your Christmas rug too! I still have my 5 chicken girls and I'm sooo glad no one can see me in the backyard calling my girls in for dinner ... I have a cup with oatmeal and walk towards the coop calling "bok, bok, bok" As soon as they hear me they lift their bloomers and run for the pen ... great fun watching them ... LOL
I'm glad you got home safely, too. But I'm jealous as heck over your snow. Just to let you know, I'll be swooning and whining and swooning over your snow all winter long. Lol!
You got your snow! Congratulations?
Dan and I have been talking about duck housing so I was interested in your photos. Did you blog about details on your idea and plan? I'd be interested because we need ideas too.
Lisa - The forecast is for our temperatures to dip down into the low teens so with luck we will have a white Christmas! We had lazy snowflakes coming down off and on today but no more real accumulation.
Thanks for the nice words regarding the rug . . . which is in the bathroom with the coordinating shower curtain! (Must keep up with the changing decor! ;o])
Susan - Yeah, your disgruntled (pondless) ducks would probably tar and feather you first, too, before riding you out on a rail. I think our waterfowl are mad at us now that their pond is solidly frozen over. They seem very perplexed and frustrated. And mad at us. :o(
mtnchild - Good to hear from you again! One question: When you walk toward the coop calling "bok, bok, bok" do you flap your wings, too? (Hahahahaha!) Yes, they are fun to observe. And if anyone could see you, they'd think you were fun, too.
Laurie - We've got our snow season for you to envy, but just think how many more luscious veggies (and watermelon!) you can grow than us!
Leigh - This coming spring when we get started on our specially designed waterfowl house (which probably will be re-designed a couple of times over winter . . . you know how that goes!) I will be sure to blog about it ad nauseam. Stay tuned! :o)
Great, thanks!
Even though I have my own Ducks, it never ceases to amaze me how they don't seem to mind the cold.
Redleaf Homestead - During our past few mornings of well below zero, the ducks seem a little slower getting going in the morning, but still are doing just fine. Muscovies are supposedly better equipped to do well in northern temps. Hope yours continue to enjoy their winter. You, too!
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