A while back we posted about getting some ducklings and raising them for the pond and I thought I would give an update on how they are doing!
They have done a spectacular job of cleaning the pond of what we call “seaweed” for lack of a better name lol …which makes fishing a lot more fun for the grand kids! They also have eaten a bunch of the smaller fish allowing for growth of larger fish …which also make for more fun fishing! Another benefit is that they have been doing an excellent job of munching on the grass that grows along the side of the bank of the pond which means way less weed wacking for the hubby… so we are truly grateful for that added benefit! Yay!
We now have 4 ladies and two gents of the domestic variety. Having them on the pond has increase our viewing pleasure of the wild, water fowl immensely as that population has increased tremendously also! My best guess is that having the domestic ducks on the pond act similar to placing “decoys” in the water and attract more water fowl! This was a surprising and lovely added benefit as every evening we now see 10-12 wild ducks and a mated pair of Canadian Geese!
By feeding the domestic ducks by the pond…which is visible from the kitchen window in the big house as well as from our RV site… the evenings are full of wildlife! A small amount of chicken scratch for the ducks at dinner time amounts not only to the wild ducks and geese visiting for a snack with their cousins… but the chickens and guineas stop by and a couple of deer as well! Nobody seems to mind that everyone is sharing the same dining table lol and everyone seems to get along just fine! It’s actually quite comical to watch! Who would have thought a couple of ducks would have brought so much fun into our lives!
Now for the other bit of fun! They have been laying 4 eggs every morning at the waters edge every day for several months now! In order to make it easier to gather those eggs I bought hubby a present for our anniversary this year lol… a bait net with an extendable pole so he can go fishing for eggs! Works great! Occasionally he has to put on his muck boots to reach the ones dropped a little further out in the water than normal lol like today!
Not only do us “hoomans” (as Chuck likes to call us) like those eggs, but they are approved by Conestoga Chuck and his little sister as well! They get a couple of eggs cooked in with their normal home cooked meals every day and I have to say they both have the softest fur ever!
As a funny side note: over the winter the pond froze and many eggs were laid on top of the frozen ice (in the middle of the pond no less!) lol and the ducks found that they enjoyed the creek (which was not frozen) to play in during the day!
So that is our fun and amazing update on how a couple of baby ducklings turned into a menagerie of fun wild critters visiting every evening and making the yard look like a Disney movie!
Conestoga Chuck 