Thoms Birds!

Start your own thread and let us follow you through the year
Post Reply
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Oh, and chookaholic.... Sorry, I have only just seen your question about water for the ducks earlier in the diary. As a general rule, ducks don't need a pond. They do not however, have tear ducts and so need to be able to dampen and wash their eyes so a bucket deep enough for a head dunking is an essential. That said, runners especially are said to not be bothered by swimming or not, but I have videos of ours in a kiddy pool over summer that blows that theory out of the water! (Sorry, another terrible pun!) I will upload them at some point.
Through the winter we just use a horse feed tray, about 3x2 feet and 6 inches deep for them to wash in and they manage to squeeze 5 of the 6 in it at times!

Whatever water they have needs to be replaceable easily. They mess up a paddling pool within about 4 days and then refuse to get in it unless they have no other option. Buckets, well they start full of crystal clear water and end up like a mud pie. They pick grass and put it in the bucket to make some sort of soup and wash the mud from the beaks after bug hunting in the mud!

User avatar
sandy
Legendary Laner
Posts: 9915
Joined: 13 Oct 2008, 21:59
Gender: Female
Location: Bristol

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by sandy »

Video works perfectly )t' Never tire of watching the wonderful walk of a runner. Loved Sally's moustache {rofwl}
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Great, thanks Sandy. I think I have cracked getting videos onto photobucket and if I have then I have heaps of videos that I will probably bore the pants off everyone with soon!
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Ok....ground breaking news!!!
I have just been outside and and one of our girls is lay next to an egg. I'm not worried, at least not yet, but I believe chickens lay around every 25 hours so laying times vary. I'm assuming ducks take 24 hours just because eggs are always laid early in the morning. How odd!
User avatar
sandy
Legendary Laner
Posts: 9915
Joined: 13 Oct 2008, 21:59
Gender: Female
Location: Bristol

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by sandy »

Funny my Janet(hen) laid at 5.40 pm tonight!
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Over the last two days we have only had 4 eggs per day. In the past, eggs are always laid together in the same spot, but just on top of the straw or sawdust or sometimes buried (I think they are embarrassed and try to hide them!) but for a few days now, someone - I think Cindy - has made herself a nest and sits on the eggs. Not very enthusiastically as the moment I go out to open the run in the mornings she is out like a rocket and forgets about them! Runners are not well known for being broody or good mothers although I have heard of plenty exceptions to the rule. She certainly isn't being a 'good broody' but it seems like the idea is in her head somewhere.
Image
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Well it's official, Cindy Lauper is broody. She has been showing signs for a few days but this morning she has stayed on her nest. Came out for food and a drink and went straight back to her nest. I would let her try and do the job but it looks like our house move is happening on Monday so today or tomorrow they are all of to a lovely little place called moonridge farm for a weeks holiday while I devote my time to building their new home and my DW pulls her hair out trying to sort out the house!
We got married two weeks ago, the cheeky madams are off on honeymoon while we carry on with a busy schedule! }hairout{
User avatar
AnnieG
Lively Laner
Posts: 104
Joined: 15 Mar 2014, 20:11

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by AnnieG »

Congrats on the house move and the wedding. {hug} Is this a first Down The Lane wedding? I'm sure your girls would have loved being 'Henmaids!!', or were they? {rofwl}
User avatar
jemberelli
Legendary Laner
Posts: 2520
Joined: 17 Dec 2011, 18:42
Gender: Female
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by jemberelli »

Ooh congratulations and good luck with your house move!
No girls at the moment but look forward to getting more in the future. Proud mummy to Hector, a Bedlington Terrier x Jack Russell
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Well we finally got moved. We are over the moon but theres a lot of work to be done. Im on my phone but will post more when we have the internet sorted.
One of tje first jobs was to get a secure area for the girls. Me and my old man got it done in a couple of days. Its a bit of an eyesore bur with a couple of hanging baskets, some veg growing next to it and a few finishing touches, it will blend it a little better hopefully! Heres a few pics....
Image

Image

Image

More updates to follow soon, including how happy the ducks were when we let them exploee the pond in the new house.......
User avatar
KarenE
Legendary Laner
Posts: 3460
Joined: 06 Apr 2013, 13:43
Gender: Female
Location: Northamptonshire

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by KarenE »

Looks great, and congratulations on the move. And the wedding! It looks like there's plenty of room there for chicken toys and such, I bet they'll love it. Looking forward to pics of the chooks n ducks enjoying their new palatial accommodations including spa area for the ducks!
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
TheGreatEgg
Lively Laner
Posts: 62
Joined: 02 Mar 2014, 22:26

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by TheGreatEgg »

That looks amazing! Can't wait to see more. Congratulations on the wedding and the move )t'
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Ok, I think the girls and Lex are finally settled in now. Wish the same could be said for us! As they were the priority, we still have plenty of boxes around the house and there's going to be work going on for many months to come but all in all the move went well and didn't seem to upset the ducks in the slightest.
I ordered a heap of wood chip from a tree surgeon who lives round the corner from us and then spent the day moving it from the front, round to the run. I was going to rake it flat but decided they could do that for themselves and also, I thought a few miniature hills made things more interesting than a big empty square.
Image

Image

They have had a few short adventures into the garden although the run is big enough now that I don't feel guilty keeping them inside for full days now........after a quite rummage in the grass, they found the pond (which will eventually be dug out). In the pond the discovered both tadpoles and newts! Sadly the girls are TERRIBLE hunters in the water!!! Absolutely no problem catching the newts, repeatedly. After a gentle chew and disgusting squelch they keep dropping them back in the water! The poor newts seem fine and swim off to be caught again the next day!

Image

Image

And Cindy Lauper has gone back to her semi-broody self. Well either that or she just likes a lie in! Sits on the nest until around 11am and then decides she wants to see what the rest are getting up to and comes out for the rest of the day.
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Everyone seems happy in their new home, and we are still being gifted with 5 eggs every day. Every now and then someone takes a day of and we get four. I don't blame them for having a day off when one of them squeezes out this beauty........
Image

105 grams! I'm hoping its a double yolker but will have to wait until tomorrow to find out.
Thomassio
Lively Laner
Posts: 263
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 19:01
Gender: Male
Location: Deepest Devon

Re: Thoms Birds!

Post by Thomassio »

Well the massive egg was indeed a double yolker and it was delicious!
At the moment Maggie is sitting on 13 eggs. It's only day four and typically ducks take 25 to 28 days. I'm not overly confident she will finish the job but me and the DW are desperately hoping! We wanted to hatch ducklings but can't really justify buying an incubator at the moment. She also is getting a little company now and then from Rosie which is cute.
Fingers crossed for Maggie-moo! >fi<

Post Reply