- Joined
- Apr 16, 2005
- Location
- Sharon, SC
So as general rule I like animals more than most people. Animals are more transparent and genuine. I guess that makes me a curmudgeon but so be it.
My daughter has inherited my animal loving traits. She raises goats, cows, turtles, pups, lizards, fish and ducks and Im probably leaving a few out.
But about the ducks this is.
A couple years ago she wanted some ducklings to raise and really stumped for them around Easter when TSC always has the baby ducks. Her and one of her good friends go and buy 2 ducks each. By day 2 We have 4 ducks because friend hated them. They were 3 days old when we brought them home. She raised them until they were too big to manage then we "set the free"...we have s small pond in the back yard they wandered there and set up shop. Soon they grew adventurous and began touring the neighborhood. The neighborhood embraced them and adopted them and started feeding them bread and now we have community ducks. This was a bit of a surprise because we have some asshole neighbors. Famously one neighbor has called animal control on 4 or 5 folks in the neighborhood if their dogs are outside even on their own property but this dude buys special bread for the ducks. 2 years have passed and our 4 ducks have been welcomed into the extended family. They disappear at times during the day but always wander back each evening. Back in May we started seeing 1 specific duck missing regularly and figured she was off laying and nesting. Being neighborhood ducks they arent real good at the nesting thing we've been through it probably a dozen times and after a week or less they are back as a fouresome as something gets the eggs.
This time she hid them better...a week turned into 2 then three then in June we had 3 regular old ducks 1 mom duck and 9 baby ducklings strutting around. They would march and swim in a line except for two. Always dead in the middle of the pack and sort of side by side....but one always sort of hid behind the other. My daughter named those two Harold and Gerald. Because. All was well for a week and a half and then one morning we only had 8 ducklings. But H&G were still side by side. By noon that day we were down to 6 and found two dead babies along the pond. Didnt think much of it assumed "something got them" or some baby duck disease or whatever...but late that afternoon my daughter watched one of the adult males kill another duckling by picking it up by the neck and swinging it around and snapping its neck. The momma duck watched and seemed to almost encourage this. We then watched the male try to attack the 5 babies and it was really cool to watch Harold actually try and protect Gerald...these two still side by side. So my daughter lured the ducks for some bread and we tried to catch the ducklings. We only grabbed one. She caught Gerald. The sheepish duckling that hid behind Harold and never got inline. The rest ran away back to the pond but Harold stayed up the hill with us and "quacked" at my daughter until she caught him too. We broke out the feed tanks brought them inside ...by morning the other 3 ducklings had been killed and were floating in the pond. (we tried to catch them for a long time but they swim fast) So the only two to survive were the two best buds.
We raised them up for the past 5-6 weeks til they are essentially fully grown and brought them back out. We slowly integrated them and all seemed well. After a few days however the OG4 began to bully the 2 new ducks.Biting them chasing them etc. Then last Friday we couldnt find the sheepish baby most of the day. Old Harold wouldnt go down to the pond he just stayed in the yard and quacked for his friend all day. Finally about dark she came out of the woods and they were like long lost siblings happily quacking and swimming and playing. Next day same deal. Then the 3rd day she never came back. Its been a week now. Harold just sits by the porch and calls for his friend for hours all day every day. It darn pitiful to listen to. He will rejoin the OG 4 but never get really close..always keeping a 20-30' separation while they huddle tight. When they go off touring the neighborhood he stay behind and calls for his friend.
So now I dont know what, if anything, we should do. The 4 pick on the young one, bite him pluck his feathers, etc. He wont come to us to catch and transplant, the old 4 will....but I fear a neighborhood mutiny if I move all 4 neighborhood ducks away ...do I just let it play out or should I intervene.
What say ye, NC4x4?
My daughter has inherited my animal loving traits. She raises goats, cows, turtles, pups, lizards, fish and ducks and Im probably leaving a few out.
But about the ducks this is.
A couple years ago she wanted some ducklings to raise and really stumped for them around Easter when TSC always has the baby ducks. Her and one of her good friends go and buy 2 ducks each. By day 2 We have 4 ducks because friend hated them. They were 3 days old when we brought them home. She raised them until they were too big to manage then we "set the free"...we have s small pond in the back yard they wandered there and set up shop. Soon they grew adventurous and began touring the neighborhood. The neighborhood embraced them and adopted them and started feeding them bread and now we have community ducks. This was a bit of a surprise because we have some asshole neighbors. Famously one neighbor has called animal control on 4 or 5 folks in the neighborhood if their dogs are outside even on their own property but this dude buys special bread for the ducks. 2 years have passed and our 4 ducks have been welcomed into the extended family. They disappear at times during the day but always wander back each evening. Back in May we started seeing 1 specific duck missing regularly and figured she was off laying and nesting. Being neighborhood ducks they arent real good at the nesting thing we've been through it probably a dozen times and after a week or less they are back as a fouresome as something gets the eggs.
This time she hid them better...a week turned into 2 then three then in June we had 3 regular old ducks 1 mom duck and 9 baby ducklings strutting around. They would march and swim in a line except for two. Always dead in the middle of the pack and sort of side by side....but one always sort of hid behind the other. My daughter named those two Harold and Gerald. Because. All was well for a week and a half and then one morning we only had 8 ducklings. But H&G were still side by side. By noon that day we were down to 6 and found two dead babies along the pond. Didnt think much of it assumed "something got them" or some baby duck disease or whatever...but late that afternoon my daughter watched one of the adult males kill another duckling by picking it up by the neck and swinging it around and snapping its neck. The momma duck watched and seemed to almost encourage this. We then watched the male try to attack the 5 babies and it was really cool to watch Harold actually try and protect Gerald...these two still side by side. So my daughter lured the ducks for some bread and we tried to catch the ducklings. We only grabbed one. She caught Gerald. The sheepish duckling that hid behind Harold and never got inline. The rest ran away back to the pond but Harold stayed up the hill with us and "quacked" at my daughter until she caught him too. We broke out the feed tanks brought them inside ...by morning the other 3 ducklings had been killed and were floating in the pond. (we tried to catch them for a long time but they swim fast) So the only two to survive were the two best buds.
We raised them up for the past 5-6 weeks til they are essentially fully grown and brought them back out. We slowly integrated them and all seemed well. After a few days however the OG4 began to bully the 2 new ducks.Biting them chasing them etc. Then last Friday we couldnt find the sheepish baby most of the day. Old Harold wouldnt go down to the pond he just stayed in the yard and quacked for his friend all day. Finally about dark she came out of the woods and they were like long lost siblings happily quacking and swimming and playing. Next day same deal. Then the 3rd day she never came back. Its been a week now. Harold just sits by the porch and calls for his friend for hours all day every day. It darn pitiful to listen to. He will rejoin the OG 4 but never get really close..always keeping a 20-30' separation while they huddle tight. When they go off touring the neighborhood he stay behind and calls for his friend.
So now I dont know what, if anything, we should do. The 4 pick on the young one, bite him pluck his feathers, etc. He wont come to us to catch and transplant, the old 4 will....but I fear a neighborhood mutiny if I move all 4 neighborhood ducks away ...do I just let it play out or should I intervene.
What say ye, NC4x4?
