Rub A Dub Dub...

Ducks in a tub!

Supermoons And Ducks

This past weekend the full moon was closer to the Earth than it had been in 18 years.  It lit up the whole property like dawn.  It was truly amazing to see the moon rising through the trees.  Even more amazing how the camera was able to pick up the landscape hours after sunset.

 I wandered out to take pictures of the event.  The moon was bright enough to illuminate the whole yard.  As I sat in the lawn, snapping away with my camera, I heard the unmistakable "slap, slap, slap" of webbed feet.  The ducks had come to see what I was up to.

The chickens go to the coop at night and go to bed.  Not the ducks.  They're party animals, wandering the yard doing very important ducky things.  I always give them a handful of grain when I go out to the barn for the last night time check of the horses.  It was after night check when I went out to take pictures, but the ducks must have thought they hit the jackpot.  Surely I was out there to bring them another snack!

Eventually, they realized that I wasn't going to the barn to get them a snack and wandered off into the night to do whatever ducky things they do.

I snapped one more shot of the moon illuminating the night sky, then went back to the house. 

Lucky Duck Gets Some Friends


 A few years ago my husband and I decided we would get some ducks to raise for meat.  We like duck, and  we're not averse to eating things we have raised.  Honestly, I think that there is no better way to understand animal rights and the importance of responsible husbandry than to be involved in raising your own meat animals.  I have a great respect and love for animals.  My respect and love for them is only deepened in knowing that they make the ultimate sacrifice for us.  Because they make this sacrifice, I am committed to making their lives as happy as possible.  But, I digress....

We bought a breed of duck called "Blue Swedish".  It's a duck bred for meat and egg production.  A wholly domestic dusk.  They can't fly at all.  Actually, most domestic ducks and chickens can't fly.  Partly because they are bred to have a lot of meat and partly for practical reasons.  It's kind of hard to keep an animal around if it can up and fly away anytime.

Our Blue Swedish ducks were great!  They were fun to have around, they were very tasty and, all in all, it was a great experience.  So, last year I decided to get more ducks.  We had a farm, we had a coop, our chickens were doing great..... I felt we were ready to get some more ducks.   So, I started cruising Craigslist.


I found someone selling Muscovy ducks for $4 a duck.  That's a steal!  Muscovies usually sell for $10-15 for an adult.  I didn't know much about Muscovy ducks, but I had heard their meat described as the "veal of duck meat", had heard they were good layers, and also good mothers.  It seemed that Muscovies were the way to go.....

I bought three.  I thought I'd made the deal of a lifetime!  Still thinking I was pretty savvy, I asked the seller if the ducks could fly.  She said they could fly about as well as a chicken.  No problem!  My chickens are good fliers, as far as chickens go, but they can only get a few feet off the ground and can't fly very far.  I've certainly never had a problem with them flying away.  I brought my new ducks home and put them in the coop.

That evening, I headed out to check on my ducks.  I opened the coop door, and the ducks darted out.  I started to herd them back in.  They took off in flight.  Remember how the seller said they could fly as well as a chicken?  Ha!  They took off in a flight that would make an eagle proud. As I watched them fly away over the roof of my two story house, I heard my husband call out "Hey, were those your ducks?".  Yes, those were my ducks.


I searched for them that night, to no avail.  Eventually I went to bed.  There really wasn't much I could do.  The next morning when I got up, guess what I saw in my back yard?  One of my ducks had returned!  I named her Lucky and she soon became a fixture on the farm.  She hung out with the chickens during the day.  She slept with the horses in the barn at night.  Any time I was outside, she was right at my heels.

 But, ducks like to have duck friends.  I wanted her to stick around.  Since she can fly, I didn't want her to fly away looking for a man come spring.  I needed more ducks.

Lonely Lucky Duck

I found a local breeder, and arranged to see her ducks.  Her farm was beautiful and her stock was healthy and well cared for.  I ended up purchasing a young hen and an older drake.  Drakes (males) are similar to roosters in their function in the flock.  A good drake (or rooster) protects his hens and their babies.  Since my birds free range durig the day, I like to have an experienced male on hand.   And, really, who could pass up such a handsome fellow?




OK, maybe he does look a bit like a dinosaur.  Male Muscovy ducks have fleshy growths on their faces, sort of like a tom turkey's waddle.  But look at his lovely plumage.  It doesn't show up as well on camera, but in the sun, all those black feathers turn green and purple!

My new little female is adorable, too.  She seems to be a perfect little lady.  A definite contrast to my brazen Lucky duck.

 Lucky showing her new friend the feed room



She's still a little shy, but I think she'll warm up in time. 

I have learned my lesson this time, also.  I clipped the new ducks' wings as soon as I got them home.  No more fly aways! 

Snowy And Cold

I can't help but think I picked an un-opportune time to start a blog about gardening and farming.   New Jersey is having one of the coldest, snowiest winters that I can remember.  It hasn't been above freezing in weeks, everything is snow covered and it's way too early to even think about starting any veggies.  There's really not a lot going on here on my little farm right now.

Now, after I just wrote that paragraph, I paused.  "Are you kidding me?", I thought.  "My chores take ten times as long right now.  I'm doing a ton of stuff!".  Well, it seems like a ton of stuff, anyway.  Really, it just takes longer to do every little thing.

Winter brings a whole new set of challenges to farm life.  I may not need to tend the garden, but the livestock still need care.  The outdoor spigots are all frozen, the only source of water is the spigot in the basement.  I have three hoses linked together to reach from the basement out to the horses' water.  They have a heated tub, so at least I don't have to worry about breaking ice for them.  For the duck, I have a small rubber feed tub.  The little rubber tub is big enough for the duck to have her bath in, but small enough to be easy to dump out, even when it's solid ice.

The chickens are not always so easy.  When there is not a lot of snow on the ground, they free range.  Problem solved, they can drink out of the duck's tub.   When the tub is frozen, they eat snow.  Chickens are pretty crafty.  But when the snow gets deep,  I have to lock them up in their coop.

 Chickens are not really good at maneuvering through deep snow, as I learned last year when I had to rescue them, one by one, from where they had become stranded all over the farm after a snow storm.  Locking them up keeps them from getting stranded, but it does create other problems.   Mostly, water. 

There's no electricity in the coop for a heated waterer.  Right now I haul their waterer back and forth from the house several times a day.  If it stays out there too long, it freezes solid and is impossible to dump out.  To tide them them over between trips, I've been filling shallow bowls with snow for them to pick at and bringing them fresh fruits and veggies to eat.  They seem content, but I know they're ready for the snow to melt so they can get out and range again.

Me, too.