At the beginning of quarantine last year, we decided to start raising chickens and waterfowl. It seemed like a good idea for a lot of reasons. There was talk of supply chain disruptions. Before school closed, my son's class was about to start a project involving baby chicks. We had considered getting poultry before, so it seemed like an ideal time. And it was. Not having to go anywhere meant we could monitor them all day. I ordered both the chicks and the baby waterfowl through mypetchicken.com . The site has a wealth of information regarding the various breeds. They also provide outstanding customer service. In addition to ducks, I also chose a pair of Embden geese because they look like the goose in Untitled Goose Game.
Chickens are great, but I really fell in love with the ducks and the geese. The way they would waddle around together like they were the coolest kids in school while keeping up a running commentary of quacks always cracked me up and warmed my heart at the same time. They would let the littlest hen hang out with them like she was one of their own.
After hearing regular updates on my webbed-footers, a friend recommended the audio version of Enslaved By Ducks by Bob Tarte, narrated by Stephen R. Thorne , one of my favorite audio actors. As the title suggests, there's a great deal of self-deprecating humor in Tarte's personal account of caring for not only ducks, but geese, turkeys, bunnies, parrots, and cats. Tarte also shares living through a surfeit of raccoons and being cursed by a barred owl. I was recently lucky enough to catch a pair of them hooting on video.
Sadly, all my ducks were picked off by foxes over the winter and early spring. Now that we're a little wiser, we're increasing our protective measure for the new flock of ducklings arriving next week.
I am an Amazon associate, so I will earn a small amount from qualifying purchases through the links I have shared.
Comments