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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Springtime, I think

The weather has been wet and cool.  I have not needed an air conditioner to date.  This is the first week I felt confident leaving my plants outside due to freezing nighttime temps.

My ducks are growing rapidly.  I had to build a new enclosure with a child's wading pool.  This is all a learning curve.  If this works out, I probably will use ducks for bug control in the future.  Last year the three I had ate pounds of grasshoppers.  Unfortunately, I did not research duck breeds before buying (got into this too late--bought adults).  This year I bought Roene ducks, which are supposed to be meat ducks.  I just want the ducks during the summer months so raising edible bug eaters seemed logical.  Predictions are this will be another banner year for grasshoppers.

We will be going out to Pathfinder this weekend to see the water going over the spillway.  Maybe later on we will make it to the ranch--although it's still very muddy down there. 

I'm putting in a couple of duck pictures and calling it good for now.  (For those of you who read my previous posts, the neighbor dogs have been been confined so my ducks may survive the summer.)

Ducks at about 3 days old

Ducks at about 2 1/2 weeks old

Monday, May 2, 2011

Readying for ducklings

I sent an email to Natrona County Metro Animal control letting them know I am getting ducks and that there is a high probability, based on the complete lack of response to complaints about dogs running loose, that I will be installing video and posting it on the internet when the dogs shred my ducks.  I really have no options here.  The dogs were a mile from their house chasing wildlife a week or so ago.  It's really sad that dogs rule this county and humans have to spend money on cameras, lawyers, etc after the dogs kill their pets and their livestock.  Metro was built with one cent optional sales tax and people called it a doggy condo.  Had they only been able to see 20 years into the future, I suspect the tax would not have been passed.  Millions so dogs and cats can damage property and run wild.  I think there probably was a better use to be had--I'm sure of it.  So stay tuned and see how long the ducklings last.  The dogs are German Shepard sized dogs so keeping them out of the duck pen will not be easy.  Plus, I have yet to figure out how to let the ducks roam around and eat grasshoppers if the God dogs are allowed to breach my yard at will.  It's looking like a long, expensive summer at the hands of lawbreakers who just don't care and they don't have to, it seems.