In the spring we will re-do the avairy netting supports (it was partially collaped from the snow) and the roof of the house is only temporaryly attached but stays on and protects the house. This is another project for the spring.
We put them into the duck house every night, for protection from the weather and also to get them in the habit being put up by us, in case of any other dangers.
Two of our boys are the best of buddies, our large sweet pekin drake (Kouta) and our runt the small cayuga (Darrick). These two are almost always together. Darrick's favorite food is alfalfa leaves. His mate Queenie, the other black duck (a cayuga) has one white feather. This is funny because the cayugas' feathers turn white as they age, but it's not supposed to happen untill they are atleast 2 years old. Our Welsh Harlequin are sweet and quiet and beautiful and very shy. They do love us and will occationally still eat out of our hands. Beau and Keelyn both were less affectionate/"touchy" than the others, but they are both very sweet and love to be talked to. Miss Adventure (Missy) is our bossy loud mouth duck, who has most definately established herself as #1 in the pecking order.
One of my favorite things is being welcomed by them in the morning. They recognize us and each other mostly by sound so the morning welcome is a joy. They quack loudly and we talk back to them. They are also much much more social in the mornings and crave attention when they first are let out of their house. If we are in a big rush, they get upset if we just let them out and give them fresh water and food and just go. They really much prefer to have us stay and sit and talk with them while they run and pretend to fly and streatch. They will come up to us and talk and sweetly gently preen us as well.
Below are some pictures of when we put them up for the night. Tonight we have cardboard on the floor to protect it from the food and water they fling around with cedar chips on the other side. Usually we have the house full of cedar chips filling the whole thing. They prefer that is more comfortable and they like to "forage" in them at night. We have a heat lamp in the house that in the winter is on every night. And it keeps it warm.
