Today I had a revelation.
The gucklings were in a space that we had enclosed for the (FAILED) garden, but their grass supply has severely depleted since they've been going outside for the day every day for the last week or two. It was sufficient but, I wanted them to have more space! This is what we did today, it was a great move.
This was their old space, it worked fine, it had all the necessities, but it was a little too small for my liking.
SO. We moved their area! I am so happy with this change, I think they are too. We had this space and it was generally being unused. It was just nice for the dogs to be able to go poo over there if they wanted. But, this is great for the ducks, this new space is two to three times as large and guess what?! We won't have to mow there! The gucklings will take care of it!
I was a bit worried for tomorrow because it's supposed to be nearly 100f (and for some reason I have stuuupid animals) and they didn't have a good shade source. Living in Central Oregon, there's really not a lot of trees anyway... in any case, now they have one tree. Haha. We did also make the a palette hut!
Yeeees, I can spread my little goosey wings!
At first, they were really confused and upset that they had to make this little trek (like, I dunno, 100 feet...) But they were right fine with the move once they found the food!
Why Gucklings!?
Wheeeelll, I call them gucklings cause there's four ducks and three geese, and gosling is. A weird word. And, it's silly.
But why did you get gucklings?
Honestly... I'm gonna tell ya... cause they're f****** cute when they're babies! Like, I seriously cried when my order came into the feed store. Are you ready for this? Grab a dang tissue because you might cry of cuteness.
Okay, yeah, they're cute. But the other reasons are because their eggs are supposed to be much more rich, great for baking, their eggs are larger, AND, their poo can be immediately used in the garden as fertilizer (chicken's poo must be composted prior to use). Husband also really wanted them. Ha.
What are your animals for?
All of our livestock has multiple purposes, there's a difference between livestock and pets for us. Our dog, he's our pet. He doesn't have to do anything but be cuddly and look darned cute. But, everything else that we feed has to provide us with something. The rabbits, I use their poo in the garden (can be used right away - no composting necessary). The chickens will provide eggs, fertilizer, eat bugs, and probably meat in the future. The gucklings, they will provide eggs, fertilizer, and probably meat in the future - they also keep down bugs, and eat the grass so we don't have to mow.
As always, @Farmstead, blogging from FarmsteadSmith!
Check out my most recent Steemit Posts.
- How to Make a Chick Brooder
- Why Steemit is Great for Your Homestead
- Markdown Editors - Post Formatting Made Easier
- ColorChallenge WednesdayYellow
- Introducing, THE DOG
- Seven Days In - My Thoughts and Experiences of Steemit Thus Far.
- Nature on the Farmstead #1
Blog Series
- Nature on the Farmstead - These posts will be educational and informative about the nature that happens on my farmstead. Look forward to posts about wild animals, birds, wildflowers and plants, insects, and more!
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