I’m going to tell a story, it’s a long rambling story of our first animal mishap on the homestead.
(Barry and Iris)
Shortly after our ducklings were moved outside to their tractor we have to opportunity to purchase a couple of 2 month old muscovies. We didn’t want to put them in with the ducklings in case they were sick so I built this temporary area for them next to our garden. It included a roofed shelter and a fenced in area. I knew that muscovies could fly but I had heard from a number of people that birds aren’t stupid and they won’t stray far from their home. They know where their food comes from!
After a few days they started to feel more comfortable with their surroundings and the female started perching on the gate to our fence. I had NO idea that Muscovy ducks liked to perch, just like chickens! Oops. 😬 So I would go outside and shoo her off so that I could let the dogs outside to do their business.
(Iris in her favorite spot)
Now my dogs have never been around poultry or livestock before and of course they are very interested in the ducks. We have what we think is a Coonhound Shepherd mix, an American Staffordshire Terrier and a Great Dane mix. One day I was outside working and I had the shepherd mix, Titan outside with me. He was in the fenced in area next to the duck area when Iris, our female decided to perch on the fence. Titan went for her!
(The doofus in question)
Now this duck instead of flying back into her run with her buddy decided to fly clear across our yard and into the neighbor’s yard. We hadn’t purchased a net yet so I had to ‘herd’ her closer to her pen. Here I was running like a crazy person, waving my hands, trying to use my body to get Iris to move in a specific direction. Let’s just say I was really hoping my neighbors weren’t home. Instead of going back into the yard, she thought going into the woods along our fence line was a better idea. A woods with spiders hanging from every surface, it was disgusting. She followed the fence line in the woods until she was next to her buddy and then I scared her into climbing the chain link back in.
A similar situation happened a few days later once I decided I was sick of scaring the duck off the fence every time the dogs had to go out. We decided it was worth the risk and put them in with the ducklings. By this point we had a net and we still chased that duck all over the darn place trying to catch her. The male (Barry) never once left the ground but Iris wanted nothing to do with us and our net. We ended up having to wait and hope she found her way back to Barry that evening. She did and that is how my husband discovered that you can get right next to them as long as it's dark out and you shine a light directly in their eyes.
(Barry, Iris and the ducklings)
The next evening that’s how we caught them, with a net and a cell phone flashlight app!
What is your most embarassing homestead moment?
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