Gratuitous Duckling Photos

 

     After I reinforced the lower areas of the enclosure with mesh wire fencing, we were ready to go and buy ducklings again. This time the store had a cheaper variety, the Pekin duck.

     They start off with yellow feathers and turn white. The store personnel had no idea about gender, but tried to tell me that higher pitched squeaking is an indicator of female birds. I hope they are female for the 🥚.

     On the second day I put some water in one of the containers, and I was so worried it that my daughter figured out how to use a piece of wood as a duck bridge, which they quickly figured out. Then I was worried that the water would be too deep. I said, "Do you think the water is too deep for them?" And right after I said it one of them diced underwater and started zooming around under there. I guess they figured it out.

Gone-lings, not Ducklings

      One of the more helpful learning tools in life can be learning from other people's mistakes. When I teach I often talk about some of my mistakes, to use as examples and to reassure the student that mistakes happen and it's what you do afterward that matter. 

     One of the things I learned is that small ducks can fit through really small areas in any enclosure to escape. It cost me the price of the birds I lost, about $25. 

     So these are not my ducklings, but my gone-lings. I hope they fed one of neighborhood cats or rats very well.

The Ducks Enclosure Part 2

 

     After much deliberation, I ordered a chicken enclosure from the Walmart website for about $300. I am one hundred percent sure that the enclosure came from China originally, as it was written all over the instructions and the box. It was not very easy to put together, largely because the diagram of the finished product showed the door on the wrong side of roof. But after following all of the directions I only ended up breaking one of the welds and had an enclosure. And the door is crooked.

     My daughter helped me with the netting, which is zip tied to the aluminum frame. It all looked great, so we went to the store and came home with three baby 🦆. She was so worried the ducks would be too cold with the night temperatures down in the 50s that she brought them in her room at night.

 

    The next day when I got home from work, the ducklings were gone. It looked more like they had escaped rather than that a predator had eaten them, as there were no mess and feathers. I have no doubt that after they escaped something came to eat them.

     

Spring Garden 2022 Part 2

 

     If I didn't mention it, I planted up my cannas this spring. I am so over losing all of my cannas to frost, from now on I am going to keep them in the backyard again. I am also going to utilizing the punch bowl method to ensure that they are well hydrated in the backyard, which is something I had trouble with the last time I kept them in full sun in the backyard.

     Also included naked onions, naked black beans. My mom gave me some stromanthe and variegated ginger.

Spring Garden 2022 Part 1

 

     This spring I had some time and I replanted some of my cannas, also planted some beans, onions, spiderwort, sweet potatoes. My mom gave me some ginger, and I bought a basil plant from the grocery store.

The Cane Method for Planting Canes Part 2

 

     Last winter I threw down several canes of Napier grass, known as Elephant grass or Black grass. They were extra, prunings from some bushes in the front yard that were about to experience frost. I fed most of the leaves to the rabbits and then buried the canes here in the back yard abutting my neighbors fence.

     I had to do something with all that bare sand. Prior to laying down the canes I had torn out quite a bit of orange honeysuckle, which is a beautiful plant but it had also been trying to take over my yard. And it is not as desirable as a rabbit forage as they don't seem to like it. (They will eat it if they have nothing else.) The work had caused many small mounds and pits in the sand.

     So I laid down the canes as detailed here, and basically did nothing else. I think I may have shot water at the buried canes once with the hose. It has rained a few times since then, and here are the canes three months later. I think five or 6 patches of black grass has come up, and there are several places where the canes have become uncovered thanks to rain washing the sand back into place. For the amount of work that I put into planting the canes and caring for them, I have to say the Cane Method is very successful.

March and April Planting Guide

 

The Ducks Enclosure Part 1

      Spent a great deal of time cleaning up the backyard. A lot of things have going on, the least of which being that the neighbors cut down one of my trees and jacked up my privacy hedge. So I ended up cleaning the weeds out of the back yard and removing most things that are inedible. 

     Anecdotally have been learning a lot about the other small animals that people enjoy having around, and have decided that ducks might be a great place to start. After the rabbits of course. I had wanted rats but not a whole lot of support or at least polite smiling from my friends and family. But learned that ducks can eat a lot of things that chickens can't, like bugs, caterpillars, water hyacinths and cat food. Supposedly they are very much omnivorous and can clean up leftovers like dogs can. Not really sure about all of that but have confirmed that even baby ducks like water hyacinth.

     I can't say that any one research point has given me good information about ducks. I listened to a bunch of podcasts and videos made by people who are doing their best to raise ducks given what little is out there. It's known that they eat fish plants and bugs. It's known that ducklings grow very quickly and if they are niacin deficient then they develop angel wing. Not a whole lot else is out there.

      Speaking of duck diet, I now am wondering how feasible it would be to breed cockroaches or palmetto bugs to feed them to ducks. Those things will eat anything .

     This is the cleared area in my backyard, some elephant grass as a mulch, and two tubs for the ducks to swim in. 

New Side Yard Garden

     After the neighbors put in their new plastic fence, I learned that I had a few more feet on that side of the yard. That would have been helpful to know before they cut down one of my while I was at work. 

     It took a lot of digging to remove the African Honeysuckle from that part of the yard. Months later I am still finding sprouts from buried canes that need to be ripped out.

     These gingers, taro, and the new moringa tree have all survived the winter and are well on their way to providing an excellent shade hedge.

     This picture was taken in December not long after the plants were put into the ground.
 

Planned Communities - Trophy Houses

     One of the things I have been noticing as I am driving around West Florida during the daytime is that there are a lot of communities that work hard to make themselves look better than other communities. There are matching houses with impersonal manicured yards and easements with florida friendly landscaping. Which are merely the same 10 plants, nonnatives, planted over and over again. 

     These communities look nice. Clean. Many have nicely sized sidewalks and golf courses to enjoy when the weather is nice. Some have tennis courts and pools, which are never being used even when the weather is good for it, which is most of the time. 

     They have their looks, but it can come with the downside. For example, one of the residents in one of these (nongated) communities told me that they have a prohibition against trick or treating. Of all the things to prohibit. And I am sure that all that lawn maintenance and manicuring must cost.

     As nice as these places are, I fear that they are disconnected from the Real Florida happening all around. I mean, say you are retiring to anywhere in the United States with a low cost of living, and you value things like golf courses, mowed lawns, and community pools. What the heck is the point of being in Florida if you are going to come here, cut down all the native trees, destroy habitat for native animals, and cover the entire neighborhood in fertilizer and pesticide? Why not live in the more energy efficient condominiums that often still have golf courses and pools attached?

     Meanwhile down the street, there are little houses tucked into bayous and overgrown yards requiring no additional chemicals. Huge native oak trees shade the homes and cars, providing habitat for animals and lowering air conditioning bills for the homes.