Tuesday, June 17, 2014

The Duck Whisperer



It seems as though we are going to town every month right now, which is WAY too often to suit me. But, the upside is, we get to listen to a book tape, eat in a fancy restaurant and...bring home DUCKS! My online friends keep telling me how duck eggs are superior to chicken eggs, as far as being larger, richer and making amazingly fluffy baked goods, so I broke down and decided to try some, Our egg laying flock is getting geriatric and this might be their last year so we had to replace them with SOMEthing. The good news is, ducks don’t crow, they don’t eat much commercial feed as they love to forage on grasses and bugs and can be very friendly. The downside is, they are pretty dirty. I picked up 4 Khaki Campbells as they are supposed to be good egg layers, 2 Indian Runner ducks just for fun, because it cracks me up to look at them with their upright stance and long necks, and 2 Roeuns which are supposed to be superior meat birds and great mosquitoe eaters. We shall see. 



The first night home, a moth got in while we were dragging a water trough in to use as a brooder. It was flitting around their heat light and 2 of them JUMPED UP IN THE AIR. One successfully snatched it and the 8 of them went to feasting. It was nearly as big as they were. I found it impressive.


One of the ranch mechanics who works with TheMan came by last night. He likes EmmaLouMoo’s milk so we have worked out a deal whereby he will milk her a couple of times a week for me and we will split the milk. I guess he drinks a gallon a day all by himself. I throw a loaf of fresh bread at him now and then also, and in return he occasionally prods TheMan to help with some chores around here, by pitching in himself. I really do appreciate it.


 Last night he came in to see the ducklings. He picked up every single one and held it until they were mesmerized. Who knew there was such a thing as a “Duck Whisperer”? 



Today, they were all much calmer. Now I will admit I have been handling them every day to help them get used to us, but I haven’t had half the response he had. I guess some folks just have a gift. My Grampa was like that. People would lose pets and they would all wind up at our house, in his room out back. Parakeets and pigeons would fly in his open glass door and perch on his chair or shoulder. It was just weird, but I, of course, loved it. He was quite a guy.



I had a couple of red letter days last week and went riding. Mister is losing weight out with the cavvy, so he gets to come in for supplements. He’s the only horse I know that can lose weight on 200 acres of grass. During one of our treks we saw no less than 6 coyotes cross our path, one of which was enormous. I think it is the biggest coyote I’ve ever seen.


Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I got  3 heads of iceburg and 6 heads of romaine lettuce torn up and jarred for salads for the next couple of months. I have mentioned in past blogs that using an attachment for the vacuum sealer will keep the lettuce fresh for 6-8 weeks this way, as long as you reseal the jar if you don’t use it all up. We eat pretty good when we first get back from town as we get to feast on all the stuff that won’t last so long. Today was fresh avocado and bacon sandwiches on homemade sourdough bread with salad on the side. It was delish.



The next order of business will be to get the rest of the radio fence up so the Maremmas can be back out with their sheep. It won't be soon enough for me. Meanwhile, they've taken over the house.



Never a dull moment.


8 comments:

  1. Hmm, a few more days inside and they're going to loose the title, "working dogs" lol! Glad you've had some good days - hope there are many more ahead of you!

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    1. Thanks! The dogs have earned their Couch Potato certificates. They were very competitive about itas well. I'm so looking forward to kicking them out LOL

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  2. We just bought a new vacuum sealer, it came with an attachment .I need to figure out how it works. We always lose about 1/2 a head of iceberg lettuce. (Had to go buy one 'cause we could not find the old one! And the fishing trip to Racine for Salmon and Lake Trout was successful.) mmmm.
    Are you sure the dogs are actually going to want to go back to work? Someone looks awfully comfy on the couch. ;)
    Here is hoping and praying you and Mr. get to spend many days on the trail this summer.
    Love and Hugs, CAROL DEE

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    1. I forgot to mention in the above post we have a Duck Whisperer in the family! My youngest son. :) When he was a teen my husband's boss found a nest of duck eggs in his rhubarb. DH brought them home and successfully hatched the cutest clutch of baby Mallards. We raised them in the back yard until old enough to release on a friends pond. DS would mimic there peeps (perfectly) it was so cute to watch them follow him everywhere and rest on his boot. ;)

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    2. I love my vacuum sealer. I got a 50% off on online sale at the website. Looks like they have them all the time. I have been having salad everyday and love it. I'm too lazy to break up a head of lettuce every time we want salad so this works really well for me. Instead, I put my time into making some homemade bleu cheese dressing.

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  3. Ducks are fun! My son has a free range farm fresh egg business. He sells lots of duck eggs. They bring a much higher price than the chicken eggs. The claim that they are healthier and make fluffier baked goods is true. Good luck with the ducklings.

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    1. Oh wow! I had no idea they cost more. I am so excited to try them. Unfortunately I could only find "straight run" ducklings so we have no idea if there is a mix or if they are all drakes or all hens…I have a feeling I am going to need to find some good duck recipes though because surely they are not all hens :)

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  4. I never thought of ducks in the hen house. It's a thought. We are going to be replacing some chickens soon. Ducks would be fun.
    That dog of yours looks mighty comfortable on that sofa. Wouldn't let that happen too often or you will find yourself sitting on the floor.
    Good luck with your "duck whispering".

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