Who Knew?

The other day we bought 10 ducks for our consumption. These are they being deposited into the market garden in the above picture. We thought we would eat them over the next few weeks starting with immediately and processing (killing, defeathering, etc.) them and then freezing them. I wanted them in the market garden so they could eat snails, slugs, etc. and fatten up while helping me prepare the garden for the Spring planting.

They had another idea. Their idea was no killing, no eating, and no confinement in the market garden. It all started when I drove past the day after we bought them (and killed 1 for that night's dinner table - it was delicious). We were down to 9 ducks but when I glanced over from the car I could see that the gate had collapsed and the ducks could leave at any time.

So I went down to shut it. I could shut it all right but the ducks ran at a rapid waddle straight out the gate before I could get there and dived into the stream runoff from the pond above. I tried to catch them and herd them back into the garden. You try it some time. 9 ducks; 1 human, and water to slip into and hide in the reeds. The ducks won.

For the next 2 weeks we were all up to our eyebrows in work, kids, and lambing season. The ducks lurched about in the red, red barn paddock undisturbed and frankly, little thought of. I didn't even bother counting them each day as I went down to water the steers. There were always a few who wouldn't be with the flock but in the water somewhere.

How true that was! Dan found 2 dead in the stone water trough!! They had drowned. I still can't believe it. They drowned!! Who knew that ducks could drown. Not me.

Til next time.