Typical Afternoon with Pet Ducks and Goose

[JKDspirit]

Dont they destroy the grass? :O

[ursusarctosana]

@JKDspirit - Yes, they do destroy the grass. If you check out my second to latest video, uploaded on November 1st, you will see that the grass on their side is gone and that the other section is fenced off. They have access to it, but not every day, and graze it down. There's another area where grass is planted and they can go in there, too, but the grass has to recover.

[JKDspirit]

@ursusarctosana ahh i see, thanks for the info! I hope one day i can get two pet ducks for my huge garden...What is a suitable indoor pen for the ducks at nightime?...and also, when they are outside during the day, what protective measures can I take to make sure foxes cant get to the ducks?

[ursusarctosana]

@JKDspirit - when dealing with predators, such as foxes, coons, dogs, you'll need to keep them in a secure pen all the time. A dog kennel-type of fencing, which you can sometimes find on Craigslist, will work, but it will need to have reinforcement into the ground, such as chicken wire attached to the bottom and dug down a couple feet, or concrete. The other easy in for predators is the sky, so covering the top with chicken wire is also important. Duckies eat lettuce and tomatoes. ;)

[JKDspirit]

@ursusarctosana awesomeee ^_^ thanks for all the advice!!

[ursusarctosana]

@JKDspirit - I only want the very best for all duckies and their people.

[ursusarctosana]

@JKDspirit for a night pen, depending on the climate, you will need an insulated shelter and a safely suspended heat lamp. If there aren't enough windows in the shelter, and the weather is extremely cold for a more than a day, you'll need to change the heat lamp bulb to a daytime bulb during the day and back to a night bulb during the night. I've tried all types of bedding, pine shavings, etc. (never cedar--not good for animals) and I prefer straw.

[ursusarctosana]

@JKDspirit - This spring we're creating some raised beds that will be located throughout their side of the yard and planting herbs and other things at a height they cannot disturb. This will provide shelter and shade. They receive fresh organic greens from a local grocer, too. Yes, when keeping waterfowl one must do a lot of research about appropriate plants. They're also curious about anything new, so a plant has to be fenced off until they're accustomed to seeing it.

[scarletgunn]

0:43...dramatic Duck :D

[hawker39]

I want to own a duck and a goose.

I'd name the duck Maverick

[idkanynamez]

I love runner ducks:) It makes me laugh when I see them walk, they make me think they want to be people! They are so tall!:)

[Khamomil]

What beautiful animals! I never saw this breed before, black with some blue in the wingtips, and that black bill, very classy, and they seem to be happy making these contented little noises.

You did a great job filming too! Bravo.

[ursusarctosana]

@Khamomil - The tall slender duck is a purebred Indian runner. The one with a white chest is Indian runner/wild mallard cross. The all black bigger duck is a Cayuga. All three are drakes.

[OcarinaBrothers]

@ursusarctosana We have an Indian runner as well. She mamma'd some baby mallards we got and our goose. The goose thinks he's a duck haha. The ducks don't really like us going near them but our goose is fine with us.

[ursusarctosana]

@Khamomil - We lost our sweet Mista Clyde last month from intestinal obstruction. We miss him so much. He's the duck with the white chest. He was the most colorful duck of all.

[garf1eld029]

0:23 I love that walk! I am mighty goose!

[ursusarctosana]

@garf1eld029 - You should see the gander. Lucy was born in 2009. Her boyfriend was born last year and he's now a yearling with an attitude and butler strut.

[ursusarctosana]

@friken0frank2 - It sure was!

[jab0064]

Is Clyde a cayuga?

[ursusarctosana]

@jab0064 - Hello, Mista Clyde was a black Indian runner crossed with wild mallard. His mother visited the pond late at night and had a secret boyfriend.

[ursusarctosana]

@ursusarctosana Mista Clyde passed away last week from intestinal rupture. We are very sad and so is the flock. Everyone misses him dearly.

[XzNightWalkeRzX]

@ursusarctosana sorry to hear that :(

[tacomonster98]

I wonder if geese are jewish

[Cadrizz]

Very cool vid!

[1ukjunglednbraver]

do they ruin the garden at all

[ursusarctosana]

@1ukjunglednbraver - Yes, they will eat a lot of the garden, even the flowers, sometimes. They would prefer bugs, though, and are actually used in rice patties in some organic rice farms all over Asia to control slugs and other pests so no pesticides are used.

[1TomAhs1]

How is the kind of black ducks called? I want one :D

[ursusarctosana]

@1TomAhs1 - The larger black drake is a Cayuga, a U.S. breed originating out of New York State. The tall skinny one is an Indian Runner and the one with the white spot on his chest is Indian runner/wild mallard.

[culturebomb]

why no mate for lucy? :-(

[ursusarctosana]

@culturebomb Lucy has a mate now. His name is Wee-Woo.

[TheHeather1985]

Why do you have only males?

[ursusarctosana]

@TheHeather1985 I have quite a few females...about 3:1 males, but this video may be when they were small still.

[ursusarctosana]

Lucy, the goose, was raised with ducks Ming, Clyde, and Augie. She is a good goose, always gentle, although Ming and Augie fight over her sometimes, thinking she is their mate. She tolerates them, but they harass her. So, yes, she does like the ducks.

[critterkiller105]

does the goose like the ducks

[critterkiller105]

does the goose like the ducks

[DelorienAz]

haha, cute :)

[ursusarctosana]

And, of course, the ice cream truck drives by chiming the tune of "Glory, glory, hallelujah..."

[TheHeather1985]

@ursusarctosana Nevermind I heard a female.