The Duck Hut

Having added to the Aylesbury ducks with some Mallard and Pekin ducklings, it was time build a more permanent duck hut.  While the Aylesbury ducks were temporarily living in the chick area, a fenced duck run was built out of 4x2 wire.  The perimeter of the run is 100 feet.  Despite the run being fenced and inside the orchard that is itself surrounded by an electric fence, the ducks still need to be shut up at night to be safe from predators.  The hut needed to be large enough to house a number of large ducks, be robust enough for predator protection and be adequately ventilated for the hot summer months.  

Looking at some of the designs on the internet it is evident that some people have way too much time on their hands.  Rather than building something resembling the Taj Mahal, a simple 4x4 square frame design was used. Dog-eared fence boards were used on most of the outside since a small gap could be left between each board to allow ventilation.  The same boards were used on the floor so that predators could not bury underneath.  Plywood was also used on two of the sides and a large door was built to allow for easy cleaning (a lesson learned from one of the earlier chicken coops).  The roof has a gradual slope to allow for a modest drain and an overhang shelters the feed container from the rain.  This makes feeding easier.  Pressed wood covered by roofing felt and then corrugated tin constituted the roof.  The design also allowed for a ventilated panel at the front to help with airflow.

The ducks seem happy enough with their hut.  Initially the Aylesbury ducks were by themselves.  Then five of the Mallard ducklings were moved out on an accelerated schedule - they were making such a mess in my office it made the chicks look like they were house pets.  While the Mallards kept away from the Aylesbury ducks they all go in the hut at night.  Getting the ducks into the hut requires a little more wrangling than chickens.  

The following pics show the hut being built on site.  Some of the materials were recycled but most were bought new.  The total material cost was around $150 (excluding the obligatory $10 child swimming pool sold at WalMart.  This hut was definitely built to last.  This is just as well since now it is built, the hut is too big to fit through the gate of the run - a slight oversight in the design process!

A simple frame design.

The Barred Rock chicks from last year are now fully grown and look on with disinterest.

 Dog-eared boards being screwed on.  A small gap enables good ventilation.

The extra overhang created by the roofing tin provided a sheltered storage area.

Barn Yard Happenings

When I was a boy I had a hamster or two, the odd gerbil, a couple of ferrets, a canary and a tortoise that ran off.  My Grandma used to complain that the house was like a ménage à trois.  I think she meant a menagerie (a collection of wild or unusual animals)!  This leads me to the post today - more animals at the farm.  

New members to Hereward Farm this week include Charles and Camilla, a pair of Aylesbury ducks.  This breed originated from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire just north of London.  By the 18^th century raising white ducks in Aylesbury had become popular due to the demand for white feathers as a filler for quilts.  Over the 19^th century selective breeding led to the Aylesbury duck.  The ducks were bred on farms in the surrounding countryside and local residents would obtain fertilized eggs and raise the ducks in their home as a source of extra income.  In 1873 the Pekin duck (the “Aflac duck”) was introduced to England and this marked the decline of the Aylesbury.  Even though the Pekin was thought to have a poorer flavor than the Aylesbury, the Pekin was hardier and cheaper to raise.

The Aylesbury was one of the first domestic ducks introduced into America from Europe.  It is considered a superior meat breed.  It has a white skin where most other ducks have yellow skin.  Hens lay 35-125 white or tinted green eggs annually.  The Aylesbury is considered “slow moving and exceptionally tame”.   The Pekin duck did the same for the Aylesbury in the United States as it did in England.  Like our American Guinea Hogs, the Aylesbury is listed as “Critical” by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC).  In 2000 the ALBC census of domestic waterfowl found only two primary breeding flocks with 50 or more breeding birds existed. 

Cats - Lazy or Smart?                                  

Believing that the cats are being over-fed their feed ration has been reduced.  The hope was they would take the initiative and kill more rodents.  Unfortunately, the cats are either smarter or lazier than they were given credit for (or both).  The cats now simply walk into the pig pen and help themselves to the pigs’ feed.

This pig can't be that hungry - only two feet in the trough!

If there is one place I would not want to find myself it's standing between a hog and it's feed.  This cat has perhaps found an even less desirable position.  Brave or stupid?  The pigs don't seem to mind them being in their paddock but they will chase them away from their food.
 

Baby Rabbits

The amazingly fast growth of the baby rabbits is captured in the following photos.  After only two weeks the babies are almost as big as those being sold at the feed store. These are New Zealand / Californian crosses.

Approx. 1 day old

1 week old

2 weeks old