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Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 7:53 am
by Gavster
I need to build a solid fox proof enclosure with some timber and weld mesh which will be a run as well as the place for their hen house, so they can happily live there day to day. They do seem like low maintenance tbh and smaller breeds are really well suited to gardens like mine which are the size of a postage stamp
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 9:41 am
by Mito Man
I’d like them walking about outside during the day and then have one of those electronic doors so they learn to get inside in the evenings by themselves but there’s so many hawks here hence I think having a giant cock would be more of a deterrent against ambush
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 3:02 pm
by Gavster
From my basic understanding of their social dynamics, having a massive cock is basically a way of ensuring that any predators quickly realise it’s not worth trying their luck. That’s why huge cocks are particularly active first thing in the morning, it’s like a warning.
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 3:10 pm
by nuttinnew
V8Granite wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 5:36 am
It’s so relaxing seeing nature do its thing.
Dave!
You watch them poo?
Also, smingy? Que?
Is pigeon and swan poo equally as good for the garden?
I'm wondering if you can litter train ducks to poop where required to help make poo harvesting more efficient.
Good thread, much success
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 3:11 pm
by nuttinnew
Gavster wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 7:53 am
I need to build a solid fox proof enclosure
It'll have to be good to fend off the local Random Fried Chicken shop.
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:21 pm
by V8Granite
nuttinnew wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 3:10 pm
V8Granite wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 5:36 am
It’s so relaxing seeing nature do its thing.
Dave!
You watch them poo?
Also, smingy? Que?
Is pigeon and swan poo equally as good for the garden?
I'm wondering if you can litter train ducks to poop where required to help make poo harvesting more efficient.
Good thread, much success
Sometimes you can’t miss them, it shoots out like a rocket
Watching everything grow, no chemicals etc.
Ducks pooh in pond, pond grows worms, worms eaten by fish, filtered water feeds plants, plants help feed ducks.
Dave!
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:55 pm
by mik
nuttinnew wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 3:10 pm
I'm wondering if you can litter train ducks to poop where required to help make poo harvesting more efficient.
Ducks don’t have sphincters - so when it’s ready to come out - it’s coming out
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 9:42 pm
by Marv
Mid-spring this year, we had a pair of wild mallards set up a nest close to the nature pond we put in a few years ago. It was quite nice having them wandering around the garden.
While I was away, something came along and destroyed the eggs they laid. Looking at the CCTV, it looked like it might have been a pheasant that destroyed the eggs...but the wildlife pond is a little far away for my cameras to make out properly what happened. I googled it and there was a post on a forum where someone said that pheasants will destroy unguarded duck eggs.
The ducks went elsewhere after that, a few more months passed, and I've seen a female mallard with chicks in the river at the bottom of the garden, so hopefully the couple managed to re-lay eggs elsewhere and successfully hatch them.
As for chickens, we bought three Cotswold Legbar hens when my niece and nephew were young. They lived a nice life in the forest, laying lots of eggs (sometimes in the trees!), until a fox moved in and killed all three of them.
We bought two Pekin Bantams hens a little while after. One got to about 12 years old and died naturally (I think it was probably water belly), the other is still going on strong at 14 years old. It stopped laying eggs years ago (they never produced loads of eggs anyway), but apparently 14 years for a chicken is something like the equivalent of 130+ years human years
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:34 am
by nuttinnew
V8Granite wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:21 pm
Watching everything grow, no chemicals etc.
Ducks pooh in pond, pond grows worms, worms eaten by fish, filtered water feeds plants, plants help feed ducks.
Dave!
It's good for the soul
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:42 am
by nuttinnew
mik wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:55 pm
Ducks don’t have sphincters - so when it’s ready to come out - it’s coming out
Ah, that'd definitely make it awkward
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:35 am
by V8Granite
nuttinnew wrote: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:42 am
mik wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:55 pm
Ducks don’t have sphincters - so when it’s ready to come out - it’s coming out
Ah, that'd definitely make it awkward
Just so we are clear, it’s from the pond water, it’s not being collected from the grass
Dave!
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 9:18 am
by Gavster
Marv wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 9:42 pm
Mid-spring this year, we had a pair of wild mallards set up a nest close to the nature pond we put in a few years ago. It was quite nice having them wandering around the garden.
While I was away, something came along and destroyed the eggs they laid. Looking at the CCTV, it looked like it might have been a pheasant that destroyed the eggs...but the wildlife pond is a little far away for my cameras to make out properly what happened. I googled it and there was a post on a forum where someone said that pheasants will destroy unguarded duck eggs.
The ducks went elsewhere after that, a few more months passed, and I've seen a female mallard with chicks in the river at the bottom of the garden, so hopefully the couple managed to re-lay eggs elsewhere and successfully hatch them.
As for chickens, we bought three Cotswold Legbar hens when my niece and nephew were young. They lived a nice life in the forest, laying lots of eggs (sometimes in the trees!), until a fox moved in and killed all three of them.
We bought two Pekin Bantams hens a little while after. One got to about 12 years old and died naturally (I think it was probably water belly), the other is still going on strong at 14 years old. It stopped laying eggs years ago (they never produced loads of eggs anyway), but apparently 14 years for a chicken is something like the equivalent of 130+ years human years
That is some serious age for the Pekins! They do seem like nice birds as pets.
This seems to be the question when choosing hens is personality vs the size and quantity of eggs, e.g. a ex commercial laying hen which pushes out an egg a day but is a bit more flighty and less friendly, or going for something smaller, cuter, friendlier and more pet like but with smaller and fewer eggs.
Kinda torn between things like Sussex’s, Legbars etc which are great layers and Silkies, Pekins which are just cute
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 9:37 am
by V8Granite
Why not us mother Ducker!
Dave!
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:27 am
by Gavster
They need more space than I can give them, some Pekin Bantams are friendly little birds who will be happy with a nice enclosed run.
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 10:44 am
by V8Granite
How many square metres will you have for them ?
We want chickens in the future but more for keeping the ground really healthy.
Dave!
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 11:02 am
by Gavster
Their run and hen house will be about 2.4 x 2.4m x 2m high for 4-5 birds, plus will let them into the garden when I can supervise them, but being inner city with very active fox population that I will need to be very careful about that.
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 11:04 am
by Gavster
That’s why the run will be on hard standing covered with deep wood chip for them to play and dust bath in, so that foxes can’t dig underneath. Also the height is useful so I can have levels and perches for them to play around on.
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 3:25 pm
by nuttinnew
V8Granite wrote: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:35 am
nuttinnew wrote: Sun Aug 17, 2025 12:42 am
mik wrote: Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:55 pm
Ducks don’t have sphincters - so when it’s ready to come out - it’s coming out
Ah, that'd definitely make it awkward
Just so we are clear, it’s from the pond water, it’s not being collected from the grass
Dave!
Aye, that's why I was wondering if they could be trained/persuaded to poo in the pond instead of the grass so you don't lose it. I guess it helps the grass though
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 6:00 pm
by V8Granite
They’ve shit in the playroom and kitchen so it’s an open valve with a pressure release
Dave!
Re: Duck Pooh, smingy gold!!
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2025 7:49 pm
by nuttinnew
That's some range
V8Granite wrote: Sun Aug 17, 2025 9:37 am
Dave!
Travis Bickle duck.
