Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)  (Read 5452 times)

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« on: May 14, 2008, 10:07:04 am »
My worst fear has occurred.  I have allowed our ducks, chickens and turkeys to free range our property.  The critters are getting more and more venturesome all the time.  Yesterday I looked out my bedroom patio doors and saw movement in the pool.  Well I'll be darned.  If two of the Muscovy ducks weren't in the pool, having the time of their lives.  The water has not had any chemicals added to it, yet, and they just were loving the clear, clean, cold water.  Only two of them, the third one, Girl, must have been elsewhere doing something or other.  They swam and they bathed, that flopped and they flapped, and then got out and preened and preened like there was no tomorrow.  Then they left to go and find some more slugs, bugs, and muck.

The pool is deep, 8 feet on one end and three feet on the other end.  They chose the shallower end, and they got out easily.  I had visions of me having to go and rescue these two girls from the water, but nope, they are good at jumping and getting out.  And oh yes, they make me laugh, they bring that stomach rollin' laugh and that beautiful smile to my face. 

I went and checked if they had pooed in the pool.  Nautta, nope, not a single mucky duck poo.  I wonder if the will hit this water today too.  Time will tell that tale.

In the background of the second picture you will see three stumps sticking out of the ground, just to the left of the gargoyle fountain.  Those are the mother banana plants that overwintered with their black sleeves for protection.  I removed the sleeves a couple of days ago.  Believe it or not, these three stumps will produce leaves and these mothers will send up about 20 shoots that will make beautiful small banana plants, several of them will become the mothers that are overwintered with protection.  Hard to imagine what the banana grove will look like in a couple of months, but I will guarantee it will be beautiful.

One of the chickens, that is Lucy, with the blue legs, was rather venturesome too.  I recently took the winter leaves off of the gunnera plant and there is woodbugs, slugs, and worms galore surrounding this area.  She discovered it and spent the good part of the afternoon turning up the ground there for me.  It is hard to picture the monster plant that this gunnera will make also.  The wooden pool pump house that you see in the picture will barely be visible in a couple of months, the gunnera will be so large, some of you may remember the pictures I put on the forum last summer. 

Enjoy the pictures, summertime is just a whisp away, those beautiful, dog days of summer, beautiful day, beautiful life.  Cindi







Another brown chicken was venturesome.  She came up to the yard to eat the leftovers of the seeds from the bird seed that I throw out each day.  She came to the area near our patio on the north side of our house where the toilet still remains.  I haven't quite decided to do with the toilet from the renovations, so it sits in the bush, alongside a table.  I had to blank out the chickens face so she remained anonymous, didn't want anyone to recognize her, hee, hee.

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2008, 01:28:06 pm »
They will still go to the pool after you have added chlorine, etc...

I heard of a dye you could put in the pool that is invisible, it only turns a color after someone's peed in the pool, maybe it will work with the ducks. The idea is that after you "go" and the pool turns that different color, everyone points their finger at ya, and ya get embarrassed. :-D

You never pee in the pool again. I heard it works. :-D Not sure if ducks get embarrassed though.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline lovelyembalmer

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 71
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2008, 01:32:30 pm »
Love your pics, can't show the one with the brown chick to my hubby, he'll want to land scape that way too!! :-*

Offline Barbara

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 50
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2008, 01:33:44 pm »
Are you speaking from experience JP?  :-D
Barbara

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2008, 12:42:43 am »
Are you speaking from experience JP?  :-D

Uhhhhhhhhh, I plead the 5th! :-D


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2008, 09:57:33 am »
Lovelyembalmer.  Show your Husband the picture of the toilet, it could bring some interesting design concepts, hee, hee.

Barbara, you know that JP is a brat!!!  Only he would put chemicals in the pool so he could laugh at people, you must have caught on that he loves to tease people, hee, hee.

Yesterday, three ducks went in the pool.  They spent alot of time in there this time.  They would do a fly/swim thing from one end to the other (30 feet) and would fly right out of the pool at the the other end.  It was wonderful and beautiful to see.  And then they spent the longest time preening, and preening some more.  They must have felt like beautiful gals, all clean from that clear, clean water.  I an anal about a clean pool and even in the wintertime I vacuum it and backwash it.  I wonder if I will bother to shoo them out when swimming weather comes, hee, hee. Actually, I don't think the ducks would go in with so many kids splashing 'round.  But then, one never knows, these Muscovy gals are pretty darn friendly.

I love how whenever I am working outside and they are allowed out to meander around my property from their yards, that Girl immediately, as soon as she sees me, leads the crew and they come and wait for me to turn over some earth.  They have no fear, not of humans nor all the dogs around here.  It is very cool, the dogs pay absolutely no mind to the chickens, ducks and turkeys.  None....period, they live in 100% complete harmony.  It is good.

I get a kick out of Richard though (the tom turkey).  He will sometimes stalk the dogs when their back is turned and chase after them.  The dogs usually don't even have a clue and just keep on keepin' on.  Richard does this kind of running/hopping thing and by the time he gets close to a dog, the dog is off sniffing something else, and he gives up on his stalk.  Probably because the dogs don't react, he doesn't get his way and it is no fun, so off Richard goes to graze on another piece of grass.

Oh, by the way, Richard is a wonderful daddy, and he loves his baby turkeys, all 10 of them and the 1 yellow chick too.  This chick thinks it is a turkey and even has climbed on Abigail's back.  Madeline must not be the preferred mother of the turkeys, because I only see all the little poults on Abigail's back. I still can't get over how careful these huge mother turkeys are about watching where they step with the babies.

Today the sun is supposed to shine (yeah) and I am going to let the turkey hens and their babies come out of their enclosure to get some good bugs and grasses, it should be an interesting day.  Oh dear, I only meant to spend a moment on replying to this post, but you know me, a'ramblin' I must go............Most beautiful day in this great life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline poka-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1651
  • Gender: Female
  • I am NEVER bored!!
    • Darby Farms
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2008, 02:24:08 pm »
Cindi your place is beautiful!  Those muscovy gals will wait the kids out or take turns in the early early am or late pm.  The kids have to eat sometime! These are not sitting on eggs?  If they are ewwwww, you will have that broody-nest-poo!! pounds & pounds in one shot! Have you found that the girls are more mischevious than drakes?  I found they were more adventurous, flying to the roof, swimming in the stock tanks..The drakes get too heavy to fly & my hens would get on the barn roof when they didn't feel like "chores" & I swear they laughed as they looked down at Mr. Muscovy with that slow bobbing head thrust they do! Enjoy the sun today, it just peeked out the fog this am!  I'm gonna check my bees today! :-D
Jody
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline poka-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1651
  • Gender: Female
  • I am NEVER bored!!
    • Darby Farms
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #7 on: May 15, 2008, 02:27:12 pm »
OOps, forgot, you could make the toilet into a fountain, I'm sure there is some way to put a little pump into the tank & room for the intake hose trough the bottom flow dealie!  It would look cool amongst the banana plants & the one I call the jurassic plant!  Jody
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline reinbeau

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2504
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #8 on: May 15, 2008, 08:22:39 pm »
What a lovely yard you have, Cindi, I can imagine your happiness when you look out on it.  Those ducks have the nicest pond in the world!

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2008, 09:16:29 am »
Girls, thank you for the kind words.  I actually do live on a very beautiful piece of this earth.  I have cultivated our land for almost 20 years now, gardens, lawns and more gardens, beautiful things to see and feel.  I am a fortunate woman, I have a very unique talent for creating gardens and places of peace and beauty.  I do not say this sound as a braggart, that I am not.  But this little world that I have created is in a little place all on its own, where time has almost stood still, and sometimes this must plain and simply, just be said.

We are on 5 acres.  If one were to look up our driveway from the road, all you would see are trees.  Our driveway winds up a small incline and goes around to the back.  One would never know the world of gardens and such until they actually went up the driveway and then this place is beginning to be seen.  It is quite hidden and secluded in this way.

Last summer I remember (I think it was Annette) that said that she wished she could see what my place looked like.  I took a long time one day, with lots of deep thought on how to present this picture for her mind's eye.  I took my camera with me and began at the bottom of our drive way and walked along, alongside our home and to the back, taking pictures, to attempt to show her what our place looks like.  It was quite a deal for me.

I never did post these pictures, I think when all was said and done, there were about 10 of them, but I think it was nice.  Maybe one day I will still post these pictures.

Jody, I love the slow head bobbing that the Muscovys do when they walk, and their waddley rear ends, it sure looks like got one great wiggle going on there.  Mine don't fly.  We have clipped one side of the wings, that keeps them earth bound.  It worries me that they could fly away.  We had one last year that flew all over the place and we had the dickens of a time getting her home.  Didn't want to go through that again.  They can still sort of fly, but not a complete lift off.
The toilet fountain sounds beautiful, Jody, what a grand idea, and ya never know.  Hee, hee, beautiful and most wonderful day in this great life we all share.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline lovelyembalmer

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 71
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2008, 08:30:29 pm »
 :)Hey, I show the picture of the toilet to my husband. He said to tell you that is a common yard ornament in the south. He drives by one yard that has three.

Jody, I like the idea of the fountain. 

Offline reinbeau

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2504
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #11 on: May 17, 2008, 08:33:38 am »
You need to post those pictures, Cindi!  :)

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #12 on: May 17, 2008, 11:04:37 am »
Ann, I'll check out that folder and see if I can reduce the pictures down to not so many, that will be a rainy day project.  It is great to see where people live, I love to see people's places and I wish more forum members would show us their stuff, we all have wonderful stuff, and it is wonderful to share, (getting sick of the word wonderful yet?  hee, hee, smiling).  Have that beautiful and MOST wonderful day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Galactic Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 7369
  • Gender: Male
  • I really look like this, just ask Cindi.
    • http://spaces.msn.com/thecoonsden
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #13 on: May 18, 2008, 01:18:15 am »
OOps, forgot, you could make the toilet into a fountain, I'm sure there is some way to put a little pump into the tank & room for the intake hose trough the bottom flow dealie!  It would look cool amongst the banana plants & the one I call the jurassic plant!  Jody

The French did that 100 years ago, I think they called it a bidet.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline poka-bee

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1651
  • Gender: Female
  • I am NEVER bored!!
    • Darby Farms
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #14 on: May 18, 2008, 01:21:14 am »
Why yes they did, but did they put em outside in the garden?? :evil:  Brian you crack me up!  Jody
I'm covered in Beeesssss!  Eddie Izzard

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Ducks in our pool (and will there be poo!!!)
« Reply #15 on: May 18, 2008, 10:11:35 am »
Ah, ha, ha, ha, (how do you spell laughing anyways?  hee, hee).  You all make me laugh, you make me wanna shout, I love the sprites in you!!!  Have the best of this beautiful day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

 

anything