Photo: Kai & Chris install protective chicken wire around one of our duck’s new nesting spots.

Last week we found new homes for a number of our Muscovy ducks because we’d gotten to a point where we had more than our little farm could properly handle (blogged here). We left ourselves with 4 sweet females and 1 punk rocker of a drake. Unfortunately, our drake went missing not long after the rest moved to new homes. Maybe he tried to follow them, maybe he decided to take up independent residence in our nearby forest and gully, or maybe one of our wild predators got to him (coyotes, owls, raccoons)? We’re very sad that he’s gone.

Our remaining females, however, seem to be enjoying their male-free life and are making cozy nesting spots for themselves in their paddock and around the farm. We discovered this female (pictured) in her new nesting spot after thinking that she’d gone missing. Instead, she was building herself this little space in an old animal feed frame in our side pasture. Since she’s spending most of her time in it, we decided to make some adjustments so she isn’t an easy target for night-time predators.

So, our early-week, strike’s-on/ school’s-off project was surrounding the feed frame with chicken wire and a little door we can open during the day, but close in the evenings. Now she’s nice and cozy and hopefully safe. Too bad our drake’s gone. Would have been fun to discover some ducklings waddling out of there one day…