Cheeky Chooky Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Managed to get some great pics of Daisy and Dilys enjoying a soak yesterday Shame the water wasn't a bit cleaner but they didn't care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Oh wow! Those pics really made me giggle, they look like they're having such fun and actually look like they are laughing in some of them. They are adorable! Bad CC! You are not helping my resolve not to have ducks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NannyOgg Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Sigh. How can I convince my long suffering husband that the completely annihilated garden would be better off with a couple of lovely ducks??!! Beautiful pics, I really, really would like some, but I think hubby would put his foot down Just out of interest, and not because I'm considering it, no siree, but just how noisy/messy/smelly are they, in comparison to their chickeny counterparts? Tina x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Go for it! That was meant for Sandie but I'll say the same to you too Tina From what little experience we've had so far, I'd recommend them to anyone. We started with 3 and mess-wise it was fine but they are Miniature Silver Appleyards so are quite small, which helps! We briefly went up to 6 but that was too many The run they're in is 9ft x 6ft and is covered with clear tarps. It has a deep layer of pea shingle around the trug and drinking water end, there are slate effect slabs in the middle and hardwood wood chip at the other end. It's all working really well but we haven't ruled out swapping the wood chip for more pea shingle as our ground has a tendency to be a bit claggy We were going to give them a pond but the trug works really well and as you can see, they're very happy You have to usher them to bed every night but we take that opportunity to empty the trug once they're in their and re-fill it in the morning before letting them out. They are much calmer than the chooks but are just as funny and it's lovely to have both. We love 'em all Ooops, forgot the noise bit Dilys is the only noisy one...it's fairly loud but short-lived Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Aww beautiful. I like the big splashing picture! OH would like ducks and I need no encouragement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Thank you OH would like ducks and I need no encouragement. Go get girl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Lovely pictures again! Talk about 'caught in action' Is your white one (Dylis?) also a Silver Appleyard or is she a call duck? To anyone considering ducks but still not sure I'd say 'go for it' - well for miniatures anyway. The miniatures don't make much mess at all (unlike their far larger brothers and sisters in the standards world). All the same, as you can see from Cheeky Chooky's pictures the water does not stay in the tub so you will need to put it somewhere where it can drain away. As for noise, it seems that this varies from female duck to female duck. I have call ducks and the girls do make a very loud quack which penetrates, but two I've had don't go on for very long. On the other hand I did have one who went on and on, just like a stuck laughing machine on high volume. So my advice would be to go somewhere where you can pick who you want from several and then avoid the ones that start the quacking off. If you don't mind about eggs (and unlike Appleyards, Call Ducks don't lay much) you could always have a boys' brigade as the males will live quite happily together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 They're all Miniature Silver Appleyards...Dee Dee, who went to live with my friend with Dennis and Daphne was very Call like Having had a couple of changes in the duck clan I can honestly say I don't think that picking one that doesn't start the quacking off actually works. Daphne was soooo noisy and I thought it would be peaceful once she'd gone but Dilys (White Girly) has taken over from her in the quacking stakes (though nowhere near as bad ) and she didn't make a sound before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Perhaps it is age related then. The lady I got mine from did say that they get quieter as they get older and the one I had who was like the laughing machine was a very young girly and possibly rather nervous. The very nice lady took her back and exchanged her for a sweety who makes next to no noise at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 The lady I got mine from did say that they get quieter as they get older Unlike us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
