Rubber Duck

Steven and I have added to our herd....again. The other day, we took our usual weekend trip to the Co-op....bought our horse feed, bought some plants, bought some poultry........poultry, yes poulty. 2 ducks and 2 chickens. I don't know what breed the chickens are but the ducks are Pekins. Very fun and friendly, too. We bought a kiddy pool and filled the bottom with wood sawdust that we use in our horse stalls. We bought a little feeder and waterer from the co-op and placed it in the pool. For now, they are eating chik starter which was recommended by the co-op. After it runs out, we will switch to something else but I'm still not sure what. Our chickens are named Kentucky Fried and Churches for obvious reasons (we really aren't planning on eating them though) and our ducks are named Odd and Rubber....just because it's funny. We have filled our bath tub up a couple of times and let Rubber and Odd swim and play in it. They absolutely love it. Odd likes to dive underneath the water and swim laps around Rubber. It's hilarious. The chickens aren't near as much fun.

At first, we had the kiddy pool in Steven's office...where we could watch them closely and keep a heat lamp on them. However, after a week or two, they've gotten quite stinky and have relocated to the basement. We still have the heat lamp on them. Once we figured out they loved the water so much, we made them a little swimming pool out of a tuberware bowl. We have to dump it daily because they poop in it. Go figure.

We took Rubber and Odd outside for the first time yesterday. They were really nervous at first but then realized they could eat the scary green stuff tickling their legs. Steven and I would walk away and call them and they would come a waddlin' after us, quacking all the way. So cute. I've got some bathtub video I need to post soon! Steven found this website blog the other day about raising ducks in your backyard....I've looked over it today and there is a lot of good info. I'm hoping our two ducks are actually female so we can get some eggs!

So now, our herd is officially as follows: 2 humans, 2 dachshunds (Mulligan and Delta), 1 coon hound (Lilly), 2 barn kitties (Michelle and Barack), 2 horses ( Ronan and Twiggs) plus one boarded horse Cherokee, 2 ducks (Rubber and Odd) and 2 chickens (Kentucky Fried and Churches).

And I know there will be more......

One of my boarders is moving her horse tomorrow. They have been with us since September 08 I believe. OTTB, used as a lesson horse for hunter / jumper I believe. Our boarder bought him and from what I assume, hasn't done much with him. I never saw her ride him the entire time he was with us and she only came out ever so often to give him a treat. I groomed him the other day because his winter coat was still hanging on him but barely attached. He twitched his lip and leaned into me as I curried my way around him. He's such a sweet boy. I can tell he's testy but respectful if you will be his leader. His owner leads him around with a stud chain on his nose. All I need is a rope halter....Once he respects you, he'll do anything for you. I'm sure he was a wonderful horse in his prime....sadly, he still should be in it...he's only 14. We have steadily put more weight on him and he's finally looking good. Now, I'm afraid the owner will move him to a "cheaper" place and he won't get the highest quality nutrition like he's getting here. I think the best possibility for him would be to find a young experienced little girl who works with a trainer regularly. But, I'm afraid he's just going to live in a pasture with little human contact and no job for the rest of his life. It's sad.