Mama Dani's Musings: ducks

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Spring Fever

I have a serious case of spring fever. I'm not sure if it's just my norm for this time of year or if it's Mother Nature's flip-flopping. All I seem to be able to think about is gardening, spending the majority of the day outside, hikes, setting up my hammock, camping...etc. I know I'm not the only one. Who's with me? I'm just not made for this nasty cold winter weather. Winter is my least favorite season but at least it's followed by my favorite!

For now I...

Plan:

I have several plans/ideas running through my head. For the garden: first thing is I need to move my Passion Flower Vine. It took off last year. Which is great except it took over the butterfly garden, killing other plants in the process. I need to give it its own place and something to grow on. Moving it out of the main butterfly garden will allow me to expand the butterfly garden this year. I collected a lot of Milkweed seeds last year. I want to have more Milkweed outside but also have some Milkweed that is only in the caterpillar nursery. I also want to do the same for the Black Swallowtails. I want to add Parsley to where the Fennel is and have some for the caterpillar nursery.

This spring I want to give the ducks a better pool/pond. Ideally, I want a self-sufficient mini pond. I don't want to have to constantly dump and refill it....especially if I want a bigger one. ...that's a lot of water we will be wasting! So I am researching and brainstorming. I'm thinking about adding plants and animals (snails, fish) to the pond to keep it cleaner. I have the idea of finding an old tub someone is trying to get rid of and converting it into the duck pond. I think it would look neat and it already has a drain if I need to drain it. But that's only one idea. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to turn out. I'd love to hear some tips and ideas!!

** I had to come back and add this little bit. I was looking over the post, about to hit "publish" and remembered something else I need to be planning. ...A bigger, better caterpillar nursery!! Last year I raised and released 46 butterflies. I hope to raise and release more this year!!

Prep:

As I said above, I collected a lot of Milkweed seeds this year. They are currently in the fridge going through a cold moist stratification. I will be able to plant these seeds about mid-February. I think will plant the Parsley at the same time.

"Cold stratification is very important for the germination and growth of Milkweed. It helps to break the seeds natural dormancy cycle by exposing the seed to winter-like temperatures that help soften or crack its hard outer casing. Without prolonged exposure to cold temperatures, your milkweed seed is unlikely to sprout." - American Meadows

Enjoy some houseplants:

I bought a couple of houseplants when I was at Walmart yesterday. I also used some Christmas money to order a bonsai tree. It should be here this week! I can't wait to try my hand at taking care of a bonsai tree!!

And look back:

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this past spring/summer:

I just love bumble bees!!

One of the 17 Monarchs I raised and released in 2017...It's a girl!

One of the 29 Black Swallowtails I raised and released in 2017...It's also a girl!!

Female vs male Monarchs...notice the black dots on the male's bottom wings

A Black Swallowtail laying an egg on Fennel

Please comment below! I'd love to hear from you!

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Monday, January 15, 2018

Suburban Homesteading: New Feathered Friends

It's been quite awhile since I've posted an update on our little suburban homestead. Since then we've lost a few feathered friends and gained some. I'm going to focus on the positive here today. We have a new hen. We hatched her back in June. Her name is Hei Hei.

Hei Hei, Zoe, Amelia, Tiny....and of course Sean:

I'm excited to also announce that we have added ducks to our flock! We have been talking about adding ducks but waiting till maybe this spring. Then I found a local that was looking to rehome her ducks before moving. She had 4 Muscovy ducks. Perfect! That was the breed of ducks that I wanted to get. They are known to be a quiet breed. It was like it was meant to be. Three are hens and one is a drake....but regardless of gender we couldn't resist on naming them Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Scrooge. Scrooge is our drake.

When I brought them home I set up the dog house that we have in the run as a place where the ducks could go. I wasn't sure if they would go into the chicken coop since it's off the ground and no longer has a ramp. Then we got a blizzard last week and I found the ducks in the coup.