Duck Dinner **graphic**

**Please note there are graphic pictures depicting duck butchering.

It has taken some time, many months really, to feel that our little homestead/tiny farm is providing benefit for us.  Initially there is cost without much reward.  I can't say there is work in the beginning because there is work every day.  Other than the occasional, did I shut the chickens in?, the work is satisfying and not stressful in a modern business sense.  The body and soul is content and rest comes fairly easily most of the time, even before the sun is completely gone.  Yes, I am saying that I went to bed last night before 8:30.  (Thankfully, daughter took care of the baby goats for the final feeding and hubby closed in all the birds for the night.)  I do, however, arise before the sun, and often before anyone else has gotten out of bed.  It gives me a few moments to gather my thoughts and say my prayers.

Last year was mostly about bringing what we wanted TO the homestead, whether we were ready or not.  This year is about using what we now have and being productive.

When we bought those 4 little ducklings late last winter, I was hoping for some eggs and to keep them on the pond. One duck (female), three drakes.  On the pond-once! 
 " He that lives upon hope will die fasting."- Benjamin Franklin.

With Daisy's injury, which is a broken leg, probably due to a goat stomp (there's another lesson I learned), Bo, Luke and Cooter were on her causing her even more injury, including feathers being pulled out. 

We opted to permanently fix the problem and give Daisy a fighting chance.  Luke and Daisy were moved into the garden coop with the other duck and the three older chickens and five newest chickens.  There were no goats, more grass and bugs near the garden and another possible love interest for Luke.  Bo and Cooter, not so lucky.  It was actually a little more emotionally challenging than I thought.  I guess because I had spent time and money on Cooter's eye issues that fully healed and they were my first duckies.  But, I am becoming a realist more and more, and do what has to be done.

Bye Bo!

We tried the killing cone (NOT GOOD)

Cooter had a cleaner kill

We were just keeping the breast this time

Dinner was bacon-wrapped duck breast, baked potato,

and homemade honey wheat oat bread

Yes, a veggie would have been good, but...

Daisy and Luke hang by the pond;

the young duck getting used to them

Not today, Benjamin Franklin, no fasting today!

Cooter's Eye

One of my ducks had "white-eye syndrome."  Okay, that's what I call it.  It gets all foamy and swollen and horrible looking.  Everything I read says its from unclean environment, stale air, etc.  Well, my birds are free range in the garden (72x24) and even run free on the rest of the 17 acres occasionally, of course, never touching the pond...go figure.  I dump and rinse their pool at least once, if not twice, daily.  It apparently could also be from trauma. Well, the boys have been fighting, but they seem to attack the neck from what I have witnessed.  I am hoping that is the case. Otherwise, it would be some horrible bacterial infection that would take out the whole flock of four.

Poor Cooter was isolated in the small duck coop where they stayed early this past spring, and will more than likely be put up at night this winter to keep safe.  It too is super ventilated, so I don't foresee a problem with that.

I tried several different remedies for him.  I changed his water three to four times a day to make sure it stayed clean.  On day one, I bought some Vetericyn spray (although it was not the pink eye formula).  This is just a wound wash safe for eyes, ears and mouth.  (I was hoping it was something stronger at that price!) Since a week of getting it, I have used it on Cooter as well as our cat, Oreo.  I am sure it will be a good addition to the barn medicine cabinet.  It did not really seem to help other than to wash away the foam covering his eye for a short time so that I could see just how swollen and icky it really was.  The next day it was starting to foam in the other eye.
Panic ensued. 
Luckily, there was no sign of it spreading to anyone else, which made me be think this had to be an injury from fighting.
After more research and perusing the web, I added apple cider vinegar (ACV) to his water and continued to wash it.  By the next morning it seemed to have improved a bit, but was really hard to tell.
The next day, again, after more research and pure desperation so as not to either take him to the vet (not enough funds for that) or begin culling, I went the conventional route and bought some water soluble antibiotic.  I used that in his water and he seemed to improve a bit more after that. 
Oh, but he was a mess.  He was not happy being separated from his family.  Pacing, quacking.
By day four, the swelling had gone down, no more foamy production.  There was just a little bit of color change around the skin of the eye. I felt he could see out of it again.
I went ahead and let him out.  He was very happy for a while but then went back to fighting.  I guess being cooped up he had a lot of pent up energy and hormones to release. 
At least this time he won. So far, all is well.  But they still get a bit chippy.  I am going to be investing a few more females to add to the flock to hopefully help this. 

Now that their summer pool is put away so as not to freeze and crack and various buckets have been brought out, I think as a prophylactic measure and overall health benefit, I will add ACV to their buckets weekly.  I have, in the past, done this for the chickens, and will be more diligent with their water too.  This is going to be even more important as the fowl/poultry are being locked in every night. 

Always something to learn on the homestead...