“Ducks don’t like change…any sudden change can stop a duck’s production…sudden food change, really anything! Even something like not getting as much water as they are used to. If you don’t have a bucket in your coop they can dunk their heads in, that would be stressful to them also… That’s where chickens have an advantage.. much more resilient to changes.” — angie silvera
After reading Angie’s comment on Mark’s lament about our ducks’ lack of eggs, I immediately filled up a bucket with water to treat our flock. Angie was totally right — our waterfowl had been cooped up indoors with no way to clean their feathers for weeks, and if they felt as dingy as they looked, chances were they needed the pick-me-up.
But our flock had other things on their minds. Like the raging snow-melt-filled creek that was finally sufficient to tempt them out across the snow. Clean and happy, our ducks finally gave us the first egg in weeks. Here’s hoping they soon return to the four eggs a day we’d been enjoying pre-snow!
Glad they are starting to lay again!