Beaky Update.
By ducky
4 comments
For those who are interested our foundling duckling Beaky has spent the weekend outdoors in our chicken garden. S/He is growing well and now weighs in at 7oz. (thats loads as s/he has put on 3oz in 5 days!!) So with the hot weather over the weekend we decided that it was time for some fresh air.
We cordoned off a bit of the chicken pen with a wire fence and filled the kids plastic sledge with water – small instant pond, and in went the beaked one. It had a lovely time but I did put it back indoors overnight as we have rather a lot of rats about at the moment. We also let Beaky have a bit of swim in the brook (again within a fenced off area) where s/hespent a lovely half hour eating weed,sunbathing on a brick and chasing small fish.
On the rat front we are seeing far more young ones than normal – I really dont like them at all (I know they are gods creatures – but I really dont want them near my house)
Our terrier is so distracted she doesnt know which way to run first. Over the weekend we trapped 5.
I suppose that is the pay off for living in the countryside next to a watercourse!
My alpine strawberries are going mad at the moment – runners going every which way, Im trying to bed the strawberry ‘pups’ down into small pots so that I can get loads of new plants going, but I think the runners are winning.
At the veg patch I think I have ‘lost’ nearly all my sweetcorn plants to the local squirrel, they have juat about all been nipped off, a bit of a shame but maybe next year!
We have started harvesting the swiss chard though and it is as tender and delicious as usual, the khol rabi is fattening up – but still no swelling evident on my beetroots?!
26 May, 2009
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Comments
I agree totally - the errant sweetcorn eating 'tree rat' I'm happy to battle with in a humane way, but not the real thing, they spread so much disease - (I have to admit that I was quite pleased as one of my spring traps had two rats in together - lucky maybe, but it shows that there were quite a few beasties fighting for the bait - yuck)
I think swiss chard is almost my favourite veg, it is so versatile, it grows really easily and you can harvest it for such a long period.
26 May, 2009
Sounds like you might consider adding a cat or two to your menagere ? I won't abide rats nor mice as they do too much damage to the structures, especially gnawing at the wiring...
26 May, 2009
Im really allergic to cats - thats why we got a Jack Russel
terrier. When Im cat sitting for out neighbour I have to make sure I take antihystamine before I go and feed them (and I dont touch them - just wash the bowls and top up), if I dont Im itching and sneezing for the rest of the day!
we do know someone who has offered to bring their working ferretts in so we may well give that a go.
27 May, 2009
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Sounds like your little foundling is truly thriving! We have been harvesting a lot of Swiss Chard also, it is popular with my family.
Rats are a problem everywhere, urban and rural. In the last 20 years they have built both a large shopping mall and a big stadium within 2 miles from our home. This has caused a HUGE jump in rat populations. I am a big fan of wildlife in the garden but I draw the line at rats. Not to mention the possibility of transference of disease.
26 May, 2009