Ducks - lessons to learn - if you have any tips, reach out please

 i have got us into quite a pickle - we decided to get ducks rather than chickens thinking ducks are less problematic - they dont need to roost, they dont need a house, and they will just come and go when they begin to free range.

well.  we have had them now for around 4 weeks. we received 3 drakes and 1 female who we thought were call ducks.  lesson 1 - too many drakes and not enough females even for a single duck.  so we brought in 3 female call ducks with the intention of moving 2 of the drakes to a bachelor pen. 

well ... the new ducks are the 'real' call ducks and they are tiny !!! so i googled yet again and have established our ducks are wels harlequin drakes and duck (Daisy). they are twice the size of the new call ducks so now we have to move all three harlequins to the bachelor pen.  

its nudging spring already and the boys are fighting amongst themselves trying to establish territory and the girls have been here 2 days which is not helping testosterone levels, i am guessing. 

BONUS : the girls arrived Saturday and Sunday morning we found 2 eggs!  

so ... the current state of affairs is to move all three drakes to the bachelor pen up the hill and let the girls settle.  4 ducks - 1 harlequin, 2 call ducks and 1 beautiful black indian runner. 

MOVING THE DRAKES ... we tried this 2 weeks ago and managed to herd two and catch them.  we walked them up the hill to put them in the pen ... AND THEY FLEW OUT !!!! ... too funny.  there is no roof on the top pen and i researched every little thing without thinking they can fly ! lol

luckily they flew back to the bottom pen where they were housed and that evening they walked in for feed.  

TODAY - after putting up a roof on the top pen, we tried herding them again to catch and rehouse but they were onto us ... and with more girls around the herd moved as one and the girls were in the way.  

::: Sigh :::

so.  another day ... another time .. we must try again. going out to get a fishing net !  that might work.

this video shows the early days of having the harlequins - enjoying their paddling ponds. 

and here are the new little ones in the pen - on day 1

I am updating the playlist with the ducks regularly at the moment.