Going Quackers - Herding Runner Ducks

Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2011 | By Nicole Easterday |
 I've lamented plenty of times about the difficulty of finding a willing and able person to farm-sit while our modern lifestyle takes us to other exciting places.  You might have even read my last post about what has happened in the past when we left the farm for a bit.  Well, it's happened again.  A few weekends ago, Jared and I went up north for some river rafting relaxation and after some desperate pleas for help a good friend of ours came to the rescue. We sent a long, descriptive list of do's, don'ts and dares and she accepted the challenge.  We warned her that the chicken door needs to be propped just so with a stick and that the ducks are stinkers to get into their house at night if it's not quite dark yet.  She wasn't quite prepared for the formidable challenge those quackers presented. She generously taped her adventure so we could all laugh at her good-natured expense.  Be sure to listen with the sound on because her commentary is half the fun! Our ducks are Indian runner ducks, after all, originally bred to train herding dogs how to do their job.  Looks like they were trying to train poor Lina to herd!  My favorite part has to be when Pato, our brown duck, jumps into the pool for a quick swim. Do you run into any particularly trying experiences when attempting to explain to people how to care for your animals and crops while you're away?  Please share!