Thankyou bello :) I hope you and your feathers are doing well :) Lots of love from across the pond x Raven

hello!! :) hope you are doing well :) This place is so dark those would limit the little light I get in unfortunately I have been building a wall that can be taken down at the front with added shrubbery Planning to share that post soon... Lol I actually squirted the male feral smack on the face with the hose jet when he was peeking through the cracks of the back fence... This area and place is shocking, you can be stalked/followed, harassed, peeped on and the police don't do anything and they wonder why violence against women is so high here. I have also just placed my radio in the kitchen window to which I love and play my classical including opera music. Since Ive been doing that it has been a dampener on the purve across the road screaming out across to my place from his letterbox constantly throughout the day :) But I am getting block-out fabric to sew onto the curtain backs that will cover the window frame alone... Need to get motion lights up and camera at some point, which I can take with me anyway and will be worth having out in the sticks... Arggh the creepy noseys, they're definitely getting worse!

I'm really sorry you're having to endure such crappy behaviour from crappy people. The wall at the front sounds good! Can't wait to see it. I really enjoyed this video. It's inspired me to sort out my little art room. I am in the North of England and we just had Autumn Equinox so it feels a good time to sort out things in preparation for having a selection of projects easily to hand for the darker days ahead. Thanks for the work you do putting these videos out ✨

Thankyou :) Ohhh the autumn leaves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you seen the free crochet along throw 'Winter berries' by Sirdar, its in UK terminology.... Im aiming to post the first week of 4 of SIRDAR throw alongs with office wall update :) but winter berries has a warm wine feel to it, I have just substituted to the DK garn available down here... I have had these seasonal fun patterns for years aiming to do them, so I finally started :) They go for about 5 weeks/you do a bit every week to break it up. When I post I will link them in the vlog description :) Lots of wonder and fun with your art room! Hope you break a few rules x Raven

:) thankyou x

@phungyi4947 The big boy Frigg? Outside with the other 8 ducks... These 3 are separate because they need physical rehab in the morning... Sunna the Peking is fine to be with the others but she is helping the 2 newbies by being with them :) On the same morning I just recorded this kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5fbdXqgq9GBfZo before recording these 3 in the tub :)

At some point I will record the post nightly bath hugs :) you can see them sigh and snuggle up to me as I give them a squishy hug each... Just need to replace my tall tripod at some point. the holder clip is broke. At that time of night it is like a sigh or relief we have made it through the day :)

Thankyou rat mouse :)

@@TheEnchantedDuat i love ur videos

Absolutely but not as brutal. The Peking order also changes with the seasons, illness etc... Always in flux/interesting to observe that's for sure. Sometimes 'surfing' is used as a display of dominance and it is nothing todo with procreation which is why you'll get female or male ducks on an occasion jumping each other - Asserting dominance. With domestic species such as these regardless of dynamics they must see you as the overall big bird which they usually do. This helps to manage and ensure they are healthy or tended to when needed to be. That said the girls can go a bit crazy with no drake around including excessive surfing of each other in frustration.

@@TheEnchantedDuat Thank you for the info. One other question about ducks, if I may. Is there a best region in Australia to raise ducks in? I was thinking Tasmania with its yearly rain fall and all the lakes and ponds there.

Anywhere with a good secure yard to be honest. That said Silver Apppleyards tolerate the cold best. The Domestic species are reliant on human care/protection/interaction. Being heavier & or having the wilds bred out of them over time. Most heavy breeds cannot even fly. In a farm setting they will get attacked maimed or eaten... Tis why even when I move further out, my pet ducks sleep in the house at night and by day Im still weary and on look out, locking them in the run if aerial predators are hanging about. Farm settings will need with electric fencing, protectors so forth but even then youd have to be vigilant in protecting them. Otherwise one could have a wild pond and attract wildlife/wild ducks but for obvious reasons one cant have them as pets. Ive had2 neighbors down here from Tas and overall I got from them was 'rough' so do research/I wouldnt move there now seeing what Ive seen coming from there/but thats me. If you find a spot without the unsavory then Id say go for it, I would and anywhere at that that is regional with limited to non unsavory.

@@TheEnchantedDuat Thank you.

They get plenty of pats, neck rubs and cuddles :) Do you mean you want to see me patting them in the tub? Anyway when these 2 are in the tub I try not to handle them too much because they aren't tamed yet and the boy is a big scardy cat, its how he injured the girl Cat/running into her when they were in transit to me/their new home. I think he has some traumas in the past that we are working on. Flint and Cat have been with me for 3 weeks this coming Tuesday but are doing extremely well, with Cat already eating out my hands and today the boy Flint has started to jump and land on my forearms to get out of the tub yesterday. If you look at the duck playlist I do have face pats of ducks in the tub. Anyways plenty of interactions with these 2 to come, when they re ready. Their health and being calm through the process of being tamed and like the rest of my flock re trust is more important than the clicks so to speak :) Raven

hehe awe thankyou, they are all hugged and squigged on the daily at least twice each, they are my family for sure :) Raven

Silver Applyards are the cuddliest Sookey Pant birds with beautiful strong thick necks/love them and they definitely have their own unique quirks. :) Yes Catherine the Great is a Silver Appleyard :) She officially has no bumblefoots now so Im strapping her up by day with Vetwrap from the Horseland store, cut to size. And I remove it at night after the rehab night bath. Next day I use fresh strapping again. I have ascertained a strained hock (knee) with secondary strain to hip which most likely happened in transit to the worse bumblefoot affected leg. That said her legs arnt as strong as they should be even at 3 months old same with the Silver Appleyard boy. I got them from a breeder and I dont know the history but theyre mine now :) I have a silver Appleyard Bella who has been the only Apple in the flock for a while now and these 2 were essentially for her. I put her in the sleep box with the 2 young apples and I swear the girl must of thought that Bella was her mother, wrapping her neck around her and smooching up. Feeling happy and seeing your own helps to get through physical things like this so Cat seeing and being with Bella definitely perked her spirits up. Been mixing and introducing the birds together in the the nightly and morning warm herbal bath inc the brothers to the new boy. Sunna had both legs bowed and I managed to fix one leg using trigger point therapy/massage, bouts of strapping up and every now and again a script of anti inflammatory and once a script of antibiotics. I may do one more of both and then make a prosthetic out of a pool noodle for when she is not around the pool. Legs issues 99% of the time outside of an injury are down to lack of good nutrition esp young birds, they need the vitamin fortified starter mash before going to crumble and then normal duck/goose feed. B3 Niacin is usually the missing culprit... I give my birds nutritional yeast but also put a b and calcium carbonate powder into their drinking water. Bumbles (Staph. inf. are due to dirty flooring bedding infecting a scape, bruise or scratch) so I clean out their run each day and they all sleep in my office at night after the warm herbal nightly bath so their chances of bumbles are lower than most. Ive had to deal with bumbles from introduced birds and injury. Sunna had a doosey on the good leg from compensating gate on the good leg but its all treated and cleared now. Also too many boys to girls can increase girls getting bumbles from the chasing and surfing activities. At the moment Im still keeping the 2 newbies in the house with me during the day in the office with Sunna as I work/study away :) Thankyou for making the extra care on your Apple, they are beautiful birds that are fiercely loyal. Raven :)

I just noticed typed sigh when I meant sign.

Thankyou :) I do like making time for folks when I can but often run a time deficient :) but overall I'm a serious person/or one that isn't fond of games that isn't on a board or video. Being organized means I can get more done and there's only me so I guess I do manage my people exposure to a degree :) I have 3 more duckie additions coming today to get ready for and aquariums to move, never ends :)

Thankyou :) I still need to remove the upholstery staples, add stopper feet to straighten it (uneven ground) sand it down and paint. But at least all my long handles are now in one place now and sturdy. Bought a plastic rack last year and it was flimsy/hopeless. This way there's less landfill and has not cost me anything extra :)

Bumblefoot is a staph infection with hard or brown to black plug/callous like on the bottom of a duck or chooks foot, but can form elsewhere on the feet of birds. Usually caused by a scratch or cut, that is then infected. Girls usually get them more than boys because often a boy (rooster or drake can cause the scratch or cut on the girls feet in the first place, from mating on a rough surface/uneven ground). It can cause death if left untreated due to staph. getting into the bloodstream and spreading throughout a birds body. Most folks will run into bumbles when they keep birds at some point, esp ducks. Early treatment and keeping an eye on the birds habitat makes sure its only an experience in a birds life and not a death threat :)

hehehe That and the dam leaf blower... I swear its a a Lawnmowing mafia syndicate down here in the country region. And why oh why buzzing down that lawn every week :) :) Totally agree with letting critters taking down the verbiage. Done a few experiments and one is that if you do not cut the grass it grows and dies back in a normal life cycle throughout the seasons... But when you cut it it, it literally grows back faster and stronger... It becomes an issue in suburbia because people think growing a lawn is a garden :) Much better all round to scape garden beds and different levels with pathways and grass kept at minimum. (Most of what people call 'grass' is usually mostly weed anyway... Grass also takes allot of the water needed for an ecosystem out' in an area such as suburbia, where eco systems already struggle... Overall the machinery noises when not needed must play absolute havoc on the peace of mind on critters (not just us) and I'm sure it must frustrate the spirit realm no end... Ahhhhhhh I really do love the sound of quiet and actually hearing the critters only :)

⁠​⁠@@TheEnchantedDuat Agree, those leaf blowers are obnoxious too. That nature “quiet” with everything in a sense of flow is so soothing. I think it’s from all the living beings, being in harmony with the earths heartbeat/frequency of 7.83. That frequency literally helps your cells detox. Being bare foot on earth and/or wearing natural leather foot wear is so soothing.

Between bouts of work at the desk I go out and sit my butt on the ground to hang with the ducks, I believe its one of those things centers me back...Very important to ground when you can. Life gets so crazy and its amazing how we can forget to do so..

Hehe they actually look like they're always running for a meeting 'Runner Ducks' :)

Thankyou so much :) It is nice to know I bring some joy with my wee crew... I feel guilty for not having more done with the yard, gets tricky recording with the rough neighborhood. I'm in my 50s but still aim to get out further, start a herbal cut flower farm and have Runner ducks to patrol the plots for pests :) Will need to get a car but. Yeah there's allot of daily effort involved so I totally get folks just being able to watch them. I don't have human children so these feathers are it for me. I have 8 now but there's 3 more on the way :) (2 more Silver Appleyard's including a young drake and another female Cayuga) I wish Domestic ducks were more common to backyard gardens then they are, they're work but they do so much for the garden, ecco system and soul in kind :) x Raven

Its more about understanding your flocks habits and routine, thus managing around that. They poop and its literally soil magic without any withholding, disappearing in the earth almost completely by the next day. I personally rephrase their poop to literal liquid dirt - no other animal has the perfect nutrients or zero withholding as ducks do - they could literally solve our global soil erosion problems just by being them. Also monitoring how it looks by casual glance is a good way to ascertain diet balance. If mines looking runny or black and they aren't broody then I give them more grain esp. rolled oats... If its greenish its usually because algae has built in the pond and I have to clean it. On how I manage my ducks, They poop on the ground outside, in the runs I just add extra hay every day to the flooring to keep it clean and dry (its roofed) Once a week I deep clean the entire run and put all that hay sawdust into where I want plants growing/building up low and high garden beds or where pots need mulch cover. When inside they run straight to the bath at night when I open the back door. Its around 6-7pm which means they haven't eaten allot prior. They eat allot first thing in the morning and lunchtime with foraging swimming sleeping in between. They don't always poop on the night run but once every few days one may drop one on the run to the herbal bath. Which is no big deal its a vinyl covered floor easy to wip with paper towel and a disinfectant on hand. The floor has a long runner which I just roll to the side each night before I let them in so if there is one dropped its not carpet I have to clean. In the bath they play and drop some if they need to and I give them some rolled oats as a treat healthy by hand. Play with them but let them be ducks for at least an hour in there as I do other things... I take one out at a time cuddle and then put them in their clean hay bed in the office. They could jump out but they dont, they happy, clean, preening feathers, together and safe... When I hold them I actually support their flippers with a an upturned hand whilst supporting the keel/crop (belly/chest) with my other hand. Sitting down they just lay on my lap. They dont drop any on me but with knew ducks they do at first. When they trust you and know you protect them they are less cautious with you and dont let their bowls go in reactive fear or being cautious. It generally takes me 2 to 3 months to completely tame or subdue a crazy or neurotic duck. Ducks like that which are most is because they need to survive and humans dont have the best track record in not harming them. When I pick them out of their beds in the morning, to take straight outside and sometimes the 1 of the girls have stepped in one of their poops in the night but its no big deal. I wear an apron and support their flippers with an upturned hand as mentioned previous. When all out, I then wash my hands and take of the duck Apron, no big deal. I then clean out their bedding in the office and put fresh sawdust followed by hay or straw for the night to come. Bedding old goes straight into the garden beds... So as you see its more managing the magical duck dirt, knowing their eating and sleeping habits and working with... Broody poop is something else I'll touch on another time if you want :) Raven

hahahaha :) Lots of love, from down under x Raven

Stressful, but my kind of stress.. The duck hugs and whimpers are worth it :) Hope you are doing well Ryan :) x Raven

@@TheEnchantedDuat I'm doing well. Yes.

They sure are lol! Esp when they have sparrow wars amongst each other... Thankyou for remembering, it is fully appreciated :) Been a long road hasnt it... Cant wait to progress more, esp before winter down here... June But in all honesty I could not have done it without my ducks... I have not bought soil in 2 years, I just keep building up organic matter with their straw and sawdust bedding, zero bug killer, they eat all the unwanteds including those cabbage loppers that look like white butterfly's, yet seam to leave the good butterflies and Beneficial's alone... zero fertilizer, they fertilize as they aerate and till the soil for tasty morsels of bugs and dirt all day... 80% less effort required on my behalf on tilling or digging the soil because they do most of it for me and with happy waggy tails... I would love to see more responsible pet owners who have and want to garden, have these feathered beauty's in their care... Ducks are often discriminated against by council regulations even in the country, chickens are more accepted, and duck sits between a chicken and a dog in degree of interaction, care and bonding... Lots of love from down under, Raven

:) hehe 99% sure Im getting more, another Silver appleyard Girl (The spotted white owl looking one) with a male (drake) Silver appleyard and another female Cayuga (The Raven/black looking one)... Hopefully by Aprils end. That will make 11 sleeping in my office at night. Will have to enlarge their sleeping quarters somewhat :D

:) Happy ducks... Sometimes if one is unwell or brooding theyre cranky but in their own unique ways. Fenr snorts puffs & huffs like a dragon when broody cranky, Bella puffs up with her beak open when shes injured or broody, the boys just go quiet if somethings wrong and their worried about it... If you spend time with them everyday, are patient and let them take the time they need to trust you then theyre are relaxed and happy, showing you all of themselves. It doesnt matter if you have reared them from duckling or not or have rescued them as an adult - The bonds are just as strong and theyre no different to a petdog in pet human relations... My last 5 girls where all 6 months/older and nuts/hissing and not even trusting to be picked up when I got them, like wildlings... All chill and happy now Are your feathers dropping feathers now too? Mine are all going through their heavy molt now, feathers everywhere lol :) Thinking of putting extra protein in their feed for the heavy molt/feather regrow stage...

I will let him know :)

Ive been chipping away at the front and have installed a screen partially, need to finish it. The problem is he constantly goes to the letter box and yells out (Counted 42 times on a Sunday!) and its purely to get my attention and some sort of reaction. So if I record, 99% certain he will be making deliberate obnoxious noises which I dont want recorded. Maybe I will try a sneak recording without me talking... Thanks to my ducks and the bedding I clean out every morn, we have started building raised beds around the fence and a Eucalypt... Yeah Im not well off so I cant just move, but seriously cant understand those in similar positions financially not doing their best to create and be honorable in society... Poverty is no excuse. Hehe my ramble... Well if I was in the UK Id Golden Girls, it with you and split the rental of wilderness spot somewhere. Something tells me a few old biddys who are nature minded would rather be out in the woods helping each other out than in a Nursing home when the time comes... Im seriously looking at working some craft on the degenerates around esp the dirty old perv being obnoxious... Just getting some patterns done, catching up on Litha duties and then I can work on some charming, boundaries and just deserts :) I can say one thing though that classical music tends to repel and make degenerates go into hiding when you blast it :) Its what I do when he yells out when Im home. Love my Debussy and Bach... Its Friggs first injury the little terror, ducks are very much like Tolkien's Hobbits, getting themselves into no end of trouble and getting into fenced off veggie patches... Keep your head up around the morons, I know its hard and defeating at times... From the colonies x Raven :)

:) :) Ahh but I love it and hearing the boys randomly whisper to the girls in the box next to them during the night in the office as you sleep in the bedroom next room over... After their run into the house straight to the warm herbal bath they are cuddled each in turn and put into their fresh clean beds... I try to get some work done on the desktop but will often play them a movie (Lord of the Rings and Song of the Sea being their favs) but often I just play classical music for them with Debussy and Bach having them nod off in bliss lol. But yes I no longer need or use an alarm clock as you can hear! :)

@@TheEnchantedDuat We also haven't used an alarm clock in a couple years now and love that! Waking up at sunrise is not for everybody, but it seems a lot easier than what I remember about the alarm clock.

Thankyou, she is very loved and treasured x Raven

The tail wagging, it kills me every time, love seeing them interact with each other and just be ducks, I also like to play with them, theyre very fond of helping me garden and dig lol

Hehe absolutely! In her hormonal state she huffs and puffs when she is happy, huffs and puffs when annoyed, huffs and puffs when she wants me to hand feed or hand bowl her water Lol... She's nesting up still, but with company with Leuka who seems to be egg bound : / Will post on that and what we're doing to help her pass that egg... Not a light situation they can pass if the egg does not come out and everything's shut re end of year/hol/Avian vets away so doing what I can at home/keeping an eye/keeping her warm/hydrated and cozy away from outside stresses/other ducks and noise. At night/bathtime they all are waiting for me to open the door/gate so they can run straight in through the house directly to the waiting warm herbal bath. They are very much creatures of habit :) Hoping you and your loved ones are okay and includes by default your critters. May 2024 bring you everything you want/can handle x Raven

:) With this clutch if any hatch maybe 2weeks more? There's only a third of the eggs that were there originally. The mums to be eat them if they smell that they are duds. I'm not not aiming for babies now so to speak, I'm just letting the girls go through their natural tendencies and practice for next year when I will be more organized etc. Sigrid the Rouen (Brown one) is finally starting to get out of the broody state as of yesterday and Fenr (the black or Cayuga) is 2 weeks into broodiness. They typically go broody for 4 weeks, which is extra work when they are pets. You have to take them off their nest to go outside for a break to wash up, terrorize everyone, honk, eat, and do the big brooding poop (they hold onto it so they dont poop on the nest). :)

Absolutely :) Good for the soul even when they drive you a little craze sometimes, like all wanting attention at the same time! :)

Thank you so much 😀gets overwhelm sometimes, I don't know how how folks deal with more than the pets I have lol, time in care/cuddles/handling/training/play, cost and consistency regardless of the weather... When I feel ontop of it and have fences reinforced etc (had a dam neighbors come into my yard twice that I could see since Merlin the rooster passed) I would love to get 2 guard geese to make up for Merlins alarm/watch of intruders. Just keeping it together, you know how it goes :)

Thankyou for your thoughts, many critters pass cold sick alone and or scared. At least Merlin was held close and knew he was loved in his last breaths. Something I think we all want when we leave our current life... Anyway thankyou again, we're all a little blue down here right now x Raven

Yes, she is also 10 months old :)

Siggy Siggy Siggy :)

Thankyou, I love my feathered babies, so much I'm now studying to be an Ornithologist (Bird Scientist/Nerd) with App Animal Science with Natural Medicine for Animals. We have a shortage of Equine and Avian Vets in Australia... My cat Sha like to sleep with my 8 ducks in the office at night and then me, back and forth :) Hehe Mickey, I just had a look, what a cutey... There's nothing cuter than a happy duck wagging its tail... Eating out your hands and when they do zoomies and boy do they grow quick, x Raven

Welcome and Thankyou : ) Yes Im a bit of a crazy bird lady... I love my Ducks to creases and they are my family with the rest of the critters including my spunky rooster Merlin, his ladies and my wild Ravens/Magpies. Some people have doggos I have ducks and I feel blessed to have them in my life :) Lots of Kindness, Ravenmor Fox.

@@TheEnchantedDuat so am i,they called me here duck lady,but thats okay since i love ducks so much,they are messy but they funny and lovely.

Quackers :)

hehehehe :)

Puppy Ducks (They're house trained) :)

quack quack...