[Vicegrip]

What the duck?
Spring arrived and so did some ducks. Been looking into domestic animals to keep but they had to clear two important factors. Don't trash the place and a chance of surviving on a mountain side that backs up to GW Forest. We have a nice mix of venomous and non venomous snakes, bears, foxes, coyotes, weasels, owls, hawks and eagles to contend with. (this is not the place to be a small dog or a cat)
The snakes are not an issue except for eggs. The bears are very few and far between, they don't like the dogs and we are tight about food or smelly stuff left out. They stay far away from the house and we only see them on the trail cams. Chickens, goats, geese all fell to the side for one reason or another Guinea foul got close and I almost went with them but are reported to be loud. Peacocks are real cool but you have to keep them in set numbers, you have to worm them every 3 months and put up with the sound of lightly tortured human babies for 3 months a year.

Ducks. Cheap, convert bugs and weeds into calcium coated breakfast orbs, are heat and cold hardy. loud but not too loud or harsh sounding, like lots of water but don't need a pond. Tend to stick around and always move around in a tight flock. Last but not least, for a barnyard animal they are quite personable.

I have plenty of running water from 2 creeks and an artisan well. Built an enclosure that keeps everything but a bear, weasel or snake out. Built a coop that keeps the snakes and weasels out but not daughters. once grown out a bit the ducks are free to roam all day when we are around. Daytime but not around they have the enclosure. Night they are in the coop. Put the whole mess far enough way from the house but still easy to observe. Dear daughter went from putting on makeup to go to Starbucks to sitting in a coop / poop in her bathrobe.