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Duck housing
Last winter, when we had the bird 'flu restrictions, it was very dry and the boys were able to go in the field every day (having just checked my diary, apparently they didn't have a day not in the field all winter!). This year, it's been rather wet, and we're having quite a few days when they're either having to stay in the stableyard all day or (more often) just get to go out and stretch their legs for an hour in the morning while we do the mucking out and other jobs.
This is a problem, because the bird 'flu rules mean that we need to keep the ducks away from wild birds as much as possible, which in practice means that they have to stay in the stableyard.
(We're not sure how Benny would react to having the ducks hanging around, but we no exactly how GB feels about it and it's fairly violent.)
As we were mucking out this morning (boys in field, fortunately, although they won't be on Saturday or Sunday if the forecast is remotely accurate), my eyes kept drifting to the polytunnel frame, which just last week we conveniently moved to next to the ducks' stable. We don't want to put the cover on at this time of year, because it would get damaged in storms, but could we contrive some other way of making it bird-proof...?
When I was out running some errands I popped in to see Mrs Farmer and asked where she buys the shade netting for her (many and full sized) polytunnels. As I'd half-hoped, she led me back through the polytunnel maze until we found one with piles of netting on the floor and sent me home with a big piece of it. (Mrs Farmer used to run a plant nursery, hence all the polytunnels, but closed it down a year or two ago and so they're all standing empty now. There is a plan to put the lambing sheep in some of them, shortly, but they won't need the shade netting for that.)
Mike and I got busy with some bits of string and electric fence, and now we have what is (hopefully) an enclosure that will both keep the horses out and the ducks in, with the added bonus that we're now properly following the bird 'flu rules and keeping the duck's food and water under cover (inside the polytunnel). I expect we'll have to rescue an occasional wild bird from inside it, but it shouldn't be too bad.
If the ducks do manage to get through the fence (Magrat, in particular, is a little escape artist), we have the option of electrifying it, or we'll just have to pull down the netting over the open end of the polytunnel and keep them in there when the boys are around. It'll get horrible and muddy in the polytunnel, but it's not like the grass would survive having growbags over it next summer!
We'll try it out tomorrow while we're mucking out, and keep a close eye on things to see if the girls manage to escape.
This is a problem, because the bird 'flu rules mean that we need to keep the ducks away from wild birds as much as possible, which in practice means that they have to stay in the stableyard.
(We're not sure how Benny would react to having the ducks hanging around, but we no exactly how GB feels about it and it's fairly violent.)
As we were mucking out this morning (boys in field, fortunately, although they won't be on Saturday or Sunday if the forecast is remotely accurate), my eyes kept drifting to the polytunnel frame, which just last week we conveniently moved to next to the ducks' stable. We don't want to put the cover on at this time of year, because it would get damaged in storms, but could we contrive some other way of making it bird-proof...?
When I was out running some errands I popped in to see Mrs Farmer and asked where she buys the shade netting for her (many and full sized) polytunnels. As I'd half-hoped, she led me back through the polytunnel maze until we found one with piles of netting on the floor and sent me home with a big piece of it. (Mrs Farmer used to run a plant nursery, hence all the polytunnels, but closed it down a year or two ago and so they're all standing empty now. There is a plan to put the lambing sheep in some of them, shortly, but they won't need the shade netting for that.)
Mike and I got busy with some bits of string and electric fence, and now we have what is (hopefully) an enclosure that will both keep the horses out and the ducks in, with the added bonus that we're now properly following the bird 'flu rules and keeping the duck's food and water under cover (inside the polytunnel). I expect we'll have to rescue an occasional wild bird from inside it, but it shouldn't be too bad.
If the ducks do manage to get through the fence (Magrat, in particular, is a little escape artist), we have the option of electrifying it, or we'll just have to pull down the netting over the open end of the polytunnel and keep them in there when the boys are around. It'll get horrible and muddy in the polytunnel, but it's not like the grass would survive having growbags over it next summer!
We'll try it out tomorrow while we're mucking out, and keep a close eye on things to see if the girls manage to escape.
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(I've been occasionally hearing parts of either a series about or a long programme on the 1918 'flu, on the World Service. It's terrifying.)
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D and I have both had human-not-flu for weeks. It isn't actual flu - I had yer actual swine flu in 2009 so I know how awful the real thing is - but it is an irritating cold virus which saps the energy and causes periodic outbreaks of bronchial 'fun'. Most tedious, alongside other less-than-stellar aspects to 2018 so far.
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