Duck fix

I figured you guys need a duck fix...

We have just finished a new duck palace in the barn. Gordon has to put hardware cloth over the ceiling and gaps this weekend, then the ducks can move in. Their duckhouses are sufficient but if it's really cold and they have to stay in, we want them to have more space. So now they have a huge new home in the barn. (Pics at end of the post) On cold days, we have left the back barn doors open to the duck run, so they can come in and warm up. I filled their kiddy pool with straw and they like to hang out in there while Sophie likes to graze on duck poo (ugh!)

These are the four original ducks: Eugenia, Ronna, Charlie Sheen and MacGregor.

 Eugenia (Mama duck) and Ronna enjoy some down time.

This is Hannibal and one of his girlfriends! Hannibal used to have a brown head but it has changed to white as he has matured. He looks a lot more like his Dad MacGregor, but with a very spotty chest.  I think Hannibal actually knows his name. I use it all the time with him, and yesterday when I called out "Hannibal" in the barn, he turned his head and looked at me. He knows I'm good for treats!

Hannibal was originally called Brownie. If you want to reminisce about that saga, here's the video!

Here's another cutie girl who needs a name...

And the rest of the ducks were outside, snuggled up in the former woodshed:

This is Warren, the Upper Canada Village duck wintering with us. He's a bit of a loner these days.

That's Moishe in the very front. He's lost his "yarmulke." He used to have a dark skullcap, but now his head  is white like Hannibal's. My friend Ronna and her sister Marcia named Moise. :)

Amy (still a boy, still needs a boy name) and Squishy snooze in parallel.

Moishe is a nice boy who lets me scratch his chest and chin.

"Got treats?" Sorry, not this time!

Back in the barn...

Hannibal is on the left, two of his sisters are in the middle, and his mama Eugenia is on the right.

Meanwhile Charlie and MacGregor are getting all excited over something.

Here's the duck palace. This is the duck door...

There is a bigger door at the end for when we need to clean it out:

Inside it's very neat and tidy. That won't last long.

The duck room butts up to the chicken coop (on the right.)

That's the back window of the chicken coop. I can open it up for cross-ventilation, or if the chickens and ducks want to chat to each other through the screening!

That's the chicken coop, with the duck palace just on the left where the window is. I need to tidy up the barn!

We are supposedly getting a big old winter storm today and tomorrow and into Saturday. This has been a very mild winter so far with not much snow. I'm hoping that after this, I can finally get using my snowshoes!