The Ducks Finally Did It - FARM VLOG 

Glad you liked it!

No pressure at all, glad you’re enjoying 😉

It’s a good suggestion, I’ve seen others doing it saying to use construction sand not play sand but not sure what difference it’ll make. I can see doing something like a test since I have a few different coops. Straw takes forever to compost too so less straw is a good thing in my book. Duck poop is so greasy though, I wonder if the entire floor of the duckie bunkie can have sand, although it would be a lot of sand to setup. How much sand do you need to add regularly or is it just the once and it’s lasts for years? What if you don’t clean it daily? and how does the number of chickens or ducks affect the success? What about cold winters? Sand wouldn’t allow for the deep bedding method right? Thoughts? Appreciate the suggestion.

Well I've only got 7 chickens so it doesn't take a whole lot for me. I've also only been doing it this way for a little over a year but I find it way easier than before when I had a tarp under my roost covered in straw or pine shavings and about once a month id finally pull the roost out (its a 3 layer that leans up against the back wall ) and drag that stinky heavy thing to the compost pile. Now i just do it daily or if it's REALLY COLD ill skip a day but its just so easy i don't mind doing it anymore . I use cheap play sand myself. I don't find much sand comes up with the poo. As far as my ducks I can't tell you how well it works over the winter as they are only 5wk old ducklings and i only have 3. But I have been putting their food and water inside the hut with them at night and around the water dish it has been wet but not soggy. Their poo actually comes out of the sand really easy without taking clumps of sand with it. In the one corner of their hut I've sunk some scrap 2x4s into the sand then filled that corner with pine shavings. Started out with straw, but that was to messy. The pine shavings seem to absorb a pile of poo and I can get just a small bit of yucky shavings out without taking half the nesting area with it. I'm sure as time goes on and these ducklings continue to teach me new things I'll have to adjust things but for now this seems to be working. Maybe you could try using the idea as a trial in the area you had the little white ducklings. That way you're not investing to much in sand if you find you don't like it. Just a thought. Best of luck in all you do.

@@jennifermolden4085 seems like something to try 😀

I really appreciate the comment, thanks so much 😀

That's so awesome!!!

Sooo cute. As a single parent that raised a daughter, I have a special place in my heart for them 🥰

👋

Yes I think they were having a blast 🤩

Ducks usually mate in water. Build a pond and you get a duck orgy. You have to be careful that the bigger ones don't drown the small ones while mating in the pond

@@Lincsgirl For ducks, just add water. For humans, just add alcohol.

😁

Haha maybe, it is breeding season too though

I wonder if this will work. hiddenspringfarm-shop.fourthwall.com

@HiddenSpringFarm Yes that works 👍

Oh yeah, it was a good day. Thnx 😊

It’s very soothing actually, I need to put a Bench out there.

Aww thanks 😊

YES!!! 👏

She’s on a lot more during gardening season. Her & winter don’t mix 😂

Well an edpm liner is better than a pvc liner and more durable against the uv rays. I used an aquascape 2500 waterfall filter to create the stream, it has a foam filter and a place for biological filter balls. There are ultraviolet light filters, skimmer filters etc but I just wanted to create the falls so this one worked for me.

I hope so

Maybe summer I’ll see how she is.

I'm sorry you had that experience growing up. In the 21st century, family is what you make it. If you can, go out and find someone who can fill that role. Wishing you all the luck in the world!

what does Tonugana mean?

I'm glad that you are hopefully in a safe place and far away from your parents. I really want you to find the support of other people, other family members outside your immediate family, and some wonderful councilor. I pray that you will take care of yourself and your healing journey.

Awesome thanks 😊

Thanks so much

Haha yes!! Every time I look down the Kong is just magically there 😝

@@HiddenSpringFarm I bet!!!!

Glad you like them! Nice to know that 😊

Haha I love it! 🥰

@@HiddenSpringFarmI have a feeling you’ll be expanding it before too long! 😂

YES!!! 👏

I hear ya I usually don’t but just trying to sell those 4 but no interest as yet. They’ll be culled if I can find a home for them. That’s why I have the ducks in the orchard & the chooks in the chicken yard. Those 4 drakes have just been cooped up for a while.

Haha maybe, but really it’s just the breeding season 😉

I wondered the same thing even though it is mating season

I’ll see how she’s doing this summer and I may have to just try her out. I’ll do a while video about it though. I think I’m more scared of losing her to predators if I can’t get her back. She wants out I know it, she’s always hanging around the fence.

Hopefully if she's a bit scared, she will stick close to the other cats and follow back in.

I just did that a few episodes ago, removed 4 drakes. They are in the goose booth for now, trying to sell them but no interest yet. Now there are only 6 drakes left. 2 white and 4 khaki.

Yeah he had a kind of grumpy face eh 😂

😀

😁

Aww thanks for the comment ❤️❤️

Yes exactly, plus I don’t need to stand there with the hose filling them up for 20 mins.

You are welcome chad

haha "Tulugan Na" it means "go to bed" in Tagalog. I thought it funny a few years ago to train the ducks with some Filipino.

Yay!!!

That’s so awesome, thanks for the comment

Aww nice, thnx 😆

I’ve never clipped any of the birds wings, it hasn’t been an issue at all.

I just clean out the filter, it’s a bio filter with foam so I just clean the foam of debris. The water should last a really long time but I’ll be sure to talk about it when it happens.

Thank you! Cheers!

🤙

Nope, they don’t fly really. I’ve never clipped wings. They just prefer to forage. They can flutter if they want, like over our fences but it’s never happened. They have it too good here I guess 😉

Thank you. I've been concerned. I won't have a lot of acreage, but needed to ask for their safety. Ya know? So Thank you. I love your vlogs. And pay close attention to the duck/goose, and garden parts.

YES!!! 👏

@@HiddenSpringFarm cracked me up big time when you did the tulugan na chant lol! This is the first vid i saw from your channel. Didnt see that chant coming. Really awesome. It didnt register at first then i was like oh wow this dude is a homie! You’re living my dream for real. Keep it up!

That would be cool eh. I’d didn’t see any kind like that but I’ll keep looking.

@@HiddenSpringFarm i know you just launched this merch project and the last thing I want to do is burden you with overwhelm. I know you’re really busy so I’ll try to not go overboard here 😅 I don’t know if it’s hard to find old English sheepdog merchandise where you are, but because they aren’t a common breed here there’s not much merchandise around for them. I’d love to be able to buy more Old English sheepdog merch at some point in the future. I also like the idea of having claw crew merch. Love the stickers, pins would be a great addition, some with OES phrases like ‘sheepdogs rule’, or ‘life is more fun with an Old English Sheepdog’. A set of pins with a picture and name of each cat, and you’d buy set A, B and C and so on to make up the claw crew 😃 beanies are cool, I’d totally wear a beanie with Molly and Olive on it. Polo shirts and cardigans would be nice too, with ‘sheepdogs for the win’ or some other Old English Sheepdog phrase, together with a picture of Molly and Olive. Cushions/pillows - something for home decor would be great, perhaps even a claw crew calendar, and a Molly & Olive calendar 😄 I’ve had three Old English Sheepdogs in my life. Right now we have a 10 month old OES puppy named Watson, a big bundle of fluff and a very sweet boy. He loves it when he can see Molly and Olive on the TV when I watch your videos. When they go off screen he thinks they’re in the room and he looks around for them which I find hilarious 😆 I’ll see if I can get a video of it and post it on my instagram account, owensfamilyhomestead Anyway I’m so sorry for the absolute essay that I’ve just typed out. I don’t want to overwhelm you by any means, I’m just so excited about the merch, and I love watching your videos and following along on your homesteading journey with your old English sheepdogs, it’s pretty rare to find OES owners who are also vlogging homesteaders. I’m so glad I found your channel. Cheers from Australia

Bubbles does want out I can tell. Long story but the short version is the she became very scared of me after chasing her down for her first vet visit and since then I’ve been working on earning her trust back. She is very skittish and I worry that if I let her out, I won’t be able to get her back. We’ve lost 4 cats to predators in over 3 years that’s how I ended up implementing the system of locking the cats in at night. Maybe this summer I just gotta give her a try but I’m afraid.

I understand, thank you for explaining all that, yes give her another try maybe? Love your channel and the pond.

Awesome!!!! 🐈‍⬛

I don’t think so, I used an edpm liner and it’s pretty thick rubber.but I also built it in such a way that they will have a minimal access to the liner when I’m done.

@@HiddenSpringFarm ok thanks my liner is 0.5mm thick but if i put sand on top i think it will be good

Yes he is very cool. He’ll cuddle in my arms, always comes when I call, he’s a great mouser and I love him.

We have about 6 or 7 drakes for about 20 hens. A few more will be dealt with soon to get a better balance.

Geese are bullies to everyone even me and the dogs 😂 the ducks keep their distance mostly but now they know the water is very enticing

Yeah it was a great day!

@@HiddenSpringFarm 👍

maybe tv doesn't work the same. I'll try to get a link & get back to you.

try this hiddenspringfarm-shop.fourthwall.com

Thank you. I will try it 😊

I just ordered a Fozzy Bear t shirt! Thanks again 😊

They go home with me, they’ve never stayed over at the farm once. After their dinner the two of them will keep me company all night long while I edit videos.

@@HiddenSpringFarm oh that’s awesome…. I wondered where they went… I hoped that they didn’t get left out there on their own and honestly, I didn’t really believe for one second that you would leave them out there lol…

Haha “Tulugan Na” means go to bed in Tagalog, I thought it’d be funny a few years ago to teach the ducks some Filipino in case I have a hard time to get them back in for the night.

@@HiddenSpringFarm cool! So now I know. Don’t know what Tagalog is either, but assume it’s Filipino thing. Thx for replying 👍😎

@@Scot_WestTexas yes Tagalog is the main language in the Philippines (My wife is a Filipina)

@@HiddenSpringFarm I learn something new every day.. thx 👍😎

@@HiddenSpringFarm well then… I wish you and your wife a wonderful journey and much love to be shared. God bless you. Don’t know if you have kids but I hope so 👍🥰🥰🥰

🤩

Yup I thought it would be funny a few years ago I started training the ducks to go to bed in Tagalog. Not sure if they’re trained but I keep doing it 😆

It’s just a simple submersible pond pump that cycles the water up to the top of the stream. I have previous videos showing how I did it.

@@HiddenSpringFarm Ok 👍 thanks, yes I'll take a look

😁

Thanks 👍

Aww thanks. Well it’s 3 years old now, I built it with pt plywood and vinyl tile to slow the rot. No food & water inside so it’s not sopping wet more like damp. Shows no sign of rot yet so fingers crossed 🤞

Aww thnx, Fozzy’s just so loveable 😀

Yes I like the zipped hoodies myself, I like the ease of removal if I get warm. In Canadian dollars it’s pretty expensive too, I know. It’s like buying a real brand name 😉

Aww thanks. My Darlin has all her seeds and has already started some in the house. I have a 20 second clip in the next video about it, but the season is coming fast.

❤️❤️