There are times when you wonder if all the effort you put in for the animals is really appreciated. When we started out with ducks we only had 4 so needed only a small pond. Gradually the number increased to 16 and the pond turned into a large puddle and life on the 'puddle' was just a wee bit crowded. Then came the pigs - who live uphill of the poultry - and the rainwater flowed downhill from their territory into the duck puddle and it all got a bit messy.
So last weekend we decided it was time for a little re-organisation. In came the digger, out came the little pond and up came the puddle. Leaving a glorious 14' by 12' hole which was two foot deep - the foundation of a wonderful new pond. A while ago we'd 'inherited' an old carpet from a local Public House, so we used that as the basis and laid a butyl rubber sheet over it which overlapped the sides. The sides are reinforced with bricks reclaimed from some old building we knocked down a few years ago and two of the sides - as you can see in the photo - are reinforced with roof tiles - also reclaimed from the old building. We try to recycle as much material as possible on the Rectoryreserve (though there are a couple of huge old wooden carriage house doors that I have no idea what to do with) so it was a great pleasure only to have to buy in the butyl liner.
With the pond ready, we rejigged the fencing to create a slightly different pen enabling us to leave a run-way between the pigs and the poultry - all far more manageable than before. And then, with great expectation and eager anticipation - on our part - we opened the new pen and pond up to the poultry.
Naturally, I expected the ducks - who had been restricted to a washing-up bowl and a plant water tray for the whole of the previous week - to waddle speedily and eagerly over to the new pond. But did they? Of course not. Scary thing, the new pond. They totally ignored it. It stayed pristine and empty for the best part of an hour before the bravest of the bunch - White Duck - finally made her way over. And then went away again.
A little while later she returned. Stood gingerly on the edge. Looked sideways into the water. Stuck her head down nervously. Then she washed her beak; then she dipped a toe in; then she had a drink - and then she washed her beak; then she dipped a toe in; then she called her mates who, as you can see, decided to stick to the safety of the water tray! So, probably in disgust, she slid in and glided gracefully around the perimeter - and then there was the most almighty display of splashing and dipping ever given by a solitary bird! For a duck who was bred never to swim (more of which next time) she had a whale of a time, ducking and diving under water and splashing for all she was worth. And STILL the others didn't join her --- until a good half hour later, when one by one they nervously and hesitantly slipped over the edge. And then all hell was let loose as they all tried to outdo each other. About 10 minutes of that and out they staggered, clearly exhausted because for much of the rest of the day they were fast asleep in the shade with their beaks tucked under their wings!
We didn't see them in the pond for the rest of the day and the next morning, instead of rushing out of the poultry palace and straight into the pond - as they always did with the 'puddle' - they ignored it again for several hours. Then the temptation was too much - and anyway, the washing up bowl they'd happily queued for the previous few days had been removed - and one by one they gingerly returned and repeated their delighted ducking and diving antics -- so maybe they do appreciate if after all!
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