The 4 black cayuga ducks of Two Mile Ranch can get on and off the little pond by themselves.  Getting to the pond, has never been a problem, getting OFF the pond was a curious time.

First, for just a few hours, and they stayed close to the edges.  I could pick them up from the side.

Then, I had to move on to wearing my waterboots, the ducks would slip away and swim to deeper water when I wanted to take them off for the night.

From there, it was a short hop tome wearing full chest waders, herding the ducks, trying to convince them to go in.  Ultimately, I ended up in the small boat Chase and I built, herding them around the pond and then steering them out.  I asked around and unlike chickens, ducks don’t usually put themselves to bed each night.  And then, an amazing thing happened.

The ducks started to get out on their own each day. First it was every other day of me trying to herd them in, then it was pretty regular: when it is duck :30 — a time decided upon by ducks in their own duck fashion, they get out of the pond, walk up the hill to the cabin, and wait for me to heard them back to their pen.

Gilbert, Indiana Quackers, and Duck Vadar wait at the waters edge while Mocha swims

The drake duck is Gilbert, and he leads Indiana Quackers and Duck Vadar  around the pond most of the time.  Mocha, who has either a vision or neuro problem, doesn’t walk well and is often on her own, but is the on-water leader most of the time.  If there is trouble or concern, the other three usually turn to Mocha for leadership. Often, this means, if Mocha doesn’t want to come off the pond, the others will usually not come off either.

When they do walk back, often Mocha leads, but sometimes the others lead.  Gilbert, the drake, walks and then remembers he’s supposed to establish his dominance, so he nips at my pant leg, left, right,left,right….and then goes back to walking.

This is a video of them on their walk Friday evening at Duck :30. It begins with Mocha in some tall grass. Gilbert, with the  greenest head, charges the camera in the middle, and in the end, he is the last one through the pen gate.