My organic growing has being having some ups and downs. I fully expected to have 10-25% of my crop damaged by insects growing organically, but instead what I seem to have is mini plagues that wipe out 90% of a a particular planting. To me this indicates the lack of balance. The need to develop a ecosystem again. Last year my project was a tiny little pond, plagued by the raccoons, who trashed it every night.
This year I picked up a cast iron bath tub (not clawfoot unfortunately) on the side of the road and the Pond is moving above ground for easier draining and growing. I will also work on adding more plants and hideouts now.
My research though has come up with the need for ducks, and I have narrowed it down to Indian Runner ducks. Now, I can buy a couple ducks from a number of places, but for the full experience, I decide to raise from egg. My friend has a number of chickens on a small holding 1 hour away and was very keen on ducks as well, so this city slicker is not in this alone.
So My plan is to build a incubator out of a cooler box per hundreds of youtube videos. I found a nearby source for eggs in Mid Feb (weather pending) as if they freeze, they wont hatch. That will give me 28 days to hatch and another month odd before we getting close to last frost and they be ready to move outdoors.
Too heat my incubator I first bought one of these Ceramic heaters. Then realizing at that temperature, I would have baked eggs, I decided I needed to control the heat a little better. These can later be used in the duck house in winter. When these arrive, I can build my incubator. Yes, I am blending my day job with my passion. These will be hightech ducks, maybe I should consider wearable computers for them?
While driving down the road in found a dog carrier (yes scavenger I am) and so I have a home for the chicks already till they large enough to emerge. Should keep my floors cleaner.
To say I feel like the old "person" who swallowed a fly, I don't know why... is just the start of it. I had tiny bugs, I bought bigger bugs to eat them and now I buying ducks to eat the bigger bugs.
BUT
Ek is n'Boer, en ek het 'n plan.
Stay tuned for the adventures of hatching and raising
