Rain

After a dry spell of several weeks we are enjoying some rain.  Nobody enjoys the rain as much as my ducks.  They love the puddles that form when the water pours off the barn roof.  I have water in several places on the farm, but most are far away from the barn which is the only place where the ducks are safe from foxes and other predators.  The White Boys are a major deterrent to threats and little Tanner dedicates herself to keeping the smaller varmints like porcupines away.   The smart ducks bed down in the middle of the barnyard, surrounded by Thor, Finn and Knut.   I have a total of 18 ducks.  Soon the barnyard will be frozen over with a sheet of ice covered in snow.  The ducks will come in the barn and the only water available to them will be what I give them.  They need to dip their entire heads into water in order to preen properly.  Winter is a tough time for duckies.  The worms they love are burrowed deep in the ground.   The ducks look dirty and rather bedraggled come spring.  I wish I had an indoor pond for them.