Drainpipe: Show Me The Way To Go Home

I have been waiting to post an update on Drainpipe for the last few days because although he has grown enormously over the past 10 days, and that would have been worthy of a post in itself,  I planned to try and reintroduce him and try and place him back with the ducks and chickens. I never like introducing new ones to the existing lot because I find my feathery friends are not friendly at all - at least not to each other, they do not accept newcomers lightly and in my opinion and can be very cruel during the initiation ceremony, sometimes killing the new ones if they are placed straight back with the others. This was not going to happen to little Drainpipe!

If I am introducing a new chick or duckling  I would put them in the isolation unit inside the hen house from which they can see the others and the others can see them and leave them there for a few days before letting them out (under my supervision) and monitoring the introductions. Even with these steps there are usually some quite ugly scenes before all settles down and the pecking order is adjusted taking in the new members and so I was prepared for Drainpipe to get some stick from the others and because he was such a special fella I knew it would upset me if any of the others attacked him but also knew that his place is really outside with the freedom to roam, grab his own food as and when he felt like it and being able to dip in and out of the pond whenever the mood took him. So I took a deep breath and walked outside with him.

I put some food down for everyone and then put Drainpipe down - he seemed to join in without any fear (living with 5 dogs and a Sheep in Dogs Clothing (aka Dave - who we will discuss tomorrow!) for the first part of his life have probably helped develop this attitude!)) the other hens occasionally pecked him to move out of the way and the other Muscovy ducks grabbed him quite aggressively from time to time - this worried me because I immediately knew he was not going to be accepted by them just now and he needed someone who would accept him and provide protection if he was to go back at this stage. His mum, the white Indian Runner duck constantly called and I thought she may want her little one back but every time he went after her she would run away.  Things were not going to plan just yet but I was not about to give up.

I stayed in the background watching him as he was ignored and/or pecked and tried to grab a bit of food here and there and whenever another bird moved he would follow until they realised and then turned on him. It was very sad to watch but after a few hours I decided to leave him alone and check every 20 minutes or so. Each time I checked he was sat alone - but unharmed which was all I could ask for really. There was never going to be a reunion with his mum and dad - too much time had passed but I hoped he would be accepted by someone. So when I looked out of the window and saw this...

Dad and Drainpipe (the small blob)

I was and still am gobsmacked!

I noticed his dad was affording him protection during feeding time and then I noticed him encouraging him into the water and over-emphasising the pecking of food which ducks and hens do to teach their young how to do it - usually its mum who does all this but not this time - Drainpipe's Dad had one thing in mind - to get his little boy back and his family back together.

Drainpipe and His Mum

And he did just that!

Drainpipe Goes Swimming

Now for those of you who do not have a 2 year old, may I say, Well Done!


For you who do, or who have at some stage had one, you may well understand the events of yesterday.

It went like this:

Drainpipe was playing with my little boy and all was going well

Me - Come on put the duck in its box we need to get going.

2 year old - No

Me - Come on we are going to be late, the swimming lesson starts in half an hour.


2 year old - No

Me - Right, give him to me and get in the car.

2 year old - No.

With that the 2 year old was on the floor with no intentions of swimming or anything else. Negotiations had begun. We now had 15 minutes to get there and the journey took 10 plus we needed time to get changed and generally mess about so this meant that we were now officially late. I was getting used to punctuality and myself no longer walking hand in hand. Everything these days needed to be negotiated and then usually negotiated again.

Only one thing for it.

Me - Right get up and get in the car with the duck.

And with that, we were on our way.

Drainpipe in Footwell 

And so we got to the swimming baths, had the lesson and came home again.

Back Home

Drainpipe Befriends Minnie

Drainpipe Duckling, Nunnery Farm's newest addition really did have a nasty head injury when I brought him inside the kitchen last Sunday evening. He had been unable to re-connect with his mum and had made it obvious to the others that he was without protection and in doing so became a target. The geese are my main suspects, mainly due to the shapeof the wound Drainpipe had on his head. It was not a barrage of pecks which would have come from the hens but more like something had grabbed his fur and ripped it. Drainpipe had no fur or skin left on the right side of his head. His eye, although still there, had no lid and I doubted whether he would regain the sight.

So after spending a few hours with him I warmed an old woolly hat in the tumble dryer and put Drainpipe inside in his new cardboard box style home and watched him snuggle down. I went to bed and was realistic in my beliefs that he would probably not be with me in the morning.

I got up the next day and could hear no sounds coming from Drainpipe and put off checking him straight away but then I took a deep breath and peered over the sides of the box and was met by a crusty head tilted to one side and a few chirps. I smiled.

The worst was over, he had survived the shock, the wound had started to scab over and amazingly his eye was wet so the little film he would use to blink was unharmed. He was unable to close his eye when he had a snooze but chose instead to tuck that side under his wing so he is managing and appears to be unaffected by his earlier trauma!

A few days on and Drainpipe is the new Dave. He is not at all happy being left in his box and makes so much noise that there is no option but to lift him out. He Potters around on the floor and is keeping very close to his new best friend Minne the Great Dane!

What Do You Get When You Cross A Lamb, A Duckling And A Nightmare?

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOURS TRULY!

Hello, Good Evening and Welcome,

You are tuned in to Nunnery Farm - the place where if it can happen, it certainly will happen - and once again I can report  to you that everything that could go wrong did, in fact, go wrong.

A Duckling In Disguise

What a heck of a day. I have just got in and can tell you that I do not know how I found this duckling but I did. In fact I am unbelievably worn out, have sunburn that is just a mass of water blisters on my shoulders, my eyes are swollen and look like they belong to a bloodshot frog, my nose is blocked and my face is covered in scratches because I have terribly bad hayfever, and nettle stings because I jump like an idiot, and it itches and I scratch it, simple as that. I am really allergic to grass and trees and it went out of my mind to take any of my tablets before I jumped over the fence to get searching for it. I jumped down over the fence in a fashion that only an imbecile would be proud of and straight into a 3ft  band of nettles, then tripped  up. So mad!

Grass Covering Broken Drain

Right - where do you start. The whole field is overgrown with not big but massive thistles with arms that are about 3 foot long and I have no idea what to do even when I get to this drain. I am massively scared of frogs BIG TIME. So armed with a tea-towel and Asda carrier bag - obviously, I mean what else do you need on a duck drain rescue (cant believe it now) I scanned the field. I knew the duckling had gone down the drain which is the overflow on the pond. This then went underground and straight down the field in front of me so I figured if I walk to the end I would see a pipe or something to go on. Off I set, when I got there the end of the field was a sheer drop down into a little stream below. I thought right then that it had gone  because if it had come out and was even visible it was too dangerous for me to try and climb down. I felt sick.

Duckling Following Its New Mum (Me!) While I Hoover

I headed back up the field so disappointed but I just couldn't leave. I couldn't. I decided that I would just give the field another search, corner to corner and see what turned up. So slowly I walked backwards and forwards over the whole of the field and after this proved unsuccessful decided I would walk the drain line again, the old clay pipes were hundreds of years old, there may be a break in a part of it - so I started walking and parting the grass in a straight line again, on  my hands and knees in parts - praying to the God of Frogs not to let one be where my hands were going.

Guess What?

Safe and Sound

I found hole in the field which on closer inspection had slow water running through it. I had found the drain.

Now all I could think about was that I had to put my hand in this black hole and I knew I would touch a frog. Not only am I having the day from hell but I am now a contestant on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. I bent down and was convinced I saw an eye - oh it was awful - I cannot describe the fear of putting my hand in that black pipe. I tried time and time again and even with Asda's help I could not start feeling around.  I started to do my best impersonation of a baby duckling and its an intermittent scratchy whistle. Nothing.

Then again, and again, and again. I figured if it was there I would hear it.

Then I did. I heard it - that made my heart pound and I waited and waited continuing to whistle and then it appeared - the Drainpipe Duckling with feathers all stubby and brown. Yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssss!

I scooped it up and brought it back home and as quickly as I could put it back with the other birds and its mum.

I made constant checks and then on my last check when I looked it had been attacked by some of the other ducks and now has a really nasty head injury. I guess it had been away too long. So, not to worry, it is the newest addition to move in and become a member of the hand reared brigade. One out, one in - only Dave hasn't really left. It is on my knee now as I type this and has followed me round the kitchen while I hoovered. Since most of my day has been spent dealing with animal rescue I thought it best to put in at least a quick hoover.

So there it is - mission drainpipe duck success

The duckling has quite a nasty head injury and it is far from out of the woods but you can rest assured that if it can be saved - I will save it.

Asleep on my knee typing Blog

Now where is the wine!!!

Nunnery Farm Receives A Rather Special Delivery

There was one extra for breakfast this morning.

A few months ago I found a nest belonging to the Muscovys wedged in the eaves of the hen house. Unfortunately the duck didn't manage to stay on the nest long enough for any of the eggs to hatch which is quite common with hens and ducks so even though it was a little bit upsetting knowing she had been sitting on them for at least a week I removed the nest and cleared it out.

Then about a week later I was cleaning them out and I moved an old cardboard box to throw it out and noticed that there was something at the bottom.

Another Muscovy nest - no wonder my duck egg production line had come to a complete standstill! Not holding out much hope for anything to hatch I put it back and left it alone. I checked each morning when I fed them and noone was in sight, that the eggs were warm which they were and they were always covered over and but I have never seen anyone actually on the nest.

Then this morning I saw this ...

But I am puzzled because I am not convinced it is a Muscovy. I have a pair of Indian Runner ducks and I am certain it belongs to them. I have not had an egg from her for absolutely ages but have never come across a nest either and as they are ground ducks - they never fly - I would have thought I'd have come across it.

I have checked in the Muscovy nest for a broken shell ... and nothing!

So who does it belong to???!!

I will let you know as soon as I do!