Ever since we lost the one they have gone into their home fairly easily at night. This evening, though, we were having a family dinner party. I went out at dusk and they were out in the middle of the pond so I came back inside. I went out again when it was dark and they were still swimming. I tried tossing rocks out into the water which got them to swim to the edge, but then they hid under some trees right at the edge and I couldn't get them out from under the branches. Three times I almost got them and then they slipped back out into the middle of the pond.
I went in for back up. Josh came out to help, and we tried a couple more times with the rocks but to no avail.
Finally, just as we were about to give up, Josh thought to try his BB gun. He shot out into the water near the ducks to get them moving. Even this didn't seem to faze them!
Once they started to make towards the duck house but got spooked and made a b-line for the water again. I threw my arms up in frustration. Why were they being so difficult!?!
I had been out there for more than an hour chasing those birds around when Josh said, "We have family inside. We'll have to just leave them be."
I wanted to cry or scream or both. I just couldn't stand the thought of coming out to find another pile of duck feathers in the yard. It seemed we had no choice but to leave them out though. We began to walk up the hill when, like magic, out they came.
The ducks came out by the cattails and ran up towards the chicken coop. Jo's and I followed behind and we were able to corner them by the coop and each picked one up. Finally! We carried them down and locked them up in the duck house.
What a relief. Now I'll be able to sleep, knowing they are safe out there.
God help us if it's that hard to lock them up moving forward. I don't know if I'll have the patience to do that again.
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