OK I'm going to speed this update process up a bit with this hastily constructed post, detailing what else we have been doing apart from playing with ducks.
Right...we also became....drum roll.... fish farmers and rubber farmers.
The fish was a no-brainer as we had that big, deep pond for the ducks and it was crying out for something else. I wanted to go with alligator farming because I need new shoes and PJ can always use a handbag or three, but she told me 'no!' something to do with alligators eating ducks...
I never thought of that, so instead... fish. 750 tiny lil' fish were introduced and promptly disappeared, to the bottom, I assume.
We never saw them again for a month or two, until the fine fish food we had periodically chucked in brought a few to the surface
They had grown!
After that, we saw a lot of them regularly, as did the effin white egret that decided to take up a temporary residence. lol the problem he had was the pond sloped off to 'too deep to stand' not far from the shore. He gave up after a few fruitless days.
We had, I think 6 or 7 different breeds, selected by PJ and all was well for the next few months until the pond water level started to drop
The first sign of trouble was when we saw a lot of the red-coloured fish (sorry, cant remember the name - 'pla...something) clooping on the surface, gasping for oxygen i think.
Before we could do anything, one morning not long after... about 200 red fish looking decidedly ...dead. oh dear, this enterprise not off to a good start...we have a lot to learn.
On the plus side, those fish carcasses became excellent fertilizer so all was not lost.