Duckling, My Duckling

It really has been quite a while since I've really done a good update, which is why I'm doing a back to back post. Tomorrow I'll try to post about the greenhouse and all the great progress that we are seeing there.

But for now: ducklings!

In late April, I decided to add to the general chaos of the farm and buy 11 newly hatched ducklings. It took them a few weeks to hatch and then be delivered to me. You might be thinking, "Wait- I thought she got her birds from a local poultry farm." And indeed, you would be correct. But not this time. This time I wanted to know for sure that I was getting only girls and not a single boy. The reason I have 3 males and a transexual female is because that poultry farm doesn't do a very good job of sexing their ducklings. So this time I got my ducklings through the mail from a poultry farm that does vent sexing. That means they check out the duckling's junk (called a vent) to see what shape it is. One shape is boy, one is girl.

It was nerve-wracking once I knew they were hatched and on their way. I had to go to the post office to pick them up. All the old-timers at the post office were delighted to see them and had many exclamations of, "We had ducks when we were kids!" and "I haven't seen ducklings come through the mail in a long time!" As soon as I got the girls I secured them in the cab of my truck and gave them some water. They were all healthy looking, which was a relief. This is how they arrived (Covered, of course):

I had picked a mix of breeds because I am not interested in breeding them and only interested in them as pets and for egg production. But because I already have 3 drakes, I wanted to make sure I picked breeds that would be around the same size. So, as much as I wanted Indian Runner ducks, they would be at risk for injury by the much bigger Swedish Blue drakes.

The breeds I picked are Buff, Swedish Blue, Rouen and Cayuga. Here they are the first day in their coop:

Just a few days old and ready to explore!

I don't understand the need to stand IN the food, but then again, I am not a duck. Maybe it feels nice on their feet.

They also are fans of standing in their water- which makes more sense to me. 

I love this photo so much! That little buff duckling is looking at me and just so relaxed.

This is a Swedish Blue duckling having a drink.

The center duck is one of the Rouen ducklings.  The Cayuga ducklings are all black. Until they grow their feather, and then in the sun they are a shiny black with shimmery green all over!

That was the cleanest the coop ever was while they have lived there. As you might remember me mentioning before- ducks are serious mess-makers. If you need a mess to be made, find a duck! A lot of that is due to the way ducks eat and drink. They just can't help it. 

Every day for three weeks I went into their coop a few times a day and read my book and talked to them. I wanted them to feel comfortable around me. Ducks are naturally skittish (except for Peter... the freak!) so it was important to me that they got used to me. Well, it was all for nothing because they panic when I feed them. It happens twice a day and I don't understand why they aren't used to it. I do the same thing every time. I scoop the food, I put it in the pan. That's it. 

So ducks grow very quickly and since they are also very hearty, I didn't have to worry much about them once the first week was over. They were all eating and drinking and running around getting a ton of exercise. Other animals would come and peer at them from time to time. The dogs found them to be very fascinating. I even found Chairman Meow watching them from above..

This is looking into the coop from the boy's side. There is a fence that separates them and the ducklings are actually in the nursery- which is a fully fenced cage for extra protection. The ducklings did not notice The Chairman, which is exactly how he wanted it, I am sure. 

From inside the coop. I'm glad we decided to put chicken wire for the roof. Otherwise, he totally would have feasted on the babies below.

Now he's just showing off to be cute. 

The adult ducks- I refer to them as the boys even thought technically Penelope is a female. But she feels like a male on the inside and so that's cool by me. My ducks are totally part of the duck version of the LGBT community. Actually, I think all ducks are... along with being into BDSM but that's... that's not really.... appropriate for this PG 13 blog. So let's move on!

Here are some photos of the progression of growth:

Two Weeks Old

Three Weeks Old

Taking a nap along the door. The red light is their heat lamp. 

First foray outdoors. 

Note how lush and green their yard is. It won't stay that way for very long.

So adorable! Yes?

They like to take rests together in the shade.

Oo! First time in direct sun!

What you can't see here, is that there is a bowl with some water in it. They are ALL trying to get into it at once.

Here you can see three of the ducklings lined up in the bowl.

One Month

I got them a bigger container (thanks to my parents) for them to splash around in. You can see it peeking from behind the weeds in the background next to the ramp. Aaron made them a lovely ramp.

Feathers are starting to come in!

Six Weeks

Ducks LOVE mud puddles.

Two Months (NOW)

It took them a few days to get up the courage to wander outside of their yard.

You can see how the feathers have come in and on the Rouen there are some very pretty teal details on the wing tips.

I got them a baby pool that they adore!

Ducks are amazing foragers. So as they get older, I won't have to spend as much on food for them. What I give them will only be supplemental to what they find in the fields. They eat all kinds of weeds and grasses in addition to bugs, mosquito larva, slugs and grubs. So they are very welcome in my (established) garden. I wouldn't let them forage around seedlings. 

Sometime I give them treats of chopped apples and watermelon. They love it when I toss it in the water and they have to go bobbing for treats. It's the duck way.

Ducks talk a lot and it's been interesting to hear how the girl's quacks have evolved from tiny "cheep cheep" sounds to full-on quacking. Their quacks are different that the boy's and much more pleasant. Aaron says they sound like a kazoo band.

So far the boys and girls have not mingled. It's like a middle school dance out there.... but eventually they will when they are ready to. Ducks may grow quickly, but they adapt to change slowly. 

Remember to check back tomorrow for the greenhouse update! Thanks for reading and for all your comments! 

Keet Time!

As you know, last spring I went to a funny little poultry farm and bought a dozen baby Guinea Fowl, or as they are officially known: Keets. That brought our Guinea Fowl count up to 18. Unfortunately, that amount didn't last. Over the past year we lost seven- most of them to cars. If I could keep them off the road, I would but I can't.

Anyway, this past spring love was in the air and I watched as my male Guineas competed for the heart of their beloved by chasing and racing each other all over the farm. Occasionally there were fights. We had more males than females and Guineas don't share mates. They aren't swingers like those freaky kinky ducks around the corner. Some of the fights were pretty epic and all of the races were fast and exciting.

Once the ladies picked their main men, the rest of the guys formed a bachelor squad and had a fun time running around perfecting their skill for the next love festival. I only witnessed actual mating a few times- feathers all over the place and some confused running around afterward. All in all, it was a lot less disturbing than seeing the ducks mate. Mostly during this time the love pairs walked around together and at together and were loathe to be out of each other's sight.

Eventually I stopped seeing the females. At first I worried that they were fox or hawk food, but once Aaron found the nest site, I stopped worrying. Three of the girls decided to nest together in a surprising display of intelligence. There's strength in numbers, especially when you are sitting on a clutch of eggs. Later we found an abandoned nest site in a different field. We knew it was a Guinea nest because the eggs are very recognizable. One of the three girls was not from the dozen I purchased. She was part of the original flock that lived here with the previous owners. I suspect it is because of her that these other two females were so successful with their nests.

The oldest Mother sitting on the nest. She's not happy with me, so I didn't stick around long. No need to stress her out.

There are three Guinea Mothers in a row here. The furtherest is hard to see, but she's light gray. 

It took a few weeks (I admit, I lost track how long) for the eggs to start hatching. Guineas lay way more eggs than will actually survive. So if they lay 24 eggs, about half will hatch and then a fraction of that will reach adulthood. Our Guineas hatched 13 chicks. Here are a few photos:

The nest after the main hatching event.

One little one sitting next to it's Mother. The rest are hiding under her.

Here they are out grazing behind my studio. The chicks are super tiny.

The chicks are also very well camouflaged during the first few weeks.

Here are the three Mothers in a row. The eldest is the dark one on the far left. In the background you can see another white Guinea. He's the mate of the light gray Guinea. I call the pair Monsieur and Madame Hulot. Now that the chicks are born, he (and sometimes the other Fathers- they take turns) escorts the group around and helps keep an eye out for predators.

It's been 3 weeks and just this past week we have, unfortunately, had some losses. We started with 13 Keets and now are down to 9. They don't grow as fast or are as hearty as ducks. By three weeks my ducklings would have been towering over these little ones. Keep your fingers crossed that the 9 will survive! One of the amazing things I've seen is how the Guineas are communally raising them. The mothers are always with them, but if any get too far behind or get lost, that group of bachelor Guineas will help with the search and rescue. I actually saw one Keet get separated from the group (thanks Atticus) and get lost in the tall grass while it's siblings and Mothers went off in a different direction. The bachelors heard the Keet's cries and chirps and went on the hunt for it. It was like the Guinea Fowl version of Marco Polo. They found the little one quickly and AS A GROUP escorted it back to the Mothers. I was really not expecting that. I though I would have to go and get it, but nope. The dudes had it covered. 

When Atticus scattered the family- and it was just for fun on his part- a few of the Keets ran under the tool shed. Most eventually got back to their mother but one was caught by Wiley. Luckily, Wiley has no idea what to do with baby birds when he finds them (this isn't the first baby bird he's encountered) so he just makes them stay still. He doesn't want them to move- ever the little policeman. I've seen him do this before with escaped chicken chicks. He just sort of stares them down into staying still. So although I couldn't see the Keet, I saw what Wiley was doing and I guessed that he had one under his spell. I rescued it and saw that it had a bit of a scrape on it's wing. So I took it inside to clean it up and stop the bleeding. 

Surprisingly calm. Also, I'm sure, terrified. 

I wish they stayed this cute!

I wasn't sure if I should keep this baby and raise it myself, thus guaranteeing it will live to adulthood at least. But the ducklings were still using the baby coop (Which they are almost totally too big for as a group) and I thought, "The Mothers are doing a great job. This little one has a good chance of surviving." Then, a few days later we kept counting only 9 and I regretted not hand raising this one. Next time, I won't second guess myself. 

And lastly, I know I have so much to update you all on with the greenhouse and the ducklings. That's coming and I'll try to get that done and posted this week! 

The Guineas don't know what to make of this strange dog doing strange things in the grass.. I like how one approaches as if he's thinking, "Does this guy need help? Is he ok? I better check on him."

One of the first family outings!

Monsieur Hulot