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!
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