A Quacktastic Arrival!

So, last year I was gifted some ducks. Not a few ducks either, fifteen Khaki Campbell-Indian Runner duck cross ducks suddenly appeared on the farm. Not that I was sad about being flush in ducks, as I have a small orchard and I thought the ducks would feel right at home amongst the cherry trees and strawberry bushes.

A year later things are going great. I was down to nine ducks after finding some really great homes for 6 of them, as I really didn't think I needed that many quackers. They lay the most beautiful light blue eggs, keep the grass mowed, leave the most fantastic fertilizer, and keep the harmful insect population in check.

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Yep, the ducks are cool.

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And because the ducks were cool, when I saw one of the mamas sitting a clutch of eggs a few weeks ago, I decided to let her brood and hatch them. I had a couple of reasons for this decision. One, a friend of ours has a new homestead and has intimated that they would love some ducks, so I thought I would give them a trio of hens and a drake. That would put me down to five and honestly I like having 9 or so.

Then there is a really not important factor, well, it's important to me. We have relationships with all of our animals. I can go out and whistle and the cows will come wandering up, no matter where they are. Any animals that have been under our care have always been close to us and it is modeled in their behavior (they are always trying to break out and get in the house with us lol!). So, it's a little weird that the gifted ducks don't run up and interact with us like all our other animals do. Hence, letting mama hatch them.

Because my plan was to remove the ducklings as soon as they were hatched. Some might think that is mean, but these ducks have terrible maternal instincts. Last year during this time one of the hens hatched out a batch of ducklings and before the first day was over they were all eaten. I wasn't going to let that happen again.

So, this morning when I walked out to the orchard to feed the quacks, I started when I heard the tell-tale peeping of ducklings. And as my eyes lit on the six little fuzz balls I knew my plan for the day was going to evolve a bit.

After my morning coffee, the fam and I went out to collect the little ducklings. Sure enough, mother of the year had left them by the swimming pool and was clear across the orchard from her brood. The little creatures were calling in distress which is a death sentence for small things.

We scooped up the ducklings in a cardboard box and headed back towards the house.

Most day old poultry get a stay in the Kat-hotel For Wayward Avians. It's usually a Rubbermaid container or a dog crate that chills in my bathroom for a week or so. The problem was I wasn't really expecting the babies yet and didn't have all the supplies. So I put the ducklings in the crate and ran to the feed store for some appropriate protein level chick starter, some electrolytes, and some pine shavings.

Faster than you can say Step on your quack and break your mama's back I had the little creature's new abode in order. Then I whipped up some electrolytes and soaked a bit of the chick starter crumble with it.

Let me say right here that ducks are the biggest mess makers EVER! Years ago when I worked at my friend's feed store I used to be in awe at the mess ducklings could make in twenty minutes time. All baby chicks that show up round here get the dunkening when they arrive. I dunk their little beaks in the water and then the food. It's a thing. I am a good faux mama bird.

And sure enough, no less than twenty minutes after I left the newly ensconced little creatures alone and went back to check them, they had demolished the cleanliness of their pen. Their water looked like a Jackson Pollock painting and they had smashed their crumbles into something that resembled a crushed cow pie. Sigh.

Even so, they are so dang cute and I am not sorry they exist. In fact, I will be even less sorry when I move them out to the nursery in the barn in the next few days after I am sure that they will thrive.

Because as all homesteaders know, little baby creatures are both simultaneously tough and fragile.

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And super cute😊

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And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's far cleaner than the duck water bowl iPhone.

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