10 Baby Wood Ducks (1st thought they were Mallards)

[ThreeOfSeven]

It was heartbreaking to see them so desperate to get back into the pen. They wouldn't fly away. Just paced back and forth. And they're so little and vulnerable. <sigh>

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes they are and you know how scary that huge world is to them. But You did let them back inside right? Maybe just open the door daily and eventually that instinct will take over for good. Just proves to me how awesome your care was to these little ones. They feel safe there.

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

Here's the drake. First one to show up. Didn't let him in right away.

A little later, he was still hugging the pen, so to speak.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Seeing your hens puts into perspective just how small these ducks are. So precious too. How long were they gone before they came back?

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

And those are my pullets! My hens are bigger. Those videos were taken about a half hour after release, so he came back right away. The first female showed up maybe an hour later, and the second female showed up a few hours after that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's amazing their homing instinct. There were 2 that didn't come back hopefully they are okay. Was it mentioned about banding them so they could be kept up with?

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

As a side note, the ducks rule the roost, so to speak. Way too cute watching them bite the pullets' butts and sending them away from the food.

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

No, banding was never mentioned. Things aren't that sophisticated around here. <grin>

My heart aches for the safety of the other two. <sigh>

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hopefully they stuck together and found that body of water. Too bad you couldn't have put something safe around their ankle so you could maybe catch a glimpse of them sometime. Where do they migrate to in fall do you know?

 

[ThreeOfSeven]

Back to first-thing-in-the-morning cleaning duck water in my pajamas.