DabblinDuckDabbler
Chirping
- May 26, 2021
- 45
- 93
- 99
So my Cayuga went broody on a clutch of 8 eggs. I’d read that ducks are NOT the moms that chickens are, so I gotta say, I’ve had pretty low expectations for this clutch. And, Between chickens and mishaps and who knows, the clutch dwindled down to 1. But it hatched this AM!! Yaaaaaaayyy!!! Oh the cuteness!!
About a week ago, I bought a couple of Cayuga ducklings from a local farm that had a hatch on 5/20 (three weeks ago). The idea was to bolster her clutch a bit and hope she could overlook the giant babies that suddenly appeared in her nest. I introduced them to her about a week ago. She was NOT impressed.
well, today, after her baby hatched, I tried again, and—ok, she’s still rather lukewarm, but she’s not attacking them. They snuggled up to her, and she allowed it for a while, but then pushed them off. But her baby thinks they’re just ducky, and piles on top of them, so I’m thinking she’s allowing it. It’s too chilly to leave them out overnight if Mama won’t let them snuggle up to her, so I’m thinking the foster Cayugas will stay in the brooder, but get play dates with the baby in the warm afternoons.
About a week ago, I bought a couple of Cayuga ducklings from a local farm that had a hatch on 5/20 (three weeks ago). The idea was to bolster her clutch a bit and hope she could overlook the giant babies that suddenly appeared in her nest. I introduced them to her about a week ago. She was NOT impressed.
well, today, after her baby hatched, I tried again, and—ok, she’s still rather lukewarm, but she’s not attacking them. They snuggled up to her, and she allowed it for a while, but then pushed them off. But her baby thinks they’re just ducky, and piles on top of them, so I’m thinking she’s allowing it. It’s too chilly to leave them out overnight if Mama won’t let them snuggle up to her, so I’m thinking the foster Cayugas will stay in the brooder, but get play dates with the baby in the warm afternoons.