Anyone ever ordered ducklings from Meyer Hatchery?

[Red-tailed Hawk]

The ducklings are here!!! All four are happy, healthy, energetic little cuties. I got a call at 5 this morning to pick them up. Drove to the wrong post office, but I called the number back and low the fellow offered to give me directions to carrier anex or whatever that the little quackers were at. He kept calling them chicks because of their cheeping noises I think. I gave them some water in the car. They drank it off my fingers. Only one figured out how to drink from the container until we got home and let them have the run of the kitchen floor. I spilled the water on my crotch going around the corner because there wasn't room for it in the box they came in and I had some papers I didn't want wet on the floor. I'm thinking to myself thank goodness nobody is up at 5:30 to see my soaking wet crotch as I walk from my car to the house...then I open the door and my husband is video taping me. Lol! Now not only does it look like I had an accident of another sort, but it's there's a video for posterity's sake. lol. I'll post pictures as soon as my phone lets me! Can't wait to let them loose in my garden to eat the baby crickets that are threatening to take over. It's hot enough outside they will be ok running around outside for a little while.

 

[Miss Lydia]

The ducklings are here!!! All four are happy, healthy, energetic little cuties. I got a call at 5 this morning to pick them up. Drove to the wrong post office, but I called the number back and low the fellow offered to give me directions to carrier anex or whatever that the little quackers were at. He kept calling them chicks because of their cheeping noises I think. I gave them some water in the car. They drank it off my fingers. Only one figured out how to drink from the container until we got home and let them have the run of the kitchen floor. I spilled the water on my crotch going around the corner because there wasn't room for it in the box they came in and I had some papers I didn't want wet on the floor. I'm thinking to myself thank goodness nobody is up at 5:30 to see my soaking wet crotch as I walk from my car to the house...then I open the door and my husband is video taping me. Lol! Now not only does it look like I had an accident of another sort, but it's there's a video for posterity's sake. lol. I'll post pictures as soon as my phone lets me! Can't wait to let them loose in my garden to eat the baby crickets that are threatening to take over. It's hot enough outside they will be ok running around outside for a little while.

Congrats on your new babies, and look forward to video[wet pants and all] be careful of letting tiny ones run around in your garden there are so many preds big and small that will snatch them up when so young.

 

[Red-tailed Hawk]

Here they are first thing getting home being handfed GrowGel.



As you can see they have adopted me as mommy duck. They follow me around, come when I call them and hide under me when they are tired and want a nap. They kept snuggling under my arms, torso, and legs. Obviously, I had to be REALLY careful anytime I moved. Unless I could see them all I'd ask where they were before moving. Don't worry, we didn't let the ducklings be more than a foot away from us at a time, not that they wanted to. My boys had a ton of fun catching bugs and giving them to the ducklings. Luckily for us, we don't really have many predators in the neighborhood. It's been several months since I've seen a hawk and several months before that since I saw another one. The feral cats have all been caught or only prowl at night when I don't see them. My neighbors nearby don't have dogs. Raccoons and possoms that I suspect may cruise through the area on their way elsewhere are more nocturnal creatures. So, I figure as long as the quackers (squeekers right now) are right by my side we are ok. They are now just chilling in their brooder all tuckered out from eating the bugs and playing. Very happy with my ducks. Glad to see my fears were unfounded. lol. And no. I'm not posting the video or pictures of myself covered in water. I do enough dumb things that I don't need to show them off. lol. They officially are all named now. The cayuga is Ululani, the khaki campbell is Truffles (as in Lindor truffles), the Welsh Harlequin is Vesper Holly, and the Buff Orpington is Carmela. I love my new ducklings!

I'm sooooo happy they came very healthy!

 

[Amiga]

We have a buff Carmella, too.

 

[Red-tailed Hawk]

Isn't it the perfect name for a buff?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Love the pic they are so adorable.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well let me tell you about my experience,. Mama duck brings ducklings outside on day 3 after they hatch, they are all hanging out under the lil coop they live in, I go out front to wash down the pollen from the front porch maybe out there about 45min to 1 hr. come back around to check on everyone and find one of the ducklings with a blk snake wrapped around it. Well you can imagine what I did, I screamed bloody murder grabbed the snake with the ducklings inside the coils, unwrapped the snake, and slung it up against the feeder house. Looked at my duckling which by a miracle was still alive[ that snake had the death grip on it too] wasn't sure if it would make it or not set the duckling up in half a small crate and waited it had a wound on it's leg where the snake must have grabbed it so I treated that all day and offered water and feed, kept it inside over night getting up several times to check on it and make sure it was getting water, by mid morning of next day I gave it back to mama, I'm thinking if I had waited just a few more min. it would have been dead and eaten. saying all of that, because things can happen so quick. Keep a close eye on those babies Mama.

And yes Miracle do happen I saw one that day.

 

[Red-tailed Hawk]

Definately food for thought. Don't worry, if I go out, I'll keep them right by my side. Mostly though, they are going to stay nice and cozy in their brooder until they are bigger. We are in the suburbs though so we don't really get a lot of wildlife other than the occasional squirrels that steer clear of me, song birds, frogs, and rabbits that live under the neighbor's shed. Never even seen a garter snake. It's a little boring, but means I have a teeny bit less to worry about, except at night. Because we all know how raccons and the like live everywhere, even if you don't see them.

 

[Red-tailed Hawk]

Miss Lydia, I forgot to mention something that might make you feel better. There were three adults and two kids keeping an eye on them for safety and they were smack dab in the middle of the property. Thank you for the concern though. It is definately a good reminder. I mean compacency is a key factor in accidents, and with little ones, you have to be ever vigilant.

 

[Czech's_chicks]

Where in CA did they come from? I've ordered from almost every hatchery and even from backyard breeders. Had 12 scovy come from Alabama just fine.