Aspen had other plans...

[Skye'sDucks]

I want to eat my duck eggs. Aspen decided she wanted hatch them, and hid a nest that we couldn't find until she started sitting. Long story short, I have 5 ducklings (that we let her keep) that are the cutest.
They're a few weeks old now but I just got a bunch of photos of them and had to show off...

Naughty mama Aspen...

I was proud of this picture and just couldn't not share.

The little guy (pretty positive its a drake) in the front is the friendliest duck ever. Very bold and adventurous and the least fearful of me. I've gotten into a 'ritual' of picking him up whenever I see him, and hes finally enjoying it
He however wasnt a fan of me holding AND taking a picture...

And I got my first ever blue-eyed duck!

The one on the left

Any name suggestions for my favorite little guy?

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Close up of my blue-eyed baby. I didnt even realize it until she was already a few weeks old! Thought they were kind of golden/green like baby eyes sometimes are before turning a darker brown.

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

Aspen is a lovely mama with adorable babies. I’ll be really interested to see what colors they end up being! Is it rare for a non-white duck to have blue eyes?

 

[Ducklover77]

They all are beautiful

Close up of my blue-eyed baby. I didnt even realize it until she was already a few weeks old! Thought they were kind of golden/green like baby eyes sometimes are before turning a darker brown.
View attachment 1855507

 

[Miss Lydia]

Aspen is gorgeous! Love those blue eyes.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Thank you all! Sorry I haven't posted again.

As for your question Daphne_Loves_Mealworms, I have no idea. Aspen hatched out another duck last year that had the same baby pattern as this 'magpie' I just shared pictures of. She turned out purely white with a black splotch on her back and a little black on her head. I'm suspecting miss blue eyes here will look much the same, only a blue version. Bumblebee, the aforementioned duck that Aspen hatched last year, has brown eyes however. I don't know the genetics of how that works and I don't know if Aspen has had/has any blue-eyed ducks in her bloodline. I don't know who the father is, but I have no other duck that has blue eyes.

 

[MochaDuck]

Awww!!

 

[Skye'sDucks]

More pictures gotten today and the other day! The babies are stealing all my attention from my poor other ducks. They're also going through a molt and their feathers look bad so I haven't been photographing their ratty appearances... Poor duckies

And one of Aspen and another of my blue-eyed below:

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are gorgeous! How’s your female that was attacked?

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Thank you!

I'm sorry, I've been meaning to update you on Bumblebee, the duck that was attacked. I've been letting her with the other ducks out back these last few days because she's doing much better. She still seems to be eating slower than normal, but I haven't noticed her lose any weight, so I'm hoping since she free-ranges all day that she's eating something out there. The last few days she's been hesitant and not joining the other ducks eat, since they can be pushy and its been at least a week that she hasn't joined them.

Today, though, I noticed her finally wedge her way to the bowls and eat some of her normal food! I've been giving her cat food to the side while the other ducks eat and hope she can come in afterwards and get what's left over. I was very happy to see her going for the normal food this morning, though.