Beaker had a baby this morning!

[Lamar Estate]

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Beaker lets me take the eggs out all the time. She also lets me take her baby out. Maybe because she's super sweet!

 

[craftymama86]

What a CUTE duckling! Beautiful mommy too. What type of duck is she? Love her head feathers, lol.

 

[Lamar Estate]

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Yes, Beaker is beautiful. She's a crested Khaki Campbell x Cayuga mix. We adore her.

Beaker's mate is Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. Bunsen is a Cayuga. He's pretty cute, too.

 

[AmberLea88]

Congratulations

...I love that second picture where his head is tilted, saying "Um, whatchya doing?" absolutely adorable.....I cannot wait to get my ducklings, i'm so excited seeing all these babies..

 

[Wifezilla]

Whether or not a broody lets you check eggs, pick up a duckling, etc... depends on the individual duck. I had a runner that went broody and you could NOT get near her or the eggs unless you wanted to fight her off flying at your face trying to kill you. My Welsh Harlequin hen would watch me very closely, but didn't mind if I picked up a duckling or checked eggs. Lexi just has a more gentle disposition than Chrissy the psycho runner.

 

[Lamar Estate]

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Beaker's other 2 babies hatched yesterday! She now has 1 boy and 2 girls. One of the girls has a little crest, just like her. I will post pictures of them soon.

I try to make sure that Beaker is comfortable with me around her and the ducklings. I watch her body language and listen for any grunting or other sounds.

When I crawl on the floor to see her and the babies, she stands up and waits for me to take out an egg or baby and then sits back down. She's been doing this ever since I've been checking the eggs. If I take out an egg or baby, she just looks at me and is patient. However, I haven't had any cuddling from her this entire time.

When she started sitting on her eggs, I made sure that when she got out of her nest box, the first thing she would do is jump into the bathtub. It only took a few times of putting her in the bathtub myself before she learned to do this automatically. This helps A LOT on the smell of her poo. (I've never smelled anything more gross than broody poo!) In fact, she NEVER poos anywhere else. I just drain the bathtub water and refill it at least once a day. (The bathtub wall is high, so it will be a long time before a duckling could make the jump. However, I do have a ramp inside the tub that Beaker uses to climb OUT of the tub.)

I never thought I could love ducks and a goose this much!

 

[Anya_K]

Congrats!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

very sweet pictures, and we won't tell on hubby