Mama Pekin and ducklings first swim!

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! One of my crested Pekin girls, Taj, went broody (first broody duck here) and hatched a few eggs last Monday.
I let her out of the pen yesterday for the first time since the 'Lings hatched. She headed straight for the goldfish pond with the 'Lings right behind.

With no hesitation --- the 'Lings piled right in after her!

Soooo cute!
I finally had to run them out of the pond at dusk so I could close them up for the night. They didn't want to get out!

Lisa

 

[Wifezilla]

Cool pond...and cute ducks

 

[KattyKillFish]

wow, mama looks SO proud and protective

 

[headred]

That is too cute!

 

[1lpoock]

how many crested ducklings did you get out of her?>

 

[fowlmood]

Congrats!!! They are so cute. I bet you can watch them for hours.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! No crested ducklings in this group.
In fact, most of her eggs were non-fertile or died in early stages of incubation.
It's a problem I'm running into with all my crested Pekins. I'm breeding only crested to non-crested (line breeding) and am having HUGE viability issues.
The non-crested Pekins are *carrying* the gene and it must give the same results as breeding *visible* crested to crested.

I set some 40-ish eggs from the crested Pekin pens (under various broody hens) and got 15 viable and growing eggs.
I gave the growing ones to broody Taj (And of the 20-ish eggs in her nest, only 2 were growing).
She got all 15 to hatch but squashed some during hatch. We had a huge t-storm and torrential rain the night the hatch was going on and I think she was restless on the nest and mashed them.

Yes

I'm enjoying watching Taj with her 'Lings. It's such a precious thing to see. I hate it that I've got to pen them permanently (so they don't have access to the goldfish pond) at some point.

The 'new' must have worn off by this evening. Taj took the 'Lings back to their house early.

Lisa

 

[starryeyes]

Oh my that is so darn cute. I have pekins i cant waite till they are old enough to lay eggs.



Starry

 

[b.hromada]

Nice pond you have!!! Those are some really cute pics of the family.

 

[kingmt]

Congrats