My Love Affair With Ducks...

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I feel like the worst momma ever. This morning I got the temporary fence set up in the big run. I thought I would go ahead and let the babies spend the days out in the run (mainly to start getting them closer to integration) and bring them inside in the evening for a bath before bedtime. So the Ducklings’ First Day In The Run was pitiful. Even though I sat out there with them about 30 minutes, when I left they cried and cried. They tried to tell me they didn’t belong in a barnyard type setting, that they belonged in the house.

They never stopped crying, for about 5 hours. I hope each day will get better. Will it?

Wait, in a few days you will be treated like the axe-murderer and everybody is running away from you. Duckling's teenager phase…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

For some strange reason The Bathtub Has Gotten Smaller. They just don’t have the room to boot, scoot and boogie anymore!

Just in the past two days I can literally see the growth of these birds daily. Yes, each day has been a wake up call for me. My ducklings are no longer tiny, fluffy ducklings.Where does the time go? You definitely have less time with the cute, adorable ducklings than you do with the fluffy butt chicks! That is the truth.

WOAH! Petey is a giant!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

They just grow crazy fast don't they.
It's like you can see them growing right before your eyes. I know there were times with the Cayuga ducklings I have raised that I could swear they grew overnight.

They do grow overnight! Last year's spring ducklings were able to look over the rim of their kiddie pool over night. And the next morning they were able to grab the artificial flowers and drag them into the brooder…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Mine are just two weeks and they have already gone all axe murderer on me I usually get 3 weeks, these are Frankenducklings. The last set I raised never had this stage.

Pictures?!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I uploaded this video from this afternoon while sitting here on the side of the bathtub during the ducklings’ tub time. I just happened to catch the wild hair that struck them all. But it’s funny nonetheless.

Peaches got a bit crazy and flipped back into the water during the chaos. She was obviously not hurt, thank goodness.

And now for the bad news: after tub time I remove each one from the tub, dry them off and then put them in the brooder (pool) and tonight Petey was the first one. Wrong, wrong, wrong on my part. As I was getting another duckie out of the tub I heard a Peep Peep Peep getting louder and louder and then a Splat Splat Splat across the bathroom floor. You guessed it. She scrambled right out of the brooder! I knew it was only a matter of time. She could have gotten out long ago by standing on the heat plate and tumbling out, but I lucked out. Tonight she was only wanting to get back to her family. She DID NOT like being separated.

I think she will be okay tonight, but I did place a little feed pan upside down next to their pool just in case. Tomorrow I will put a cardboard boundary up around the side. My babies are growing...way too fast.

Feathers are breaking through the skin! Had this jumping up and running around with every duckling so far. Sometimes the squeak before they jump up.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I forgot about this pic from today. They all felt the need to line up alongside my leg and take a snooze. I guess they felt safe.View attachment 2096706

Now that is true duckling love! Huddling with their humon momma. You're very lucky, none of my duckling ever did that with me.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So, I spent a couple of hours Sunday prepping my back bathroom to become a brooder for the interim. I lined the walls with extremely thick, clear plastic and attached it to the walls and floor with blue painters tape. Then I lined the floor with feed bags and once again attached it with blue painters tape and put shavings on top of the bags. Yep, I know you know where this is going!

After their little bath last night, they settled right on down fairly quickly. They had a big day outside in the grass. View attachment 2100014
[I ought to put the big heat plate in for them in place of this little one. This is the only way they use it. (Look at Petey with her bill tucked behind non-existent wing feathers. One day, Petey Girl, you’ll have wing feathers.) Big girls sleep soundly! ]

This morning, upon first inspection, the darling ducklings had several strips of the tape pulled loose, the ones holding the feed bags together and pine shavings completely covered the sticky tape. Needless to say, after I put them in the kennel this morning, I went searching for a decent, small tarp I could use. I found one, washed it and let it dry. Then I folded it as best I could to fit the floor space and let it go up the walls 5-6” - no tape. I had some stiff, stiff 90 degree cardboard corners that were packing material for an oven I just got that I used alongside the walls, tub and cabinet. That’s also where I got the thick plastic, it was the outer covering of the oven box. Then I put the shavings, feeder, waterer and heat plate back just like they were. We will see how everything looks in the morning.

Cardboard and tarp-brooder? - One morning they will have the tarp pulled down, chewed through the cardboard and there will be poop everywhere!
My Spring Ducklings did that once successfully and one failed attempt - i used two tarps!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Good grief! That duck could be the star of the next Dawn commercial!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Pictures?!

first brooder escape this morning. The yellow one went walkabout. 18 days old. 14 in the picture.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

first brooder escape this morning. The yellow one went walkabout. 18 days old. 14 in the picture. View attachment 2100447
View attachment 2100445

Beautiful Duckies! You can clearly see the Runner duck heritage.