No One Told Me This About Baby Ducks

[Amykins]

I have to say I think ducklings are cuter than baby chicks - don't tell anyone. I have to pop in now and then on the duck threads to get my 'fix.' Their faces and expressions are amazing - the profectile pooping NOT!!

Hey, I prefer ducks to chickens ANY day. I used to raise silkies - like, objectively one of the cutest chickens in existence - and a duckling out-cutes them hands down!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

LOL. That is so true. I was actually in the room with ours one time when one of our juveniles made her first "bap, bap" noise, then looked around the room like, "What the heck was that? Was that me?" She did some testing, "Bap, bap," and all the others were looking at her. Then she did the, "BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP!!!" and all the others backed away. She strutted around doing that for days afterward like she was the queen of the castle.

That one became what my hubby calls the grievance officer of the group, the first to let us know if anything didn't meet their standards. Every group we've ever had seems to have a designated grievance officer, though I have no idea if it gets assigned to the first one that quacks other than in that particular group.

@Amiga calls this the spokesduck and the position moves throughout the flock with time and has nothing to do with pecking order. I have observed the same in my flock

 

[JLynnsDuckies]

Aww, thanks guys. I have more, if you wanna see 'em! (Sorry, not trying to hijack I swear, I'm just a proud mama) No one told me I'd turn into one of those moms who takes a gazillion pictured of her "kids"...

Oh my goodness!!! What a gorgeous baby he was and such a handsome boy now! I can barely stand it!

 

[Amykins]

Oh my goodness!!! What a gorgeous baby he was and such a handsome boy now! I can barely stand it!

Thanks! He's everything I ever wanted. <3 Sometimes I wish I hadn't given his hatchmate back to the breeder. If I'd known then what I do now, I'd never have let Wobbles grow up solo. And my heart aches sometimes for what could have been. But if I had kept 'em both, I wouldn't have Bean now, so no regrets!

Seeing such a helpless tiny fluffy bird just does things to you. No one told me how special ducks could be. <3

 

[JadeComputerGal]

@Amiga calls this the spokesduck and the position moves throughout the flock with time and has nothing to do with pecking order. I have observed the same in my flock

LOL. I remember seeing that from Amiga. The reason Scott calls it the 'grievance officer' is that he's worked for a union most of his life. I've never noticed ours rotating unless we sold our current grievance officer. There seems to be an election afterward, and it's always a duck, never a drake. It's rarely the one at the top of the pecking order since that's usually a drake. Maybe it's based on the one that can make the most noise.

 

[Amiga]

This is what would happen whenever I left their sight while we were outside noodling around - just after they moved from the brooder to their big house. They now spend nights in the pen I made in the walkout basement. They still call for me when they miss me.

Nobody told me how complex and sophisticated their communication and relationships are.
Nobody told me that I would lose my mind and never miss it from the moment they arrived.
Nobody told me that I would not be able to give up trying to understand everything about how to keep them happy and safe.
Nobody told me the joy that I would experience with their first eggs, and their remarkable abilities (Rowena now herds the Runners into their night pen, and Zwei breaks up conflicts, for example).

 

[Amykins]

This is what would happen whenever I left their sight while we were outside noodling around - just after they moved from the brooder to their big house. They now spend nights in the pen I made in the walkout basement. They still call for me when they miss me.

Nobody told me how complex and sophisticated their communication and relationships are.
Nobody told me that I would lose my mind and never miss it from the moment they arrived.
Nobody told me that I would not be able to give up trying to understand everything about how to keep them happy and safe.
Nobody told me the joy that I would experience with their first eggs, and their remarkable abilities (Rowena now herds the Runners into their night pen, and Zwei breaks up conflicts, for example).

Hehe "noodling". I love it! Also what is it with ducks and their obsession with eating/mouthing not-food? I saw yours chomping at those dry leaves, and likewise Wobbles n' Bean love to chew on sticks and rocks out in the park! Silly birbs

 

[Amiga]

Bugs like to hide on leaves and sticks, is my guess. Slugs, for example.

 

[JLynnsDuckies]

This is what would happen whenever I left their sight while we were outside noodling around - just after they moved from the brooder to their big house.  They now spend nights in the pen I made in the walkout basement.  They still call for me when they miss me.

Nobody told me how complex and sophisticated their communication and relationships are.
Nobody told me that I would lose my mind and never miss it from the moment they arrived.
Nobody told me that I would not be able to give up trying to understand everything about how to keep them happy and safe.
Nobody told me the joy that I would experience with their first eggs, and their remarkable abilities (Rowena now herds the Runners into their night pen, and Zwei breaks up conflicts, for example).

That video was too cute! I love how they run so upright, it makes me laugh!

 

[jenv1990]

I love all the picks and video! I was wondering how to upload vids., do you have to just link to you tube? I think I am going to do a book called Nobody told me this about ducks wirh stories and pics from us duck lovers