- May 27, 2013
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I am so tickled about today, that I had to find some people who will actually appreciate my excitement. We have 13 ducklings that are 3.5 weeks old, all different breeds. We had them in a rabbit hutch in our laundry room, but cleaning out the poop was becoming way too difficult. SO last night we put them outside in a nice little coop with a small run. They did so well!!! They didn't actually sleep in the coop, but snuggled together in the run. Then when I got them out this morning I led them to a nice muddy/watery patch in our yard and supervised them for a while. They ended up spending the entire day outside, free ranging, foraging, swimming, snuggling under our pool deck in the hay pile. They were the happiest and cutest little bunch of ducks you could ever imagine, and it made me so proud to be able to give them such a nice place to live and play. They joyfully followed me back to the coop tonight and hunkered right back down. I never thought keeping ducks could feel so rewarding and fun. I was getting so bogged down by the constant cleaning and stinkiness of the brooding process, I was starting to doubt if I had what it takes to care for all of these ducks. But after today, I feel like I can totally do this! It was so much fun watching them through the kitchen window as they splashed and preened and stayed together. They never wandered away from their little marshy area, and they also ate about 1/2 the amount of feed they were eating while being penned up. I'm so happy. I can't wait to see them in the morning 
