I LOVE raising ducklings, and though I have an order in for a new breeding/laying flock, they aren't scheduled to arrive till the end of April!!! And I just couldn't wait till then so..... I began to watch our local Tractor Supply Co. I've bought runner ducklings there before, raised them then sold them at 8 weeks for pets laying ducks, etc.. Lets me have the fun of raising the babies, and allows other people who can't handle ducklings to get them nearly full grown. So I went into TSC right away when there Chick Days started, but the duckling have gone up in price from last year (4.80 a bird) so I decided to wait and see if they would have any discounts. Well, being the resourceful person that I am I had picked up the info last year that our TSC received it's shipments of Ducklings on Tuesday or Wednesday. So this past Monday I called the TSC and sweetly asked if they still had ducklings available. "Yes," came the reply, "in fact we have lots of them!" Quickly I followed up with the inquiry of price. "O, well, if you come into today the ducklings are on special." I held my breath hoping for a $1 but expecting $2, "Oh, they're 50 cents." I was floored.... I desperately tried to keep my head on straight and asked the last and most important question. "What breeds do you have?" Without missing a beat, she replied, "both Pekins and Runners." Needless to say, I was out the door as quick as possible. Promising my Mom I would only bring back 6 at max. We made it to TSC and I kept myself at a fast walk all the way to the bins. They were still packed! As I stood there leaning on the gate and staring down at the little fuzzy beaks, one of the workers walking by and hoping to make a sale said "Hey, if you buy 2 I'll give you 2 free!" Uhuh.... Yup, 25 cents each!!!!!!!!!! It was so hard to just pick out 6 of them So, we have Fritz (who is a little chubby for a runner ) and Freckles (he has the most markings on him, though its hard to see in this photo) Vic, (who has a goofy face) and Val. Both of them refused to stand for their picture And last but not least Penny (the smallest) and Pip!! Sleep Val.... It's just SO hard being a duckling Sweet little Penny. Vic, So Happy!!! And curious Pip. LOVE these babies!! So happy I called and got them.
There better not be ducklings at my favorite feed store when I risk a trip there. I have almost learned not to buy chicks unless they are breeds I don't have AND want in my flock. This actually means there are some chicks which don't make my eye teeth hurt. But ducklings.... I have a duckling factory in my Cayugas; they doubled the size of the duck flock with one hatching of 14 babies last year! But ducklings... In a bin... With no momma.... And peeping... And looking up at me....
Does anybody else think 2 of them look like geese? I fell victim to the TSC ducks the other day as well. 5 blue Swedish I have ducks due in like 2 days, but I bought more anyway.
