Ta-da

Miracle! On the first day of July, an egg appeared in the wood chips in the coop. Not as large as I was expecting, but delightful none the less. (I feel a little morbid celebrating an egg I'm going to eat, but the ducks didn't seem to lay claim to it, and it's not as if there's a baby duck inside.)  

When I first brought home my three little quackers, I had very little idea what I was doing. Books and videos gave me clues, but the ducks, who were born knowing what they needed to survive, were my teachers. I still don't know what I'm doing, but a trust has grown between us (except on the subject of the pond. We're still working on that). 

Rare occasions when a duck was standing still so I could get a picture.

The egg represents the milestone I was heading for--a sign that I tackled a crazy project and succeeded--with lots of help from friends. But there will probably be more adventures ahead. If so, I'll blog about it. If you'd like to know when I do, leave your email address in the box at the right. (Don't worry, I don't even know how to spam.)

The Journey of the Ducks

Ducks need ponds. Ponds need ducks. Since I have access to a pond, the next step obviously would be ducks. Obviously. This journey begins with a trip to a hatchery to pick up three just-hatched ducklings. If you would like to follow along chronologically, click HERE.

A Slow Day in Duckville

It was a slow day in Duckville--too slow. The ducks need an adventure, I said to myself. They need to go to the pond. 

So we started off. 

Not that way.

Not that way, either.

Nope.

OK, so I ended up carrying them, one by one, to the pond. But they liked it a lot once they got there. Here they are, at last:

In fact, they liked it so much . . . that they refused to come out. Pleading, bribes, nothing worked. They had found a banquet of frog eggs and green slimy plants, and they weren't leaving it. I went back to the house, hoping some solution would occur to me. 

When I checked back with them later, they had moved to the far shore of the pond, making themselves even more accessible to whatever ravenous critters lurked in the woods. But someone was watching out for them.

                                   

Look VERY closely, and you'll see a doe lying behind some branches, keeping an eye on the ducks.

Time passed. I swatted gnats. I went back to the house. Maybe they'd be OK in the pond overnight? Then I heard Eggatha quacking. She knew they should be back in their coop. I shanghaied my dear neighbor, Pam, and we returned to the pond. I tromped through the woods and herded the ducks back into the water. Pam waited on the opposite side of the pond with a branch to shoo them toward shore. Eventually, we all got going in the right direction. As soon as the ducks figured out where home was, they raced down the hill and into their coop. They got up very late the next morning.

What a hair-raising experience!

MAYBE we'll visit the pond again, but for now, slow days in Duckville are just fine!

Swimming Pools and Snow Showers

We love swimming!

The girls were delighted to have something deep enough to actually swim in. First, I had to figure out a way for them to get into and out of the tank, and they had to figure out how to use it. I love watching them learn something new. They inspected the stairs I built for them, dabbled at delicious imaginary food while they got a closer look, and finally one of them just casually tried it out--splash! Now they all race up the stairs as fast as they can. To help them get out, I used the paint tray strainer I had used with their indoor pool. They're still getting the hang of that. Usually they just flap and flop. But they spend as long as they can playing in the water. Maisy, who invented the flap and chase game earlier, came up with a new idea. She dives under the water and comes up under one of her sisters, causing astonished squawks. Very sorry not have pictures of that!

Rube Goldberg's Pool Stairs

Mom says it's time to get out.

Feathers everywhere, and the ducks have turned a paler shade of brown. They're right on schedule, too. They must have read the manual.

Look, Mom, we're molting!

And this happened:

Glad spring is back!

Opening Day

At last, the much anticipated moment! Well, actually, no. I took this the day after, when the ducks were finally used to this new hole in their universe. On the big day itself, during a small, socially distanced ceremony attended by Beverly, Tony, Jerry, and John, it took Beverly, laying an enticing trail of spinach, to finally get them to come out.

Decorations included a horseshoe Tony had dug up while building the pen. I would love to know how it came to be in the ground there. Beverly brought a festive garland to hang.

Pleased to find that this new dimension also contained food and water, the ducks settled down to enjoy the view. Now they hang out happily all day and return to their cozy coop at night. Again, not quite true. As I was leaving them to it on the first day, Eggatha announced loudly that they would also be requiring regular trips to the yard and dips in their blue snow-saucer pool.

The Latest from Duckville

Breaking ground for the new duck pen which Tony DiGeronimo is building for me, designed by him. It's going to be gorgeous! Note the fancy door, contributed by Jerry Ganyer, that will lead from their coop to the pen.

Here is the pen a little further along. PCV pipes make up the sides and roof, with boards reinforcing it. The ducks are pretty excited about it. In the distance is a stock tank donated by my neighbor Roger, which will be their swimming pool.  

They've nearly outgrown their blue snow saucer.

Here is Tony at work. The whole thing will be covered in chicken wire. In the background is a cool green door, which Roger also donated.

Look closely--one of them is exercising her wings--probably Maisy. She learned that if she flapped her wings and ran, she could make the other ducks run ahead of her. She invented a new game! Later that day, two of them actually got some altitude--about a foot. My understanding is that adults can fly a short distance, but aren't likely to take off for Florida. We'll see.

Such lovely faces!

And how are you doing? Well, we hope.

Slight Setback

Oh, my. On Monday, the ducks' five-week birthday, I went out to the shed to feed them. All three ducks were present and quacky, but I found a trail of blood everywhere. Daisy, at least I think it's Daisy, had cut the webbing on her foot. And web wounds bleed copiously, like head wounds. My friend Carol came over and helped me clean and bandage Daisy's foot. I'm sorry I don't have a photo to show you what a beautiful bandaging job Carol did. But I didn't know how Daisy's foot would heal all bandaged up, so I decided to take her to the vet. I put her into a cat carrier without too much fuss, seat-belted her into the car, and off we went. Pretty soon Daisy started quacking. I had noticed that the ducks quack back and forth to each other when they can't see each other, to keep in touch. I felt I should be Daisy's fellow duck, so I started singing, mostly animal-themed songs. She especially liked "Old MacDonald" and "This Old Man." Whenever I stopped singing, she began to quack, so I kept singing. It's a 45-minute drive to the vet.

The vet had never treated a duck, but she was game. We discussed options, and decided on doing nothing except cleaning the wound twice a day and giving her an antibiotic.

Singing and quacking, we made it back home.

The wound seems to be healing well. Thank you, John, for being an excellent duck holder. I imagine that Daisy has some impressive stories to tell Maisie and Eggatha, and has probably gained some status. She's a brave, sweet duck. She deserves it.

New Apartment!

The girls are now four weeks old and have moved into their own apartment. Since they're not cowering in a corner, I think they're pleased with it. A thick carpet of wood shavings covers the cement floor of a small shed with a sturdy door. A heat lamp compensates for chilly early spring nights. Check out the nifty watering station I constructed. The green tub collects most (some) of the water they love to fling about. A screen keeps them from splashing in the overflow. A plastic tub for water fits into the screen and stays stable. So far it's working great.

It's such a pleasure to open the shed door and see calm, contented ducks with plenty of room to roam. Wait till their outside pen is finished--they'll be so excited!

Three Weeks and Counting

Once again a warm day coincided with the ducks' birthday (three weeks old on Monday), and we had another outing to the garden. Their birthday present was thawed corn kernels. It's so much fun to find new things they love. Nobody shows enthusiasm like a duck.

They're still a little leery of the big outdoors. If I leave them in the garden to go muck out their pen, they're waiting by the gate when I return, or huddling beside a hay bale, looking reproachful. I think they need a roof to feel more secure, so I put my plastic greenhouse up for them to shelter in while they're there. One thing is clear: they're outgrowing the room they're in! I've been noticing new tail feathers for a while, and yesterday I realized they're getting beautiful brown and mahogany feathers on the backs of their wings. (You have to look closely.) Not only that, I detect a "quack" now and then among their good morning chirps. Their voices are changing! My son John remarked, "Before you know it, they'll be smoking and putting heavy metal posters up in their room."

I stopped by Tractor Supply yesterday and noticed that they had baby ducklings for sale. I was surprised by the pang of nostalgia I felt for my babies!

Remember these?

Birthday Party in the Garden

The ducks are two weeks old today. To celebrate that event and today's 60-degree temperature, I took them for their first outing, down to the garden. It took Eggatha about two seconds to find a withered cilantro leaf and gobble it down. Eggatha and Daisy scrambled up the 6-inch side of the raised bed with ease. It took Maisy a few tries, but she made it. While they foraged, I walked around the garden to see if any more green stuff was growing. When I looked back, they were following me, just like a line of . . . ducks! I guess all that hand feeding, singing, and enforced cuddling worked. We're bonded. When they turned a corner, they stopped, as if they couldn't figure out where I'd gone. I realized that they were only seeing my legs, and they never see my legs. When I called to them, they made the connection and came running.

It was a lovely day in the garden.

More to come--please stop by again.

FAQ

Probably Eggatha

Q. Can you tell them apart?
 A. Nope. I think I know that Eggatha is always first at everything, and Maisy is always last, but they have all grown to be the same size, with no distinguishing characteristics that I can detect.

Q. When can they swim in the pond?
A. They won't have their waterproof feathers for several weeks.

Q. How can you tell if they're boys or girls?
A. Right now, only an expert could tell. When they get older, boys get a curly feather at the base of their tails, and girls begin to quack. Males don't quack, they just kind of mutter.

Q. When will they start laying eggs?
A. In about 5 months. That's another good way to tell.

Q. Will they live in the pond?
A. No, they'll live in a coop with a fenced-in pen to keep them safe from predators. But I'll take them for field trips to the pond and the garden.

Q. How will you get them to come out of the pond?
A. Good question.

Can YOU tell them apart?

Please check back for more posts.

Hi!

The ducklings have been getting visitors. Thanks, Carol, Alan, Susan, and Jerry for stopping by, and for your help. Thanks, Beverly, for teaching me how to whistle the ducklings to sleep!

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Treats

The ducks have outgrown their water dispenser, so I've been experimenting with something they can wade in. This is a paint tray, which has a shallow end with safety treads and a deep end where they can duck their heads under water and let it roll down their backs. They instinctively began to dabble for food in the water as soon as they stepped in, but of course, all they found was each other's feet. Then I dropped in some greens as a treat. Oh, my! What joy! What excitement! What a game of Bumper Ducks!
Treats are the sunshine of their lives. Floating greens are their favorite, but they like scrambled eggs and hard boiled egg yolk (I know), and baked sweet potato.They also get a sprinkle of brewers yeast and a sprinkle of garlic powder in their dry food.
Maybe it's all the treats that are helping them grow so fast. Note the beginning of tail feathers beginning to appear!

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Note to Self

There's a lot to remember when you're taking care of 3 ducks. One is, keep an eye on the cat. Peanut has been acting a bit needy since he's not the center of attention. I didn't want him to feel left out, so I crossed my fingers and let him follow me into the Duck Room. He checked out all the new smells, and then put his paws up on the edge of the tub and checked out the ducks. He heard them peep, but it didn't seem to trigger any predatory urges. Still, I keep the door locked when I'm not around. What I forgot was to check whether the cat was in or out of the room before I locked it. Thank goodness I didn't leave him in there long enough to get really hungry.

Another thing I forgot was not to fool around adjusting the heat lamp when the ducklings are standing right under it. They have very quick reflexes! As soon as it came hurtling toward them, they dashed for their water dish and huddled there until their clumsy human got the sun back up into the sky.

I am amazed by all the survival skills these little girls are born with. (Apparently I'm going to test them all.) One afternoon they were splashing around in their water bowl when suddenly they squatted, became silent, and exchanged glances I interpreted as worried. Then I also heard the sound--the very faint cry of a large bird--maybe a crow or a jay. How could they know what that meant? Getting to know these wise little creatures is a humbling experience.

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Greens!

Life was getting a little same old-same old for these three day olds, so I decided to give them a treat, slivers of salad greens. That was a hit! They knew immediately that this was something ducklings like to eat. If they pick up something they don't like, like poop, they sling it away. They snatched the greens from my fingers, they played tug of war with them, they gobbled them up from their dish. They raced back and forth from the waterer to the feeder. Happy ducks!
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Daisy, Maisy, and Eggatha

These are my brand-new ducks, and I am their brand-new human. They were born February 10, 2020, at the Fifth Day Farm hatchery in Narvon, PA--in the beautiful Lehigh Valley. My friend Nancy and I drove down to pick them up, to spare them a plane or Fed-Ex ride to my house. Instead they got a three-hour ride in a very warm car. But, fun fact, new-born birds absorb their yolk sac into their bodies and can live on it for three days.
I had prepared their new home in a large Rubbermaid tub in a room off the kitchen. A lamp with a 100-watt bulb hung where it would give them 95 degrees of warmth. A feeder (see photo) held their water. They need room to dunk their bills when they eat, to keep their nares (nose holes) clear. I am becoming a font of duck trivia. But they should not be able to dunk their whole selves until they get a little older. A little bowl held their chick starter/grower food. Newspapers covered the floor of the tub, to keep it dry and clean. Ha!
My first job, when they moved in, was to show them where the water was. You do this by holding them and ducking their bills into the water, like one of those plastic novelty birds from my childhood. Then it was just a matter of their figuring out which was the hole and which was the plastic part in between. They learned this by persistence, trial and error, and copying each other.
Watered, fed, and warm, they settled down, using each other as feather pillows, and began an adorable process of nodding off. First, their eyes would close, then their heavy little heads would nod forward until their bill hit the floor. Then their heads would roll to the side.

                                                                        ZZZZZ

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