Rural Gardening: Our ducklings..., 1 by TamaraFaye

TamaraFaye wrote:
After the broody hens got their chicks, they abandoned the nest which left a few ducks eggs. those went in the incubator, since our two muscovy ducks were setting on their own batch and i wasn't sure of the dates due...

i found out the hard way that the ducks help the babies out when they start pipping, becasue the shell is so thick!

so i helped one out. the other i took to the duck and she helped it out. she stayed on her nest for two days, and i took them grass, lettuce, and parsley, and had a small waterer next to her. then she took the ducklings for an outing, and once i was sure she had left he eggs & was not returning, i brought THOSE [included one chicken egg!] into the incubator [so much for packing it away LOL]. now her duckling from last year is still sitting, so no telling how many ducks we will have when all this is finished.

i want to post pics of the first two, even thought they are gone. it is natural for the ducklings to be left in their nest while the ducks go out to forage, etc. turns out we have cotton rats, who have taken both ducklings and six of our little chicks...

here is the first one coming out. kinda shy, you can hardly see that face behind those claws! these are pied muscovies that we raise for eating... they are quiet and precious pets that get special attention from us.