They know where their brooder is now...

They have found new things to eat that they love. I had cooked a big pot of green beans and hubby gave the ducklings one...they went nuts for it. So, I let them have a few when I was getting ready to put them up for the night.

They spend their days in the chicken tractor with their small pool to play in and they get supervised swims in their kiddie pool. In the evenings when I lift the tractor up for them to come out for some free ranging, they play and explore for a few minutes and then head to the garage. They are so cute doing it.

They make their way into the garage and over to the hot tub frame and wait to be lifted into it. They are just adborable and very smart. They pick up on routine really fast.

Every day is a new adventure with them because they have visibly grown when you wake up, they are changing in personality and their wants/needs change too. They have tossed away the idea of lettuce and now only want baby spinach leaves chopped up and put in their water for them. They have actually turned their beaks up to lettuce. spoiled already and not even 3 weeks old.

And they love to stand and play in the spray from the water hose. They are just the cutest little things in the world.

So, we will see what today's duckie antics provide in the way of chuckles.

The New Bigger Digs

The ducklings moved into their new bigger digs and they love it. This is what the set up is currently. A portable hot tub frame in the secure garage, their kiddie pool inside the frame, pine shavings with straw on top, a 1.5 gallon waterer, 2 deep dishes of water to dunk their heads, a tray feeder and a heat lamp. All this = happy ducklings.

The overall set up view

The ducklings had their first experience with straw so they naturally had to taste it....thankfully, none of them like it at all so it was quickly dismissed as a snack and tagged as a warm place to lay down.

They ate, played and then started to settle down for the night.

The garage is warm enough that they will not need their heat lamp until I go to bed, so that will be the last thing on my agenda is to check their water and food, turn on the heat lamp and lock the door till morning. I am amazed at how much they are growing. Still a bit skittish but I make sure to spend as much time with them as possible everyday, not force my attention on them and let them come to me and eat from my hand or get rubs. I love my duckies.

2 Weeks Old and Having Fun

Yestderday the ducklings were two weeks old so we had some pool time celebration. They had a blast diving for peas, swimming and just paddling around their pool. So, it was really hot out and I decided to see how they liked the water hose by adding some cool water to their pool.

I had a spray adjusting nozzle on the hose and a couple of caught in the spray and it was duckling heaven. Suddenly they were standing up, puffing their chests out and just kicked back in the Spray. One of the little GWH got so relaxed in the warm sun and cool spray that s/he fell over. I almost fell in the pool laughing. So, needless to say I handed the hose over to Cheyenne and I started taking pictures of my little duckie soldiers all lined up standing in the spray.

They played and pulled off some funny duck antics!

They have long outgrown their tote and now the tub. My only choice until the duck house was built was my fall back chicken brooder, the hot tub frame. So, I put pine shavings and straw in their pool, set up their waterer, a deep dish for rinsing their heads and the long chick feeder, then put my portable hot tub frame around the pool in the garage. they have their heat lamp and tons of room and were happily all spread out sleeping when I came inside. They had a big day and spent all of it outside playing in their makeshift pool, their big pool, the tractor and some outside free ranging time with me. They are fairly imprinted on me so they followed me, wandered off, had to be herded, followed and so forth.


But overall, we are one big happy family.

Their First Real Swim

Hershey Happy In the Pool

Yesterday, I put water in their pool for them that was shallower on one side than the other so they could easily stand on one side and had the option to paddle or tiptoe on the other side. They had such a great time. They were splashing and playing, diving, snorkeling and scooting around the bottom of the pool under water. It took about 50 shots and 30 minutes to get one picture with one of the ducklings swimming underwater. I also took their heavy plastic bowl and put food in it and let it float in the pool so they could swim, eat, drink and play. They were truly in duckie heaven.

The crew in the pool:

Saying hello and checking for food in Cheyenne's hand:

Checking out the floating food...what a convenience for them:

Cheyenne's Duckie Buddy, Onyx. It looks like Onyx will be our only black and white Ancona:

This is Mounds. Mounds is one of three Anconas that we are fairly positive will be a chocolate and white:

This is Michael Michelle. One of the Golden welsh Harlequins that is being named after our roomie. When gender becomes known, the name will be set:

Hershey having no trouble with the floating food bowl. We are certain Hershey is a chocolate ancona, as being predominately chocolate on the back and head:

Sasha, Onyx and Hershey enjoying the pool. We are uncertain about the color Sasha will be. Could be silver, tri-color, lavender or blue. Sasha's marking are very light but very distinct. So, time will tell and we cannot wait to see what color marking ultimately come in.

Mounds finally caught swimming underwater. What a feat to catch one of them swimming underwater in a still. Most of them were doing it but they are fast!

Onyx snorkeling:

So, today we are waiting for the sun to warm the water in the pool a bit more and for the temps outside to get closer to 80 and then they can go in their pool for a bit today.

We are having a great time with the duckies and are so happy to have them.

11 Days Old and trying new things!

The duckies went out this morning and were so happy to leave the bathroom and be outside on the grass and have their gladware to play n splash in. so, I thought I would give them something new try. I thawed some frozen peas and put them in the gladware they were playing in. Well, everyone ran and they came back cautiously to check it out.

A few of them decided to get a closer look at this new stuff in their gladware...

Finally someone tries a pea....

Then the pushing and shoving started as 11 of them tried to get all of the peas....

So the ducklings are all full and actually napping in the shade of the tractor. Meanwhile, I am getting their kiddie pool ready so they can take a nice swim and everyone have room. I will not let them stay in it long today, they are still too little but they can have a few minutes of swim time in the beautiful 81 degrees.

They are 9 days old!

The little duckies are doing so good and growing every day. They are 9 days old today and have now taken to playing and trying to swim in my gladware. Every day when it gets around 80 degrees I take them outside to my chicken tractor and cover half of it with a sheet so they have some shade. As long as the weather stays warm, they play outside in the grass. they are being fed a equal mix of organic chick starter and turkey/wildgame bird starter. they get lettuce, spinach or frozen peas daily and love to dive for the peas in their little bathtub. They are also still getting electrolytes and vitamins in their water. I will start tapering that off in a few weeks and then only give it to them during the day when they are outside in the heat.

They started out playing in a small bowl and then a 9 inch pie plate so they could take baths and not get soaked, clean their beaks and have fun. It was also nice for them to be able to cool off by sitting in it. Sadly, they would not all fit so I had to put 2 pie plates in there. hahahahaha

At a week old they were getting too big for their pie plates. So, I sacrificed a lasagna sized gladware pan for them. they thought they were in duckie heaven. they could submerge and try to swim to the other end. it was more like watching them scoot across the container underwater. Happy ducklings!

I am learning about more about ducks that I ever knew with these little guys. They grow so fast, are ubber friendly one day and skittish the next and they make a HUGE mess. hahahaha

Yes, I love my duckies.

Cheyenne met the ducks!

She came home from school and I sent her on a stupid errand to my bathroom...I heard the squeal when she saw them. One little Ancona duckling was watching her, following her and tapping on the side of the tote. she picked him/her up and it was love. The little duckling is her pal for sure. She petted, talked to, cuddled and made friends with the little duck. She asked how long it would be before the duck could live in her bedroom. hahahaha

There were some comical moments with the new babies for sure.

These 3 little ones crammed into one corner and amused themselves by tapping on the side of the tote for about 10 minutes. hahaha

A new adventure and new pets. They are fabulous. If anyone is looking for ducks or geese, I highly recommend Holderread Waterfowl Farm and Preservation Center in Corvalis, Oregon. They are fabulous people, helpful and send healthy vigorous ducklings. Not to mention that they are preserving breeds that we could easily lose.

Their website is http://www.holderreadfarm.com/ do check them out.