DUCKY DID IT, FINALLY :-)

 Yesterday, Nov 27th, our little Muscovy friend, Ducky, hatched 16 little baby ducks. One was very underpowered and got left behind. I brought her into the house, put her in a box with a heating pad and mama hen chicken heater. The baby was weak and shivering. After a few hours she responded to the warmth, food and water. She cried some but was generally pretty quiet. 

Last night I prayed about her and today we reunited her with her family. Ducky immediately peeped back to her and came and gave her a kiss. After getting accustomed to being back in the real world the little orphan (who I named "Chocolate Drop" due to her coloring) was absorbed back into the rambling bunch of little day old babies. 

We were uncertain because it is such a tough world for baby ducks but after seeing CD back with her mama and brothers it was the right move. She is where God made her to be and that is fine with us. 

Good Luck Chocolate Drop...sisters and Ducky. 

This was the third time Ducky has sat on eggs in one of our chicken coops. Mary thought Ducky was incapable of hatching eggs (under humidity?). Ducky proved everyone wrong. She is the best wild duck mother ever. 

LUCKY DUCK hatched 10 baby ducks, we stole four

Our little Muscovy duck friend, "Lucky" (who was born at P2 Spring 2023) hatched 10 baby ducks on Monday, February 19 2024. 

We immediately stole the "slowest" four babies and moved them to a wood dog box on the porch. 

As of Friday Feb 23, all six of the remaining babies in Lucky's care are still alive and doing fine. 

The four we took are also doing fine. Yesterday one of the "bumble bee" baby ducks was able to leap out of the dog box and led us on quite a chase around the porch, he's really fast.

Silkie Moms (x2) hatch six baby Muscovy Ducks (eggs stolen from "Lucky")

Thursday, FEB 22 2024 - babies begin pipping and hatching - Mary spotted two hatched by 10am, we decided to leave them to see if any of the other eggs would hatch.

Two of our Silkie hens have been incubating duck eggs we stole from our Muscovy friend, "Lucky", who was also born here last year. 

Friday, February 23, 2024 - six new baby ducks hatched under our two Silkie moms. We moved the two moms and all the six fragile babies into a wood dog crate and brought them into our porch.