A Little Surprise!
Well, it's a surprise for y'all - all three of us have been planning this for a while!
I bet you already know...or think you do!
These are Ancona ducklings. We got them today at the feed store. We were looking for another breed, but we weren't having much luck, and these are really cute and sweet. They will grow into speckled ducks - some have white plus one color, and some are tri-colored.
Once upon a time, we had a couple of ducklings in the same pen with our chickens. It was a muddy, mucky mess! This time, we have made a separate pen for them, complete with a wee pond that we got on freecycle. It's not completed yet, but it's too cold for them to be outside anyway. More on that soon.
We think we have a black and white (aptly named Oreo) and a grey and white (Daffodil). They are supposed to be calm, friendly, and good layers. We hope (hope hope hope) we have a duck and a drake, but we won't know for a while. I tried to sex them, but in the end, we just went by cuteness.
They like the tub. (Don't we all?)
They also like to dry by a nice, warm fire.
Truth be told, they aren't too crazy about the box with the food and water. They prefer to stay in the living room, closer to us. At one point, the three of us were sitting and the kitchen table. I guess they missed us, because they hopped out of the little 'nest' and waddled right over to see us.
We put them back, before they pooped! (They are very good little poopers.)
Before bedtime, Little Bit read them some stories and told them a story that she made up. She really loves them. We all do. As I type this, they are sound asleep in the living room nest. It's been a big day.
Precious,
precious,
precious!
I said we were looking for a different breed when we brought these little sweeties home. Originally, we planned to get Cayuga ducklings. They are black - so black that in the sunlight, their feathers are beetle-green. They are beautiful, rather quiet, friendly birds. No one has Cayugas available...yet...but we have four on order!
quack quack quack!
-Laura at TenThingsFarm
I bet you already know...or think you do!
These are Ancona ducklings. We got them today at the feed store. We were looking for another breed, but we weren't having much luck, and these are really cute and sweet. They will grow into speckled ducks - some have white plus one color, and some are tri-colored.
Once upon a time, we had a couple of ducklings in the same pen with our chickens. It was a muddy, mucky mess! This time, we have made a separate pen for them, complete with a wee pond that we got on freecycle. It's not completed yet, but it's too cold for them to be outside anyway. More on that soon.
We think we have a black and white (aptly named Oreo) and a grey and white (Daffodil). They are supposed to be calm, friendly, and good layers. We hope (hope hope hope) we have a duck and a drake, but we won't know for a while. I tried to sex them, but in the end, we just went by cuteness.
They like the tub. (Don't we all?)
They also like to dry by a nice, warm fire.
Truth be told, they aren't too crazy about the box with the food and water. They prefer to stay in the living room, closer to us. At one point, the three of us were sitting and the kitchen table. I guess they missed us, because they hopped out of the little 'nest' and waddled right over to see us.
We put them back, before they pooped! (They are very good little poopers.)
Before bedtime, Little Bit read them some stories and told them a story that she made up. She really loves them. We all do. As I type this, they are sound asleep in the living room nest. It's been a big day.
Precious,
precious,
precious!
I said we were looking for a different breed when we brought these little sweeties home. Originally, we planned to get Cayuga ducklings. They are black - so black that in the sunlight, their feathers are beetle-green. They are beautiful, rather quiet, friendly birds. No one has Cayugas available...yet...but we have four on order!
quack quack quack!
-Laura at TenThingsFarm
Comments
I cannot wait to see the beautiful black ones now! When are you supposed to be getting them?
Seeing all the different babies, I want turkeys really bad. The geese are adorable too (but I think they are more than we're ready for), and I keep thinking about silkie bantam chickens...sigh!
Whoa!!! Remember you don't have a 20 acre poultry preserve and they have to have shelter in the winter, etc. Geese get REALLY big and sometimes are not friendly and can really hurt people, especially small ones, with their beaks and wings.
However, the ducklings are really cute. As long as they have their own "pond" they should be all right. Now Little Bit can practice up on her reading. Keep us posted.
Love,
Granny Ladubug
We just ordered our first batch of chicks and I was shocked at how long they said it would take for them to arrive. Three weeks for half of them and 5 weeks for the other half! We've always just incubated and hatched from our hens before so ordering is a new experience for us.
thanks for sharing, love the new little babies
D.
I think there is a lot of demand these days. Prices for so many things have gone up, so it's getting more affordable to keep animals at home. I have quite a few friends in town who keep a few hens in the back yard.
We aren't getting geese - the goslings are just really cute! We have plenty of shelter (we aren't even using the barn yet), but I don't want something that can be that aggressive while Little Bit is so small. Maybe guineas! ;)
Dogs will kill ducks, for sure. We'll have to keep them protected once they are outdoors, and if we let them out, we'll have to be out too, just like with our hens. It's different for wild breeds that can fly (many domesticated breeds are too heavy). I'll do a post about the duck fortress one day soon!
Gill in Canada
I wonder how my husband would feel if I tell him that we're moving to live with you. We can build our own little house and all will be good in the world :)