Our apartment dwelling poultry. One does not think of a small farm as being a scene of intrigue or emergency. Indeed one would never suspect a half day old animal of doing something unpredictable or a mother doing something that would endanger her young. Right now I’m just hoping the DPS (Duckling Protective Service) doesn’t call.
This picture is the one you last saw of our apartment dwelling hen and duck. We knew the ducks were scheduled to hatch first and we wondered how the hen was going to react.
This picture is the one you last saw of our apartment dwelling hen and duck. We knew the ducks were scheduled to hatch first and we wondered how the hen was going to react.
Sneaking in extra occupants. This is how the situation had changed by last night. I found the babies had started to arrive and the hen did have a reaction. She thought they were hers and she pecked at the duck. We did not want to move the duck and her babies at night and they were all holding close to her. Since the hen showed no intent to harm the ducklings we felt that they would be ok. We were very wrong. A spirt of adventure combined with the almost total helplessness of the young is a bad combination.
We have a house guest that is recovering from a hospital stay. Early this morning he saw Mama duck followed by five little ducklings walking across the porch and down the steps. The steps were made to accommodate the elderly in the hopes that we someday will fit that category. Half day old ducklings obviously can navigate them downward. They can’t get back up. Obviously we older citizens are more capable than the very young. Sally awakened me by telling me the ducklings had escaped and there were cheeps coming from under the porch.
Throwing on my emergency situation clothing (overalls) I quickly responded. Seizing the net (six foot handle better than quickness) I threw myself under the porch. I expected them to scatter when I crawled close to them but they were too young. I pushed the net close and flipped it over them. Done.
Throwing on my emergency situation clothing (overalls) I quickly responded. Seizing the net (six foot handle better than quickness) I threw myself under the porch. I expected them to scatter when I crawled close to them but they were too young. I pushed the net close and flipped it over them. Done.
Obviously this presented a problem. If they were going to be able to strand themselves that easily we could not restore them to their original nest. We placed them in the large cage to give them some room to grow and placed their mom in with them. While we were doing that Sally heard a peep coming from the hen’s area. Another duckling. We lifted the hen and the duckling was clinging to her. We removed him from his stepmom and put him in the cage.
The last two pictures represent the status quo. The duck is raising her babies and as new babies hatch the mother hen will adopt them. Muscovy ducks take 35 days to hatch. Chicken eggs take 21. It is pretty obvious some of them will be hatching at the same time. If, indeed there are more, once they hatch under the hen we will put them with the duck. We think that has to be at night. If the duck rejects them we will put them back with the hen. Apparently the duck, the hen, and the hatchlings are all confused as to what they are.
We are having a ball and don’t know what’s going to happen next. We are certain that our llama, the donkeys, or the dogs won’t be having any babies. We are less sure of the three that we have loaned out as a lawn maintenance crew. As things develop we will tell you.
We are having a ball and don’t know what’s going to happen next. We are certain that our llama, the donkeys, or the dogs won’t be having any babies. We are less sure of the three that we have loaned out as a lawn maintenance crew. As things develop we will tell you.
RSS Feed