Okay, here's how it happened.
Partner #1 went to town unsupervised. He's not going to appreciate that comment, however... So when he came home and told us there was a surprise in the back seat my immediate reaction was "Noo not another puppy?!". That might seem a strange reaction, who says "Noo!" when they see a puppy?! I do, because we currently have 12 and another may unravel my fragile mental state. But nope, not a puppy.
I open the back door, see a small-ish box, "Is it a kitten?!" Oh please oh please let it be a kitten! I like cats. I used to like dogs too but, nope. Not a cat either.
Open the box, Oh my god it's ducklings! The 3 cutest damn ducklings you have ever seen! All huddled up in the corner peeping in terror as this giant lady-thing grabs one of their siblings and hugs it close, practically shrieking "Oh my god! DuckIEEES! Oh they're so CUTE! Awwwwe!"
Now the double edge to this super cute sword is that we have absolutely no set up for ducks?! No predator proof pen. No pond. No flippin food! And really no idea how to take care of baby ducks whatsoever!
But gosh darn it, they are so cute!
So several weeks earlier, I had conveniently noticed a kiddie pool in our old barn (odd thing to find in a barn...), so we drug that out, filled it up with water and threw a calf shed over it with a heat lamp, which we happened to have from when our chickens were chicks. Then promptly started researching duck care and maintenance.
We have had them for at least a couple weeks now and you know what I have learned about ducks? They stink! Like really smelly. Especially when cooped up in a poorly ventilated calf shed with a heat lamp on 24/7 just fermenting the place... I am legitimately concerned about them developing respiratory problems. They are going to be wheezing like senior citizen ducks before their 6 month birthday.
We have all the materials now to build a duck house and a wicked plan to make it super cool! Thanks to a plumber friend of mine, we even have a bathtub coming to convert to a pond! I had the genius idea of draining the tub on the downward slope of our yard onto a sort of tiered garden of fruit bushes. Viola! Ultra fertilized irrigation system! Genius right?
It's okay to be impressed, I am impressed with myself!
Now it is just a matter of actually building the darn thing! Time is a high-priced commodity around here with very little of it to go around, let me tell you.
In any case, the ducks are doing really really well. Despite their temporary accommodations, they seem to be super healthy, growing incredibly fast! In all my research I discovered a way to sex the little things, see whether we'll have laying birds or meat birds. I'll spare you the details, but I did managed to discover that one is definitely female! So yay! Can't wait for duck eggs!
My plan was to write this blog when we actually had the duck house built, but I couldn't wait! I was too excited! The tub comes on Friday, so hopefully I can write an update post soon on the house building progress.
In the meantime, enjoy this terrible picture of me but adorable picture of this duck!
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| Also, that white thing to the right is a calf shed, in case you were wondering.... |
Bahaha. I assume that means I better get my act together so I can bring the tub eh?
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