Gratuitous duckling photos
I often keep chicks inside for up to a week before tossing them into the outdoor brooder, but this batch
was already two days old when they arrived, and the weather had been so
warm, I opted to move everyone outside Saturday morning. By
Saturday afternoon, I was sitting and watching them through the open
door when chicks started tumbling out onto the ground, so I figured, why
not let them go outside early too? I did have to babysit the
youngsters a bit when a few of them couldn't figure out how to get back
inside, but soon both ducklings and chicks were busy pecking at ants,
crowfoot seeds, and dead nettle flowers.
Sunday,
Mom came over, and I figured it was time to let our ducklings go for a
swim. Mark found a glass pie pan in the barn that was just the
right depth for safe escapes, and the ducklings took to it like, well,
like ducks to water.
The chicks soon came running over to see what all the excitement was about, but most ran right back inside to drink from our EZ Miser.
(We did decide to stick to a nipple waterer for both ducks and chicks in the brooder, but will be giving the ducklings daily swims to keep their eyes and nostrils happy.)
The Ancona ducklings and
Cornish Cross chicks are much tamer than the Australorps we usually
raise, so I showed Mom that they'd clamber right onto her hand if she
left it on the 
ground. She baited the hand with dead nettles, and soon was snuggling with ducklings.
Despite their cuteness,
though, I don't think Mark needs to worry that the adorable livestock
will be impossible to turn into dinner. If ducks are anything like
chickens, they grow out of their cuteness about the time they start to
lose their fluff --- around week two or three. I'll enjoy the
cuteness while it lasts and will enjoy chicken and duck dinners in July
just as much.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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Chickens are handsome, but ducks are charismatic. Not to say that you can't make them into (delicious) dinners, but it is not quite the same, at least to me. Chickens are beautiful but cold. Ducks- quirky and funny. I know some people who couldn't harvest their ducks, but had no problems with chickens. Don't count your chickens before they hatch, and don't count duck dinners before you harvest. But either way- I am looking forward to reading about it!
They won't outgrow their cuteness until full grown, and then they are still adorable with their behavior.
Duck Suppers are wonderful. They have a grand flavor. Very greasy but that renders off then can be saved for future cooking. I have only roasted them with dry heat but I am going to try moist heat soon.
So glad to see the swimming pool...:o) As you will soon see it's much more than eyes, and nostrils.
You know, I never actually had any desire to have chickens. I have a friend who has them, and she shares her eggs when she can. I'm not really fond of birds, anyway.
But those ducks.... OMG how adorable. I will be following this VERY closely! =D
Anna,
Like many others have already said, ducks are adorable forever. They never lose their curious and loving natures. When you do something they enjoy, like spraying them with a water hose, they turn their heads up at you in this little cocked-to-the-side way that makes them look appreciative and dare I say, happy. I can easily take the head off of a chicken, but I always dread the day of harvesting duck.