Ducks - Week 1

It’s not quite been a week since the arrival of our Mallard Ducklings. They have already grown noticeably, and have become much more active. Sometimes when they hear our voices they’ll burst into excitement, rushing around in a mad frenzy.

They have a voracious appetite and a seemingly unquenchable thirst. We leave fresh water and feed out for them, and they will spend 30 or 40 minutes at a time running between the two. We’re feeding them a starter/grower feed that is labeled for chickens, geese, and ducks. They sure are thirsty little guys; I’d started with a quart size drinker (watering can) and quickly had to switch to a gallon size in order to keep up.

They have a natural curiosity, immediately rushing to investigate anything new in their box. When my brother and I took a trip to the pet store he insisted we purchase one of those hamster running wheels. Despite my skepticism the ducklings have actually run on it, although I think it’s been mostly by accident. A small wooden box with holes in it also seems to keep them entertained.

We had to make some adjustments to the brooding box (duck crib). They are messy drinkers and spill water everywhere. In an effort to keep the bedding around the water can from getting soaked, we cut a section out of the floor and stapled a piece of mesh wire hardware cloth over it. A plastic bin underneath the box catches what runs through. This has helped some, but I still have to replace wet bedding a few times a day.

Another challenge was keeping the temperature consistent. We started with a 150 watt lamp, but it wasn’t staying warm enough. A stronger bulb (250 watt) placed directly above the box has done the trick. I use bricks to raise and lower the height of the lamp to adjust the temperature. I’ll be reducing the heat level over the next few weeks as they begin to grow their feathers.

We took the ducklings on their first trip outside today. They seemed to really enjoy foraging in the grass and playing in the sun.

They aren’t sure what to make of us yet and are more chicken than duck when we get close. After sitting with them a while, they started to get a little more courageous.

Our nieces and nephews have been helping us pick names for them. So far the list includes: Little-Dude, Kidd, Stew (that one’s just wrong), Leland, Zipper, and Skeeter, Ham, and Beans.

Ducks

On occasion the pond out back is graced by the presence of visiting waterfowl. We’ve seen geese, mallards, wood ducks, as well as a few other varieties. Watching them is always enjoyable and a few ducks swimming around the pond can be a tranquil sight. So I figured why not raise a flock of our own?

After making a few phone calls, 16 Mallard Ducklings landed here today. Actually I ordered them by mail from Mt. Healthy Hatchery in Ohio, and they are arrived this morning at our local post office. At first I’d hoped to get them in time for Easter, but they weren’t available until now. We will raise them, set them loose out back, and see if they stick around.

In preparation for their arrival we built this brooding box.
This will be their home for the first few weeks.

Living Life Out Front

Backyard patios and decks are nice, but there’s something to be said for a big front porch. They’ve been gracing the facade of American houses for centuries, serving as welcoming entries to homes ranging from stately mansions to rustic cabins. But porches are meant to be more than just a place for greeting guest; they're a place of shade and shelter, where grandpa widdled wood, jug bands played, and family photos where taken. The front porch is a place for sipping iced-tea, waiting-out a summer shower, and watching fireflies, a place for having warm conversations, a place to watch the world go by, a place for living life.

In recent years however, porches have become a diminishing part of modern architecture. They have been downsized and demoted. Often much too small for comfortable social use, the porch has been relegated to nothing more than an esthetic visual element, if they exist at all Determined not to let this happen on our home, we tried to design our porch with the style and scale reminiscent of those built years ago. So when the weather warms, I hope to see our family, friends, and visitors stop by to sit a spell on our front porch.