Although I enjoy the calm, the slower schedule and the beautiful stillness of the winter months, it has felt like a long winter for our animals.
Our chickens need a better coop (I guess it will be a spring project for us) … our ducks are doing fine (although one guy had frostbite on his caruncle -{ yes, we know what that means…. oh, the things you learn with animals and nature!)} … and our little call ducks are so small (full grown) that they keep getting dirty… well, let’s just say, they are at the bottom of the coop … where all the poop falls … and with 30 chickens above them, it’s not very fun. The male duck was also limping, therefore we wanted to ensure he was okay. We brought the two smallest, Tod and Libby, in to see if we could clean them up. After a nice warm bath and some preening, they looked much better.
Turns out, they preferred the cozy warmth of inside compared to the bitter cold winds of outside. I don’t blame them – the temperatures have plunged to a chilly -40C lately. So after some discussion, the girls set up the duck couple’s “Florida” home in our mudroom. We were also hoping this would encourage them to lay some eggs and possibly have babies! These are our most expensive ducks so if they have babies, the girls can sell them at the chicken and duck swap in the spring (Oh yes, such a thing exists).
So every day, we watched. We checked their pen to see if maybe we would find an egg. We were unsure if our hopes were too high – but yesterday, we were rewarded!
A sweet tiny little egg (about the size of a golf ball) ….
The girls were so excited, jumping up and down as they peeked into the pen … we were so proud of Libby – her first egg …
The next day, she laid another egg … and then one more today!
That makes three in her little clutch – we are unsure if she will lay more (but we’re hoping) … we have read that she will probably not sit on her eggs until she’s done laying. So far, she’s not really sitting on the eggs all the time. We have been looking up how to candle eggs, how to tell if the embryo is developing, what to look for to prove it is growing … Lacey, my 11 year old, was the first to spot the air sac.
This is exactly the kind of learning experience I desired for my children when we first decided to move out of town and into the country. Real hands-on, true life learning experiences are so delightful for the children … seeing new life form and helping nurture animals is a great way to teach children responsibility …
{How does one tell a duck from a drake? The drake always has a curled tail feather.
“Look for the curl – the opposite duck is the girl!”
We are really hoping something happens with these eggs – we know there is a chance that they won’t all make it to hatching day. If are few ducklings make it, then the girls will have the opportunity to sell their new ducks at the chicken and duck show in the spring … a little side business for them to earn some money …
In the meantime, we are hoping that Tod and Libby will soon become proud parents of a few, cut fluffy ducklings!
Spring is coming …
by Gigi
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