Muscovy ducks- First Bath week 4

Today i've placed a kitty tray into the coop for the ducklings and threw Donna(the 1st one i can catch) into the water. They are scared and jump out of it quickly. Food always work so I tear up a few lettuce and place into the water and threw Donna again into the water, followed by Debbie. Doesn't take them long to get used to the water and soon they are splashing around and eating the lettuce. Davey is mummy's boy and he hang around Elvis to make sure nothing happen to him.I tried to place Davey into the water but he doesn't like it and jump out quickly. 

 Davey watching the water closely while Debbie and Donna have a ball

Donna looking at the camera

Davey keeping an eye on the camera

Donna and Debbie

 Davey still keeping an eye on the camera

I've changed the water in the duck bath and give the duckings an opportunity to swim in the "big" open. Look at Donna having a dive!

 Davey seems more relaxed now (it was hard to catch him) in the duck bath.

Ducks are being jealous, they are eyeing the water and waiting for their chance to jump in.

Donna having one last dive while Davey and Debbie dry themselves. 

Watch Donna have her 1st dive and the jealous ducks hang around.....

Muscovy ducks- week 3

The ducklings are growing fast and well. Still no sign of catching flies on their own. Donna has taken a big step  in going for the fly when we feed it to her. Davey and Debbie are still rather timid.

Mother Elvis gets very upset when i pick up the ducklings to pet as they make crying sounds to their mum.

Davey is the furtherest away (with a stripe across its eye), Donna is grooming herself and Debbie is on the right

Debbie

how could something so cute grow into something so ugly??

Duckling Donna

Baby Donna is out of her incubator now. we've let her get strong 1st before letting her join her siblings. Donna is very timid and always hiding under her lamp.it's hard to get a picture of her.

2 new Muscovy duckling hatched!!

Elvis had been clucky and Craig went to got some Muscovy duck eggs for her to sit on so she can be a proud mum and we can have some fly eating ducks.

Well, how did that turn out? Elvis is a very noisy mum and the duckling do not chase flies on their own to eat!! they are quite happy to be fed flies. Slackers!

We think these 2 ducklings were hatched some time around 11th to 12th. can't really tell the exact date as she's under Elvis, all we can hear is chirps.

here's pictures of proud mum and her kids

i've named this one Davey. Davey has a pretty strip across it's eye. And the other one is called Debbie, which i can't get a picture of due to fat mum.

Ducks Week 9 - Ducks' New Bath

The ducks got a new bath a few weeks ago and they are happy as larks! This new bath is much bigger (use more water as well!!!) and more spacious. All 6 ducks can actually go in together and have a bath.

There's usually one duck that loves to jump into the water 1st and the rest of them will follow. I seldom see all 6 ducks in the bath together as there's one which doesn't seem to like water or too timid to go in.

one duck had enough of water

Super duck??


or music conductor?

cleaning up after bath

I'm a duck and I love my bath :)

Duckling Week 5

Week 5 and I guess they should be called Ducks now instead of ducklings. These ducks are getting their adult feathers and their wings structure is beginning to show.

Today is a warm day so one of the duck is more adventurous and decided to take a dip and enjoy the water.

and lost its head maybe........

OH found it!

The ducks had been lazy all day....resting in the sun and in the shade...

grooming themselves....

and doing stretching exercises.....

5 weeks old and they are still very timid. Each time they see us 200m away, they will start squeaking and oh yes, one of them start quacking at us too. They will push themselves and each other into a corner and behave like ducks that had gone mental! Don't think these ducks are driven by food because lettuce doesn't make them any more tamed.

Duckling Week 4

Week 4 and these ducklings are getting big. I can see their adult feathers growing. Their legs and wings are getting bigger and they are still very timid. We've got 6 now after giving 6 to Craig's mum last week.

There was rain last night and this morning, the duck pen is wet and muddy. I'm sure the ducklings will love the wet mud but i'm concerned about hygiene. So I've decide to give their pen a little revamp. I filled the sand ground with straws and place weeds (sponsored by Sandy yesterday )above the straw. Filled up a tub with water and added some bricks as little steps for the ducklings to get in. Replace their water container with a heavy mixer bowl so they can have more space in the pen. It's also to see if this might be cleaner option. Sit their food container  on 2 bricks so stop them from spilling food everywhere. This is later confirmed a failed attempt.:(

The ducklings decided to come out of their "bed" and I think they are quite surprise and happy with the greens. They started eating the weeds and soon figured it's not as easy as they think. It looks like they are drooling weeds. In an attempt to bond with them, I sat beside them reading for some time. They seem calm but decided not to do anything else but rest. Seems like they like their grass bedding and sunlight alot because they pretty much just lay there the bulk of their day.

and the occasional stretches....

and grooming..

I also chopped up some tomatoes for them and they (or some) seem to like it. It's meant to be good for them.

The chooks sure know where to get a bird's eye view of the ducklings ;)

Duckling Big Day Out & Chooks Big Day In

The ducklings are on the way to destroy their lovely paper home with their messy eating and drinking. So Craig had decided out they go. There a little bit of poultry movement required. We had to move all the younger chooks into the pen and move the ducklings into the coop.

so in went the chooks, ready to brave Feisty, Timid and Sickie(not so timid and sick anymore.....we have renamed them to Nasty Pasty 1 and 2 ). They will have to learn to share the food, water and sleep together in the new home Craig had built.

And in went the ducklings! they seem to love the open air and sunlight. I have them a small bath and yes, messy as usual. Some ducklings were eventually falling into the bath and having a mini splash.

drinking from their bath

oh, did I mentioned we have 12 ducklings???

and only one brave one to start using the bath??

 Overall, They seems happy with their new home :)