first hatch

We had figured on our first hatch of the year being muscovy ducks. But the due date came and went.  It is a bit tricky to decide when they start sitting, as they seem to sit some of the time for a while before getting on with it properly. But we are a week over now.. and doubtful of a happy outcome now.  The problem is poor Chloe chose a really difficult time for her brood – she was laying the first of the eggs in the heat wave, and since then we have had all weathers thrown at us – and if the due date was right and it was last week, that was when the Westcountry had floods, the rain was a downpour, and maybe too much wet and cold got into the nest?  We did some egg post mortems – two were bad, and one had a fully formed duckling.  So.. we might have commited duckicide.. or it might have been doomed by the weather.  We are giving her a few more days.

In happier news, the first chick hatch of the year is here. After waiting and waiting for a broody, I finally gave in and set some eggs in the incubator, all from my blue marans crowd.

And just in the nick of time Ginger-Whitey became broody – I was dubious about trying to foster onto her as she had only been sitting tight four days when we slipped 15 chicks under her, but we used her as a broody last year, so I knew she was fairly reliable and  as soon as the first had rummaged under for the warmth, she was clucking at it and giving us a hard time for touching her chicks!. She has been out in today’s sunshine with them today, and they are adorable as always.

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ducklings grown

Our Muscovy ducklings are 14 weeks old.. and huge. And it is more than time that they left us.  Via the freezer.  This will be one of the harder ones for me – himself is unfazed.  The ducks are so easy going, so calm around us, and have individual colouring.  It has been a joy to watch them develop, learn how to fly  and play in the water.

It is not the individuals I will miss, although there is always an associated sadness with any death.  I don’t eat meat through lethargy, it is a reasoned choice, and these birds have had a good happy life.  And I know, because it is a particular joy to me to sit on the feed bin in the duck run and watch them.  They fly from house to waterbutt to perch, they splash and rummage in the undergrowth, and they are completely calm with us being there. And there is no avoiding the fact that when they are gone, there will be a distinct lack of ducks.  It’s ironic, that the reason we keep them is because we want to raise animals and birds, for meat, that have a happy life. And I enjoy watching them have a happy life, then miss that when they are gone.

We are keeping the original trio: Captain Speck and his girls, but they shall be lost in all that space.

Hopefully there shall be the future slap of webbed feet, next year.  Chloe did make  a nest and had a fresh clutch of eggs, but the timing is all wrong, the Indian summer probably throwing her.  We took the eggs away, as ducklings in December could well be a disaster.

We are very taken with Muscovy ducks, they are easy and friendly, quiet,  and pretty self sufficient.  And they are nice to look at, even the mostly black ones are beautiful in the sunshine.  Their eggs are nice too, but they are not really any good to keep for eggs, they are a meat bird.  So the real proof of their success will be when we try one.  And it is time.

This time of year, the numbers of birds and animals decrease, as the freezer fills, and we back off from smallholding activities and retreat to the warmth of the house.

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big ducklings

Nothing the ducklings and ducks like better is a fresh pondful of water. That and the skanky water tipped out proves to be lots of fun too.

Mum and Aunt like to take a supervisory role. Before jumping in too.

The ducklings are growing so fast! They have lost their yellow fluff and the proper feathers are coming in.

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a heap of ducklings

The white ducks are all gone now, and into the freezer. Sort of sad and good at the same time.

This means we were now free to see how the muscovy ducklings got on in the run with the drake Cap’n Speck and the other duck.

So far so good.  Cap’n Speck rushed over and tried to ‘have the special cuddle’ with Chloe.  Her reaction could be summed up as .. NO!.  He’s been sulking since.  He did peck at the ducklings when they went up to him, but nothing violent, and they seem to have decided to ignore each other.

The ducklings had a lovely time playing in the mud from the dirty water we had chucked out of the pond  - much nicer than that clean water those silly people will keep providing.  Clarissa popped off her nest to have  wash and flap and investigate the new family members – decided they weren’t hers, and went back to her eggs.

And then the ducklings huddled down for a well earned nap.

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a box of ducklings

Odd sort of day – started with a trip to the abattoir, which is always stressful, with the loading, unloading and backing of trailers etc.   Actually it all went fine, but you still worry..

Having achieved that, the general animal rounds, harvesting soft fruit and home ed, we gave ourselves some time off and spent  long while admiring the new ducklings, who were out enjoying the swimming pool. We have eight in total.

Little time wasters !

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sitting ducks

Both of our muscovy ducks are now sitting.  Chloe is making quite a good job of it, but I think Clarissa has lots to learn as she often leaves an egg out, etc.

But saying that.. I don’t really know.  The whole thing seemed odd to me, until I worked out the rather obvious statement: ducks are not chickens.

We have kept and bred chickens for a while, and we had them as a family whilst I was growing up, but I am fairly new to duck keeping. And.. of course.. they act completely differently. Ducklings grow at an astonishing rate, and this whole water bird thing.. it’s more than a desire to swim, they need water, and their whole system seems to be water – they eat their food very wet, they poop very wet. They do seem to like wet weather and are always, it seems, wet.

It took us by surprise that Chloe choose to lay her eggs at night.. and then she seemed to be making a mess of things, sitting on the eggs then coming off.  But then it became apparent that she was still laying them, and whilst that was going on, she stayed with them.  There was lots of sorting out going on, then suddenly she was sitting, and that was that.  Chloe followed suit a few weeks later.

Does it look like the box is made out part of an old cupboard and a bit of feed sack tacked to the top?  there is a reason for that….

Capt. Speck would be lonely, but he seems to get on with the white ducks, they eat together and so on.  Once a day the ducks get off their nests, scoff, poop, drink and have a bit of a fly around, then back on the nest.

I took the opportunity for a peek at the eggs (they were wet too…)

Are they doing it right? we shall see. We figure, they are learning the ropes anyhow.

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mixed up day

A bit of everything sort of day.

The day started with the arrival of the first chick hatching (I told himself I could hear chirping), Home education first thing, including driving my son to his course, then back to count the chicks.. 4 by then.

Out to check on the animals.  Am very glad we have sheared the sheep, as today was hot – and yesterday we had rain.  Not the useful fill water butts type.. just the get the wool wet and attract flies type..

The ducklings (nearly ducks) denied having been in their swimming pool.. funny since they were wet.. and the pool muddy and water everywhere.  We still haven’t moved the muscovy ducks in, we thought we should give the ducklings a moment before introducing something else to be scared of.  That and muscovy ducks have claws and we will have to carry them.  Chloe is still sitting tight on her nest, so we shall leave her in situ.

I made more rhubarb cordial, and we picked elderflowers to make more champagne and cordial, and I moved lots and lots of plants out of the greenhouse to harden off. Mostly because of lack of space in greenhouse as I plant the last of the tomatoes.  I think I shall end up bringing them back in later in the week as there are strong winds forecast.

We planted the last of the peas – hurrah! definitely sick of the sight of them now after all that sowing and planting and pea sticks poking you etc.

A walk with himself in the evening, in an effort to strike that work life balance thingy.. and to appreciate what a lovely place we live in.

Tea of home made spaghetti puttenesca (pasta made with a mix of duck and hens eggs!) and then we cracked and opened the incubator as there were so many chicks charging about it seemed a good idea.  Eleven out, more pipping.

And then the watering of the greenhouses and pots.. which seem to take longer every day. Fortunately it is light until past nine now.

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dusk

We’ve reached a certain point in the season, we were pushing out our evening meal later and later, now we stop to eat, before going back out to again, to do just a big more on the duck run, or digging or watering, before the light fades.

I’m just in from putting the birds to bed.  The ducklings take themselves to their little shelter in their pen, and I just have to slide the ‘door’ over the hole.  The broody and her chicks went to bed long ago, and the broodies sitting on their plastic eggs stay put.  The older hens were just arguing over the best bit of perch, but the teenagers, our ten week old chicks  - looking like mini hens and cockerels were still faffing about – they all want to settle down just in the pop hole, and eventually the last few cant get it.  I have to go and shovel them further in, and then in the excitement the very friendly cuckoo marans come to see if they can perch on me for the night.. Eventually there are all shovelled gently in, although if we leave it they do eventually work it out by themselves.

The Muscovy ducks usually perch for the night on the trailer , but tonight as with yesterday night, Capt Speck sleeps alone.  Chloe has been laying eggs in the house, and has been sitting on them since this afternoon – typical because we are just about to move them to duck run phase 2.  If she is serious about sitting, then we shall fence her off in that corner and leave her to it.  Janey from Hedgecombers tells me they often give up in their first year.. so we shall see.  I think Clarissa is making a nest under the trailer….

Walking back up to the house I’m hit with a fugg of scent.  This too goes in turns, a little while back it was the hawthorn blossom, followed by the lilacs, but now it is the mock orange and honey suckle.

And in now for what is left of the evening.

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