Watermelon

Well, it is officially summer. Even if you aren't a teacher, or you don't have school aged kids, the Alabama heat and the growing grass elude to the fact that yes, it is summer. Along with the horrible heat comes the delicious fresh fruits and vegetables our hard working farmers supply us with. My favorite just happen to be squash and cucumbers. The babies all agree that their favorite is watermelon.

On the farm, when we used to have domestic geese, they loved watermelon. We would just put a half of it at the edge of the pond and the white geese would drench themselves in the pink juice until they looked as if they were recovering from a horrible battle.

I bought some watermelong last week, really for myself and some friends, but I just thought I would give it a try to see how they would like it. It took them a few minutes to take to it, but once they did, they discovered how much they loved it. It is now something they eat several times a day, mainly because I love how friendly it makes them. They devour it from your hand in seconds, often lingering to peck at anything in your hands that looks pink, or even the nearby painted toenails that resemble watermelon pink.

They act more like peruanas than sweet little ducks, the way they swarm and peck at the juicy fruit. Of course though, even when they miss and hit my fingers, it doesn't hurt, it only tickles.

I cannot express to you how much I have enjoyed these little ones and what delight they have brought me each and everyday. I am only sad, because like any parent, I see them growing much too quickly.

I have now had them for a week and a half. On the one week "anniversary" of them being with me, I decided I wanted to somehow show how much they had grown. So, I tried to get them back into the box that they came to me in. Remember, one week prior, all 15 had arrived with plenty of room to spare in this small box. Now, look at them...

These little ones do know me, and they do look to me, and I believe would follow me around if we actually had a long way to travel. As it is right now, there are distractions such as the swimming pool that often divert their attention, however sometimes they do follow me. Just like the other day when I ran into the kitchen to get them some more watermelon and turned around to see them standing in my den.

At the least the watermelon and I have not spoiled them...

Naming

I know it's silly, but I have felt a lot of pressure about naming my little ones. I believe, all of a sudden, I have realized that naming something is very difficult, and very important. Wow - the responsibility of giving someone a name that they will be called for the rest of their lives! How can you even begin? I know that I cannot name them all, partly because I cannot tell them ALL apart, but I can tell a most of them apart. I have decided to name them slowly and get used to those names before I name more. As of now, the yellow runner is named George because he always seemed to be the first one to do something - the most curious. The two crested ducks - not the brightest in the box - are named Tweedle and Dee. I named the chocolate runner, naturally, Hershey. That's all for now, but I'll let you know if I come up with any more creative ideas!

The babies - like most babies - have a very strict schedule and they stick to it. It consists of sleeping, eating, swimming/pecking, gromming and then the cycle begins again. The ducks do a lot of grooming. From what I have observed, and learned, ducks have some sort of an oil duct in their chests. This oil helps protect their fluff and their feathers. In order to spread it around, they rub their heads on their chest, and then rub their heads all over their bodies.

This morning, Romeo slapped one of the little ones, but in all honesty, I don't blame him. Romeo was sitting there, had been for a little while so the babies were used to him. One came up and pecked him on his side. Romeo popped the little one, although just once, and no claws. I think he just wanted the little one to know that he could hurt him. Later on, the babies were running around and ran up around him and several pecked him at the same time. That really scared him - and off he ran!

Last night, at about 4am, I awoke to horrible, shrill cries from outside. It was storming and the babies had not been through a storm yet. I called out of the window to them though, and the screechy sounds turned immediately to the soft cooing, tweeting sounds they make. It's nice to know, that even as a different creature altogether, I can bring them some comfort, for they have certainly brought me comfort!

Day 3

I took today off, because I could, and enjoyed the day with my babies (and of course meeting with delivery/repair/installation people). Being around these little ones has made a difficult week much easier. They are a simple joy that reminds me of all the blessings that I have.

While I sit with the little ones, I have been working on pulling up the seemingly endless amount of weeds around my yard. I have been making piles of the weeds and then going back to dispose of the piles. I noticed one of the mallards, the smallest of the ducks, had a little something sticking out of her beak. She seemed to be having a hard time swallowing it, and didn't seem to be spitting it up. So, I picked her up and pulled on the little weed stuck in her mouth to discover that she had somehow swallowed (whole) a weed that was about 4 inches long. I don't think she is 4 inches long! She ran off to join the rest of the crew and seems to be perfectly fine!

This afternoon when I let them out, I introduced them to a larger swimming pool. Well, for them it was a swimming pool, but in actuality, just an old litter box. The difference between this and the stepping stone mold that they had been swimming in is the fact that they cannot touch the bottom of the litter box. As each one found his/her way into the pool, they would flap their feet around quickly as if searching for the bottom. They were so unsure of it, but it did not take long for them to discover that they could dive and swim around in the pool. Before long, they were swimming underwater from one end to the other, bumping others out of the pool as they swam.

They are still a little bit timid, however, they come out of the cage, almost instantly when I open the door. When they pile up to sleep, I can easily pet all of them and even pick some up without really disturbing them. They are so comfortable around me that when I needed to "shoo" them back into the cage, it was difficult because they were not at all scared of my hand. They are not though following me around. It could be them, but it could also be the setting - it's not like we have a big place to walk around in here!

No matter what, I am thoroughly enjoying being around them, and letting them take my thoughts away from other worries.

The Joys of Motherhood

Last night was a bit of a chilly night for brand new little ducklings, and I honestly felt a little nervous about them being outside. I did what I could to ensure their warmth by adding hay, a small shelter and a towel over the shelter to insulate as best as I could. This morning, as I woke up bright-eyed and busy-tailed at 4:45, I was worrying about my babies. I got up and called out to the window and heard a hearty chirping in reply. When it finally got light outside, I went out and one by one, the little ones marched out of the shelter to greet me and devour some breakfast. What a relief!

Today, my mom spent the day with my baby cousin, 2-month old Elizabeth. Mom, who has not spent a whole lot of time around a baby since I was one, came by to see me this afternoon. She told me about how much she enjoyed just holding and watching Elizabeth, her every little move. Her stretches, her yawns, her smiles and the way she wrinkles her face. Although I know raising a child is incredibly different than raising baby ducks, I too can just sit and watch them for hours. I hope that I get something productive done over the next few weeks! Every little thing they do is just so cute and so funny!

The personalities are coming out more and more, although, getting to know 15 at one time is pretty tough. The crested ducks definitely don't have extra brains in those little caps. They sure are cute, but they seem to be the slowest ones by far. They are often the ones still in the cage, eating while the others are out running around. One of them fell as he was running out of the cage today and was rolling on his back kicking his feet until another one ran into him, giving him enough umph to turn right side up again. The other one was jumping out and did a somersault somehow. Oh, the laughs these little ones can bring to me!

This afternoon they napped more than they did yesterday - I guess they wore themselves out more today. Of course, when I say napped, it is for all of about 15 seconds. Imagine if you will, trying to put a room full of two year olds to sleep at the same time. Add together the fact that all the two year olds will be sharing the same bed, so that the instant one of them moves, so do all of the other ones. And of course, remember the constant pecking. Today, just as all of the others had fallen asleep, one of them noticed that the eyelid on his neighbor looked different - so what does he do? Peck at it, of course!

Romeo also had his first interactions with the ducklings today. Although he would much rather them disappear, he was very good. Again, I still don't trust him enough to leave him alone with them, but he was very good as long as he got some of the attention as well.

I have taken tomorrow off of school, so I have the next four days as home to share with them and to try to get some things done, although, I imagine I will end up spending more time with them. If you are in the area - come meet the little ones!

More pictures at rascats.shutterfly.com

They're Here!

The last two mornings, I have woken up at 3:30 or 4, thinking about my baby ducks. I think a little bit was worry (what mom doesn't worry?), but most of it was excitement!

When I ordered them, the company told me that they would be delivered Tuesday-Friday of this week. Remembering back to previous duck shipments, I imagined that they would arrive on Wednesday.

I awoke early this morning and eager to meet the little ones! I had already talked with a good friend at school, MJ, the art teacher, about watching my class for the first 30 minutes of school should I be late one day this week. She was on standby. I got ready a little earlier, and quicker this morning, considering my fridge has been out, so I haven't been able to eat breakfast at home.

I got to school at about 6:15, carrying my phone with me where ever I went, expecting at any time a phone call from the local post office, who had told me they would typically sort the mail between 6-7am. Seven rolled around and I become sorely disappointed. About 7:15 as I was speaking with some colleagues about how disappointed I was, my phone rang!

I rushed to the post office, to find some very cheery postal workers who may have waited to call me because they had been enjoying listening to the little peepers! They told me that the little guys had been jamming out with them.

I got home and opened the box, always a scary moment. We have never had any problems, but I just don't want to open it to find any that have not made it. Thankfully, when I took the lid off of the little cardboard box, all the heads tilted up looking at me.

I began taking them out of the box one at a time and introducing them to their new home, a small crate, for now, in my backyard. Since these little guys are brand new to the world, I took each one, spoke to them and then stuck their beaks into the water so that they would know what it was.

I put them all in the cage and then decided I should count, just to make sure that I got all the ones I ordered. Counting baby ducks is sort of like counting elementary kids while they are playing a game in P.E.. I counted 15... strange, I ordered 14. I was positive I miscounted, so I counted them two more times and low and behold, there were 15! For some reason the people packing my box gave me an extra Blue Swedish!

After getting them all set up in their new home, it was time for me to go back to school. I was able to share the pictures and videos with my kids and friends though, and of course thought about my little ones most of the day.

As I type, I am sitting in my backyard with the babies roaming around freely, sometimes stopping to nibble on my toes.

They did not want to get out of their cage when I opened the door, it took some coaxing, but as soon as they got out, they realized that they had found heaven - weeds and bugs everywhere! The peck at everything that looks different (i.e. a freckle, a weed, discoloring in the concrete, water drops, etc.). They also love to follow and chase bugs, although right now, I don't think I would count on them for doing much to my bug population. The weeds that they pecked at for 10 minutes are still complete, not even a piece missing. They just enjoy the pecking process.

I have a little pool for them (a mold for a stepping stone). I did not want to put it in their cage with them because I did not want them to get too wet or too cold, but I have it out now while I am with them. Amazingly enough it took these ducks a while to take to the water like a duck. It started slow, just drinking the water from the side, then one or two found their way in. Before long though, the active little mallards were running right through the water, having a blast.

My backyard is perfect for them, they are free to run, basically everywhere since it is really quite small. The longer they have been out, the more comfortable they have gotten and the less they are moving about as an amoeba. They are still a bit timid, but I can tell that they are getting more used to my presence. I laid down on the grass and stayed quite still. They seemed to forget that I was even there. Some of them even came over and pecked at bugs landing on my legs.

To me, these little guys are almost mesmerizing. I could watch them for hours and still discover something new that they are doing. I feel like the new mom who says something about each little movement and each little sound that her infant child makes.

I can tell some of them apart, but a lot of them sort of came in pairs, so it will take me a while before I can tell them all apart. Plus, I need to get to know them a little bit more before I start giving them names. One of them, the yellow Indian Runner is very bold. She/he seems to be the bravest and the first to do almost anything. The two crested ducks seem to be the laziest, and the mallards, as always, seem to be the most active. It is like a whole classroom of kids, it will take a while to get to know each one of their little special personalities.

Of course, I know what you are all wondering about - Romeo. Well, not that anyone is very surprised, but I don't think he really likes them. To be honest, I believe it is more jealousy than thinking they look like a tasty meal. I let him out here with me for a little while and he did just fine, but the look in his eye told me I could not trust him alone! You know those videos and pictures sent around the internet of different types of animals playing or sleeping together? Well, I don't see that happening here! :)

P.S. - I have already taken lots of pictures, but it takes so long to load them here, I'm not going to do that. You can find the pictures on Facebook or rascats.shutterfly.com. If you are on Facebook, also look for the adorable videos of these little guys!

I'm Ready...

Now, I'm on standby. Like the mom who has her clothes packed for the hospital, and the nursery complete, I am waiting.

The ducks will be living, for now, in a crate in my backyard. It should be warm enough that they will not need any external heat. I had to add small plastic caging around the bottom of the crate because they are so small, they could easily escape. I have their food (chick starter) already in the container, along with their water. I believe the babies will enjoy their new home!

A New Mom!

As I have seen, new moms love to share all of the joys they experience as they are raising their new treasures. Blogging is such a wonderful way to share these wonderful times with so many family and friends at the same time.

I too am about to be a new mom - of 14! That's right, sometime this week, 14 baby ducks will be delivered to me and I will have the pleasure of raising these little darlings until they are big enough to go to the farm.

My parents and I have raised baby geese and/or baby ducks for as long as I can remember. They are so much more affectionate than people expect, geese especially. They do something that is called imprinting, where the first being they see, they believe is their mother. So even though my skin looks nothing like the fuzz on their bodies, they will truly believe I am their mother. They follow you just as they would follow their real mother around.

I have ordered these little darlings from McMurray Hatchery, http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html in Iowa. When ordering ducks, you must order at least 10 so that they will have body heat, and cushion, while being shipped. I know all of this sounds very cruel, but it really isn't! When ducks hatch, they have nutrients to get them through a day or two without having more. In the wild, this is so that all of the other eggs can hatch before mother duck has to get them to the water. In all of our years of ordering ducks, they have all made it just fine!

I have ordered a wide variety of ducks:
1 Buff
3 Indian Runners (3 different colors)
2 White Crested (they have little hats!)
2 Cayugas (black/green)
1 Blue Swedish
1 Khaki Campell
4 Female Mallards

Now is the anxious time... I feel like a new mother, not knowing when they will arrive! They are scheduled to arrive Tuesday-Friday of this coming week! I will just be waiting for a phone call from the post office early one morning to let me know that the little ones have arrived!