The ducklings are getting so big so fast! We change their bedding out about 2-3 times a day now. When I come home from school it smells remarkably like a barnyard. Not the most welcoming smell I could imagine coming home too…
The other day I thought they looked kind of dirty on their bellies. The yellow duckling was starting to look brown on her belly and I felt so badly that they had gotten dirty. I decided to let them take a bath to clean up and then realized they were not actually dirty. Instead their grown-up-duck-feathers are coming in on their bellies, making it look darker than the rest of them. The yellow one is a white/fawn duckling and apparently her belly is the fawn color!
They still enjoyed the big adventure in our bathtub (see video above). After the initial fun splashing around, they started focusing on grooming themselves. They dive into the water to splash it up onto their backs. It is really cute, especially when they stand up and “shake it out”.
Their tail feathers look like they are starting to grow in as well. In just three or four weeks, they have grown leaps and bounds. We keep increasing their brooder size, but pretty soon it will just be time for them to move outside to a bigger space. That assumes the weather stays warmer and their all “feathered out”.
I have to say they have been easy-peasie to raise so far. They are still not totally sure of us, but we bribe them with food and all their fears seem to vanish. Our chickens are excited to meet their new cousins and we are looking forward to some supervised play in the backyard soon. We also plan to decide on namesΒ later this week!
Darling!!!
So, lemme ask you: you have these ducklings tagged under “backyard livestock.” are you planning to eat them once they are grown? and if so, isnt’ naming them and getting so attached to them a bad idea?
I’m using the term livestock to refer to farm animals being raised for a commodity, in this case eggs. We are not planning to eat these guys, but look forward to their eggs! Our friends at Merriam-Webster define livestock as: “animals kept or raised for use or pleasure; especially : farm animals kept for use and profit “.
This is the cutest thing I’ve seen alllll day. π
Boy those ducks sure can smell! We just got ours transferred outdoors permanently. And they are absolutely adorable in the bathtub, aren’t they?
Amy, they can definitely get stinky in the house. So glad they are enjoying their new digs outside.