We have 10 new additions to our farm thanks to a broody Welsh Harlequin and a male Muscovy that’s good at male duck activities.

BROODY DUCK

All spring and into summer both Welsh Harlequin ducks have been broody and waddling around like crazy. Last month one of the ducks hatched ducklings. Not long after, the other duck began sitting on eggs in almost exactly the same spot.

THEY HATCHED

One afternoon Farmer John heard a duckling and spotted it near its mama. The next day mama and her 10 babies ventured out for a swim.

DEAR OLD DAD

Daddy is our muscovy duck, Sally.

Muscovies are an odd duck. Since they are slightly different than other ducks, these babies will be sterile. Which is fine with me. We don’t need a bunch of breeding ducks.

NINE DAYS OLD

We left for vacation the day after the ducklings hatched. We came back home to all 10 ducklings appearing to be healthy as can be.

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The newest additions to our farm are 5 ducklings hatched on site. This is a first for us.

I’m going to be honest, we haven’t had a lot of success with ducks. So this is a huge milestone.

NEWBIES TO OUR POULTRY PARK

I was in the garden when Farm Girl came running over hollering, “We have ducklings! Mom, we have baby ducks!!!”
Sure enough, we did.

Our two Welsh Harlequins have been taking turns being broody this spring. I had suspicions that our Muscovy was a male, but wasn’t sure. So, I didn’t know if the eggs they were sitting on were even fertile. Eventually, though, all the needed elements came together and a clutch of eggs produced babies.

DADDY DUCK

Back at the Fall Poultry Swap Farm Kid2 picked out a duck. He bought it straight run, not knowing if it was male or female. I was hoping for female, but either was fine. Since then I’ve been watching to see if I could tell if it was boy or girl. But, I’ve never had a muscovy duck, so I didn’t really know what to look for. And, even just a few months ago it was hard to tell. However, this caruncled face and the fact that our other two ducks are ladies pretty much answers the question. This duck’s a dude.

GOING FOR A SWIM

So, so cute!
I love watching mama taking her babies for a swim.

I try to focus on how cute it is, as opposed to thinking about 5 little poopers in my pond.

TIME TO REST

When they were done with their swim mama let them know it was time to go. And, off they went to their secret hiding place.

Sharing this post with the Homesteading Hippie and their From the Farm Hop

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We’ve had ducks for a few years now. We’ve tried a variety of water methods for bathing & playing. Some ideas have worked better than others.

KIDDIE POOL IN A DUG OUT HOLE = THUMBS DOWN

PLASTIC BARREL ABOVE GROUND = THUMBS DOWN

BACK YARD PONDS = THUMBS UP

What I Like: The back yard ponds make the ducks happy. They swim & frolic & bathe. I would guess this is their favorite water method.
What I Don’t Like: Ducks are filthy, filthy pooping machines which is not good for the water quality of the pond. The ducks also devour my pond plants & fish.

KIDDIE POOL ABOVE GROUND = 2 THUMBS UP

What I Like: Being above ground makes it possible to dump out the water and easily refill it as often as needed. This is my favorite method.

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My favorite thing about having ducks:
Watching them play in the pond!

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I got ducks!!! I’ve been wanting ducks. But when our chicken population continues to grow & grow, the last thing we need are more feathered friends simply because I want them. The other day Farmer John mentioned how he would like to get a duck that eats slugs. We have Mr. Duck, but he’s not much of a slug eater. The next day I went & found us some ducks… before the hubby changed his mind. They are 4-5 week old Welsh Harlequins & I love them already.

I tried getting an Easter themed photo of the ducks. However, they thought running around quacking was better than standing/sitting still for a pic. Thankfully, I caught this shot mid quack.

It is such a warm, fuzzy feeling watching the little ducks play in our pond.

They just keep playing, swimming, drinking & cleaning themselves. Happy, happy ducks!

Occasionally they would come out of the pond, but not for long. They kept going back for more. Eventually, I had to tell them play time was over.

This poor little guy must have been the runt. He’s smaller than the other two & has wonky legs. They should not be turned in so he’s stepping on his own foot. Supposedly swimming is good exercise for his legs & will hopefully improve the wonky-ness.

I him, wonky legs & all.

Chicks hatching & bringing home ducklings says Spring really is here! Happy First Day of Spring 2013!

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We have tried a variety of watering methods & the thing that has worked best for us are the use of waterer nipples. Farmer John attaches 2, 3 or 4 nipples in a bucket or similar container then hangs the bucket in the coop or brooder. Sometimes he adds 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the water, as well. This keeps the water clear & free from algae type growth. It also acts as a natural dewormer for the chickens.

THE NIPPLE

The nipple we use is a push in style, as opposed to screw in. Farmer John drills a small hole in a container and the nipples attach easily.

There are many places to get the nipples, and as they are becoming more popular the farm stores are starting to carry them, but Farmer John orders ours from QC Supply. We’ve had them a number of years, and they haven’t needed replacing.

HOW WE USE THEM

The nipples are attached to a 5 gallon bucket (or something similar). The bucket hangs right at chicken height & water doesn’t drip out of the nipple until a bird pushes against it.
A definite advantage to this type of system is the ease of refilling the waterer. I don’t have to fight with an annoying plastic container that doesn’t want to unscrew. I just put a hose in the bucket.

My other favorite thing about this set up is that it keeps the brooder clean! Chicks can’t step in, poop in or drop food in this waterer. They learn very quickly how to get a drink.

Waterers hanging in a chicken tractor, duck pen & brooder. We adjust the height of the bucket as needed.

Our friends at Sain Creek Poultry & Hobby Farm don’t use buckets, but have quite a system of pipe through much of their coop with the nipples attached.

We use this watering method for all our feathered friends.

Here’s to Happy Chickens/Turkeys/Quail/Ducks & Clean Waterers!

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