adventures in ducks – Page 3 – Annie DeMoranville

Mabel and Maddie Were Fine Ducks

So we lost Maddie and Mabel a couple of weeks ago. Mabel died first in her sleep – since her day was ordinary and she did all her favorite things, I’m assuming it was just old age.

Maddie followed a week later, from what I am sure was a broken heart. They were tightly bonded and you could watch Maddie just slowly slip away. Again, she was the same age as Mabel, I’m assuming, so it wasn’t surprising.

They were slowing down considerably over the summer, nesting more than running around the yard. But they still chased bugs every morning, enjoyed their pools, and got feisty when the duckteens got out of line.

I did bring Penelope (rest in peace sweet thing) and Nick and Nora into the flock hoping that when and if one of the older ducks died, the remaining duck would have company. It was a long shot…

I knew Maddie and Mabel were slowing down, we didn’t really know how old they were when we rescued them, and healthy ducks only live from 5-8 years. Mabel had the most difficult time in the wild and probably only had a day or two left in her when we brought her home. It took a while for both to recuperate and Mabel’s health always seemed vulnerable. But they had a great life here and enjoyed being the official yard ducks. Gave us a lot of eggs and ate their weight in bugs, for sure.

They brought great joy to the yard and it was soooo nice to have ducks again after years without. I am grateful Nick and Nora are around to take up the mantle of official yard ducks. They seem up to the task.

x-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions

Ducklings and Danes: Ducklings Day Out

The ducklings seemed bored today and were managing to get into a bit of trouble inside. So even though it was only in the mid-fifties, I decided some outdoor time would be good for their mental health and mine.

Scout got in on the fun and was, as always, very respectful of the boundaries.

They really enjoyed themselves, digging in the dirt with their beaks and munching on straw, grass and whatever they were unearthing.

I sat nearby and when I realized they stayed on the side of the enclosure where I was, I moved to the other side. They followed and found all kinds of new things to explore.

It was a successful first foray into the wild. It will be warm for the next week, so they will get a lot more outdoor experiences.

Ducklings and Danes: Week 3

They are quickly (and everywhere) losing their downy yellow fluff. Their pin feathers aren’t quite filling in yet, so they have some bare pink spots all over. Especially their wings.

They spend a great deal of time out of their crate now. They mostly sleep on their blanket, but they do wander into the kitchen for some cat grass now and then. I expect they’ll become more mobile as curiosity takes precedence over growing. Right now, growing requires lots of eating and sleeping.

They get upset if I’m not nearby…unless Bixby is, then they are quite chill.

Bixby brought them a bunch of toys their first day out and ever since, they seek out those toys to snuggle on, so I make sure to put them on their blankets. Sometimes Bixby will drop a new one on the blanket for them.

The other day, the ducklings were out and I was busy working. Suddenly all I hear are duck feet running and lots of squawking.

They had made their way to the bathroom and were making a ruckus at the bathtub.

To recap, three weeks old, they know the word bathtime, they know how to find the bathroom and they know how to get their point across. Give them another week, they’ll be running their own bath.

I have lost all control.

(Oh, please, warm weather hurry up, these guys need outside time!)

Early this week, I was in the office, editing “bathtime video”, where I say it’s bathtime to the ducklings. They heard this and came running down the hallway and into the bathroom.

I had no choice but to run a bath for them. LOL

“Is it ready yet?”

I included a long section of bathtime zen, but don’t miss the end with them running down the hall to greet Bixby after their bath.

Ducklings and Danes Week 2

This has been a big week. They’ve been learning to swim (yes, they kind of have to learn), they’ve spent time running around the house (for enrichment – once the weather is nice, they’ll go outside in their penned area to explore), and their time with the Danes is much more playful and they hold their own.

Ducklings and Danes Day 2

As promised. More photos and a video:

Day 2 was a bit more relaxed, Bixby was content to sleep on the couch, where he could see them if they did something that needed his attention. But for the most, he has adapted to their continued intrusion on his life.

Zander on the other hand:

Is unsure of what the hell I’ve done now. LOL

They are adorable. They are still unnamed for the next week or so…

There’ll be more updates…