Wednesday, June 30, 2010

all ducks, all the time

tomorrow's post
won't be about ducks.
i promise.

but, today's post is ALL ducks.

marian & patito

patito's first swim.

a little less pecking, a little more socializing

swimming together

answers to a few questions that have come up:

"what are you calling the ducklings?"
i have always called the eggs & ducklings ducka.
(as in, "oh, DUCK-ah!")
weird, yes, but it seems right.
then there's pip, pippa, pippopotamus.
we've been calling patito by his/her full name.
maybe it's because it sounds like "petite~oh"
which suits tiny patito.
tito sounds tougher
& may serve him well in adolescence.

"what are you feeding the ducklings?"
we are feeding them purina "flock raiser"
(it looks like grape-nuts)
but they have also eaten lots of mosquitoes
in our backyard - they can catch them mid-air.

"what are you going to DO with these two ducks?"
well, we don't really have an exit strategy
for this egg rescue/duck hatching project.
some folks have suggested
turning them loose at our nearby ponds.
(note: the mallards are there year-round.)
others have balked,
saying that human-raised ducks won't have the
duck skill-set necessary to be wild ducks.
my sweet friend jessica,
who has experience with egg rescue/duck hatching,
says that once their ducklings moved outside,
they kept them in an enclosure
without a roof. 
they could fly away when they chose,
and return to a safe home-base
whenever they needed.
this sounds like the best option to me,
but i would love your thoughts & ideas.

6 comments:

sewmuchwhimsy said...

I love the duck posts! I have nothing to offer about the "exit strategy." But I know you will figure out the best one!! xoxo Gretchen

Dianne said...

I too love the duck posts! It's good to see they are becoming buddies. I am sure you will figure the exit stategy out...you are most capable of doing it all. I am still amazed! By the way, Marian is a cutie!

Unknown said...

Set them free!!! They should be in the pond with their friends and family. You can visit them every day and everyone will be happy. Especially me.

Emily said...

I'm so glad you answered some questions! I have been most interested! Ah what to do as they get older......I know you will make a good choice!

Dianne said...

Rich is very funny!

Donna said...

Gorgeous blog Catie ..I came here looking for chick peas and got more chicks than I bargained for... your little duckies are so adorable.
Still looking for the chick peas but loving every minute of it.
MAISIE ..(from the Tee Pee 0

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