Make Way for Ducklings

Introducing…

We’ve dreamt of adopting ducklings ever since we were on duckling duty during our New Zealand farmstay. It was there that we first cared for Muscovy ducklings and teenagers. We tucked them in each night to protect them from predators, and greeted them each morning. Two years have passed and we are back in the same rhythm on our little plot of land in Charlottesville. We will offer them shelter, a small pond, food, and coop-cleaning services. In return, we hope they eat some of the slugs from the garden, provide some natural fertilizer, eat the grass, and give us a few eggs from time to time. Oh, and cuddles! 

We found these feathered friends on Craigslist. They had hatched out mid-November. While we were originally planning to get baby ducklings, we got bogged down by the sadness of hatcheries, cross-country flights for newborns, and what happens to all those males…Teenager ducklings in need of adoption just an hour’s drive away felt like the right decision. And they were the same breed as the birds we cared for in New Zealand! 

While my Mom and I drove to retrieve the ducks, Andrew rushed to install the roof on the duck coop…in the rain. They raised quite a chatter in the car ride back from Richmond. We tried to reassure them as they Peep Peep Peep Peep Peep Peeped. They eventually settled down for a nap. 

Once back in Charlottesville, after the final gaps in the coop had been covered in hardware cloth, we retrieved the ducks from the car. We tucked them in to their woodshavings-filled, marble-tiled, pallet palace for the night. 

This past week we’ve delighted in watching them splash around in the pond while taking their morning bath. We’ve loved how every day they’ve become more comfortable with us around. They’ve been quite social when our friends came to visit, too. I even introduced them to the mailman. 

There’s just one little complication. I told the seller that I wanted a majority of female ducks, and ideally just one drake. But as you can tell from the chosen names, we are pretty certain that we ended up with the opposite. He insisted that it was too early to differentiate hens from drakes, but it only took a few minutes of watching our four ducklings frolic around the yard for us to reach our conclusion. Peppa is much smaller than her three brothers and she has mature wings. Apparently these are the tell-tale signs to look for. We’ll see how the gender imbalance shakes out as they mature. We might have to find two of the drakes a new home if they all start to gang up on our little Peppa!

Come visit us and play with the ducks. They’ll eat right out of your hand!