from Chris
As I’d mentioned last week, I tried my hand this spring at raising some ducks for Stevenson Ridge’s pond. We’ve had a few questions about the ducks since then, so let me take you back in time to Tuesday, May 23, when the ducks first arrived. I received a call from the post office at 4:30 a.m., inviting me to come on down and pick up my ducklings. They arrived in a box smaller than a shoebox.
I had already built a brooder in my garage, complete with a heat lamp so they could keep warm (that’s why the lighting is red).
Each duckling was about the size of a lemon.
Ducks grow fast, and within a couple weeks, I had to double the size of the brooder. By mid-June, their feathers had developed enough that they could stay warm while swimming. In the driveway, Jennifer and I set up a baby pool enclosed in a plastic baby playpen. Each day, we carried the ducks out to the baby pool to let them practice swimming, get exercise, and clean themselves up.
And yes, if you were wondering, ducks DO take to water. 😉
If you look at the pictures, you’ll see just how fast they’ve grown!