Ducklings are 5 Weeks Old

The ducklings are 5 weeks old and oh have grown! They are almost the same size as their mother. This past two weeks have really been a joy to watch them. But with bigger ducklings comes bigger messes and stronger orders.

It has been two weeks since the last update. I thought they were big then. Now they are almost the size of their mother. They are eating a lot more and becoming more adventurous. Sometimes the ducklings will wonder around the pen away from their mothers. As well as let me clean the pen without being threaten by their mothers.

The ducklings love to swim in their kiddie pool. We have to change the water on this every other day as they are pooping in the pool. The pool water brings in a whole new world of smells. I wish to add a fan to keep the orders down. I currently do not have a drain system in place for the pool. So we have to empty it with buckets since I do not want to flood their pen with duck poop water.

I turn their bedding and add fresh every couple of days as to keep the ground elevated and the old soiled bedding turned in. I am maintaining the coop this way for two reasons. One the birds need to stay in fresh clean bedding and two so I may have good composted to removed and add to the garden this fall. The digging and scratching by the chickens and ducks turns this old bedding into great garden soil quickly.  As the manure has not aged I cannot add to the garden while it is planted.

Freedom!!

Yesterday was the first day we allowed them to leave their pen to explore. The ducklings where very excited to waddle on grass and forge with their mothers. Surprisingly they did not want to swim in the pond. Instead they went around the barn eating bugs. Once the pen was cleaned out and the chickens turned up all the fresh straw, the two mommy ducks went back into the pen and left the little ones outside! Took a little bit for the ducklings to notice that they were along outside. But as soon as they did notice they waddled back into the pen.

Three more weeks until the ducklings are officially adult ducks. The ducklings will be fully feathered out and hopefully we can figure out the sex of each duck. We would like all hens but can accept if there is one drake.