Or, a Series of Unfortunate Farm Events
Uh-oh, someone’s out of the nest.
I’ll save you!
Cuteness abounds
Back safe and sound
Now I’d really like the story to just end right there. Unfortunately farming isn’t all cuteness and fluff. If you’re looking for cuteness and fluff, you might want to try another blog about puppies or kittens or rainbow ponies. This blog you’re reading right now is peppered with tales of tragedy and woe.
Two ducks were setting on nests in the duck shed. The night before these pictures were taken, all of the first duck’s ducklings disappeared. The night after these pictures were taken, all of these ducklings disappeared. No sign of them at all.
The first duck sat on her remaining eggs for a couple more days and then gave up and left. The second duck is still setting. Except that there was another unfortunate farm event today, wherein our boar Oliver escaped his pen, found the duck shed, and proceeded to lunch on duck eggs. So I’m not even sure if she has anything left to set on. (And the rotten egg smell emanating from the duck shed is extremely unfortunate.)
Then I saw another duck that had apparently hatched her eggs in the pasture somewhere. I could see her marching across the pasture with a bunch of ducklings following. Now I haven’t seen them in a couple of days. I’m hoping I’m just not looking at the right time of day.
I have 2 more ducks setting on nests in the chicken coop. Let’s hope for some success there. If not, then I guess ducks are just not going to be a good fit on our farm. Unfortunately.
cute but sad. i hope all it works out and ducks flourish on your farm. my father-in-law has a saying “if you deal in live-stock you have to deal with dead-stock.” farming sure can be a heart wrenching endeavor.
Kelli,Keep your chin up! Remember the good days of rainbows, new births, first tomato from the garden…There’s a lot of heartache in farming/ranching and there is no other way to paint it.
My ducks hatched 20 ducklings this year. Yesterday one of the mothers, another duck and 3 broilers were killed by a coyote. As I was picking up bodies the coyote came back for more but I chased him away. One of the other ducks has adopted the ducklings so life goes on although sadder and more watchful.
You could brood the ducklings like you do the meat chickens.They do fine without mom as long as they have a heat lamp. That may cut down on the losses. We penned mom’s and just hatched babies in a critter proof coop in the barn and have had no losses so far.A friend of mine said there is a good market for the ducks around here.She sold all she raised when she had ducks. Hugs
Seems ducks the world over are a pretty vulnerable lot – posted my own duck tragedy two days a go, although these were wild, so not sure what predator or mishap befell them.
Poor ducks!Feliciahttp://www.fluffyflowers.typepad.com/
I’ve had my heart set on a pair of Pekins waddling around here, but every attempt ends disastrously – I don’t know if the foxes and coyotes find them tastier or just easier to catch….
Thanks for the duck sympathy everybody! Yesterday there were 3 babies in the duck shed, so I guess Oliver didn’t get that hen’s remaining eggs that she was setting on. Still not sure what might be taking the ducklings, though.