Mr. and Mrs. Duck have done their job.
I put Mr. and Mrs. Duck in charge of our six baby Pekins.
After free-ranging briefly, I put Mr. and Mrs. Duck back in the chicken yard to adopt and raise the Pekins. They’re grown now. They’re huge. In fact, they’re bigger than Mr. and Mrs. Duck.
And Mr. and Mrs. Duck have a new job.
Their own babies, the three ducklings that hatched in my incubator after I picked up some of Mrs. Duck’s eggs.
And the chicken yard is getting crowded. The incubator chicks have graduated from the brooder into the chicken yard, joining the teenage chickens.
The teenage chickens are growing out their feathers. This was the sexed batch, all hens. And they’re gorgeous. I love the bearded Americaunas.
And my golden girls, the Buff Orpingtons.
There are also Dominiques, Barred Rocks, and Silver-Laced Wyandottes in this batch. They’re not ready to free-range yet, and they need more room in the chicken yard.
And the ducks need the pond.
I chased the six Pekins around the chicken house. Despite the travails of their life under chicken tyranny, they didn’t want to go. I shoved them, three per load, into a cat carrier and carried them out to the pond. Then I dumped them, forcibly by gravity, out of the carrier because once they were in the carrier, they weren’t leaving it.
They took to the water like, er, ducks to water.
The blissful, near euphoric bathing went on for hours.
Then Pekin #2 said to Pekin #5: “I’m never going back to that dry chicken hell hole. EVER”
And people could hear me banging my head against the wall all the way to Kentucky.
But it was so heartwarming to see them on the pond, to see them so happy. They are finally home.
You may now address correspondence to the Pekins at: Pekin Private Spa, 1 Pond Circle, Stringtown Rising Farm, USA.
Don’t expect them to write you back or anything, though. They’re busy. THEY’RE ON THE POND!!!!
shirley says:
Thanks Suzanne, for putting me in a “fowl” mood this morning.I’m so happy for your ducky wuckies. They sure do look happy.
On June 28, 2009 at 5:22 am
Mim says:
Duck #1 said: I told you all to get in the carrier, anything had to be better than these chickens….Now you may thank me for telling you all to get in the carrier…..the rest of you ducks owe me big time….
On June 28, 2009 at 5:50 am
Lynda Dunham-Watkins says:
I think I’d like to be a duck!
On June 28, 2009 at 5:51 am
Nancy in Atlanta says:
Oh, Happy Duck Days! I can just imagine the consternation in the chicken yard, wondering where you took the ducks. Wondering if they went into a pot. Wondering if chickens would start disappearing into a cat, er, duck carrier.
On June 28, 2009 at 6:20 am
Mia says:
Aww…how idyllic!
We have 24 eggs in our incubator so I’m right there with you in the whole egg-chick-broody thing.
On June 28, 2009 at 6:23 am
Stacy says:
they are quite lovely, I could sit by the pond all day and just watch them swim.
On June 28, 2009 at 6:31 am
Jyl says:
I want a pond.With a swan! You need a swan.
On June 28, 2009 at 6:53 am
Runningtrails-Sheryl says:
That is heartwarming, alright! They are such cuties! I want some ducks too!! (and a pond.)
On June 28, 2009 at 6:58 am
jane says:
Don’t chickens mix when they are all together and the eggs are fertilized by a different breed of rooster?
On June 28, 2009 at 7:22 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Yes, they do. I’m not trying to raise a specific breed of chickens, so I don’t care. I’ll be picking up most of their eggs anyway, and I like a colorful mix of chickens. But if you’re trying to raise a breed, you’d want to keep them separated or just keep one breed.
On June 28, 2009 at 7:25 am
The Old Gray Egg says:
That looks like a natural duck pond. How big is it? I always worry about snapping turtles and ducks in a pond. But they sure look happy.
On June 28, 2009 at 9:04 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
It’s not a very big pond. The kids call it a big puddle, though, LOL. It’s actually not a natural pond. It was dug out with a tractor and it sits at the base of a hill where it’s fed by natural springs so that it stays full all the time, even in the summer.
On June 28, 2009 at 9:11 am
Angie says:
I am SO not telling my ducks about your pond. They would feel so mistreated the next time they jumped into the baby pool in our pasture!
On June 28, 2009 at 9:37 am
Pat in Tennesse says:
I had two ducks in Pa, we lived on a river so plenty of swimming for them too. They were called Donald and Daisy, Donald would follow me down the road for walks, he got so far from home he would go running back. I loved those ducks, they were big fat white ducks. No babies though, I could never find Daisy’s eggs. I don’t think she was ever interested in the nesting process. Your farm is great!
On June 28, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Estella says:
The ducks look soooo happy in their new home.
On June 28, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Ms E says:
Please keep us posted on life at the Pekin Private Spa, that’s a hoot! I still think you need to add Silkies to your chicken mix…
On June 28, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Stacie says:
Looks like they have really taken to their new home.
Great pictures!
On June 28, 2009 at 2:22 pm
wildcat says:
You have a sheep that thinks she’s a dog, and now you have a dog that thinks he’s a duck. Your farm is a funny place!
On June 28, 2009 at 2:58 pm
KentuckyFarmGirl says:
I was wondering what hat noise was I heard way over here in KY!
Congrats to the ducks on their new hang out!
On June 28, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Amber says:
Awesome! I’m so happy for the ducks, they have it good.
On June 28, 2009 at 7:14 pm
iowacowgirl says:
the ducks are definitley in Utopia!
and I LOVE the Buff Orpingtons. They have always been my favorite poultry
On June 29, 2009 at 8:03 am
Katharina says:
Oh, please, let Mr. & Mrs. Duck and their babies out of that dry chicken hell hole and let them swim. FREE MR. MRS. DUCK & BABIES! WE DEMAND FREEDOM!
On June 29, 2009 at 9:38 am
MissyinWV says:
“the dry chicken hell hole”….Hilarious. I love reading yout stories… WHAT LUCKY DUCKS!
On July 9, 2009 at 4:14 am
Margie says:
On July 11, 2009 at 8:22 am
Terrie says:
We raised 7 Pekin ducks and put them in our pond (retention) when they were old eough to swim. One duck disappeared several months ago – there was no
sign of what happened. We lost another one last night, a female, and again cannot find a trace. The pond is full of turtles that are always hungry. I have seen the turtles sink a dead Canadian goose in
less than 5 minutes. Could they be the culprit with
our live ducks. Our neighbors are as fond of the
ducks as we are and everyone enjoys them. I feel like should be doing something more to protect them.
Thanks for any help you can give. Terrie
On August 6, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Suzanne says:
Hi, Terrie. I have to tell you that I don’t know and am in the same boat you are. I feel sure we don’t have turtles (yet, at least) as we have a new (and very small) pond, but we have had two of our ducks disappear without a trace. I’ve had other people in the area warn me about turtles, so I know that is a danger. I don’t know if the raccoons have gotten ours or if they are just wandering off to the river, which is quite nearby. The difficult thing about free-ranging is that to give them freedom, they are also put at some risk. I can’t stand to keep ducks and chickens confined, though.
On August 6, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Terrie says:
Thanks Suzanne. Maybe someone else will have an answer for both of us. Terrie
On August 7, 2009 at 12:16 pm