Our Newest Hatchling

When I got home from work yesterday, the kids ushered me into the house so that I could see we had another duckling working it's way into the world.  The pic to the left was how it started it's lengthy process.  It is so interesting to watch them make their way out.  A duck egg is quite thick and they have to really work at it.  We could hear it peeping from inside the egg. 

 After a while, we did help pull the shell away from its face and then it pushed its way out.  It was all wet and very fragile looking.  We left it in the incubator so it would stay warm enough.  When it had pushed its way all the way out, we removed the shell and left it in the incubator to dry and stay warm.


It amazes me how something can grow in a shell this way and arrive in the world knowing exactly what it's suppose to do. It knows to groom itself. It knows that it's hungry and instinctively start foraging for food and water.  The personality is there right from the beginning.  Such a delicate, fragile creature.  

I'm going to put some chickens eggs in and see what happens next. Obviously our ducks are at work.  I think this one is Chocolate colored and may be the offspring of our Khaki Campbell male.  Whether the female was fawn Indian runner or Rouen or Swedish, I'm not sure. We have Cayuga, Campbell, Peking and Swedish males that I'm sure of. Our females are Cayuga, Peking, Runners, Rouen, and Blue and Black Swedish.  I know the males like all the females so it's any one's guess.

Warm and Dry Duckling #2