A Good Life Indeed

So now they are just chilling out. They think outside is wonderful. Except for hawks circling and cawing--they bundle together to protect themselves. We put them in at night and let them out in the morning. They stay inside the shed while we are at work---they are still such babies. Not even three weeks old! But this weekend we are going to teach them how to swim. That will be exciting.

Home Sweet Almost Home

They were impressed by their new digs. Honest. They were like: check...this...out!

Travel Time!

Then the hard part: rounding up the little critters. They peeped bloody murder, but quieted down when we got them in their travel box.

The Ducks Move Out of the Basement!

Steve worked on the outside of the shed. I set up the inside. It was really pretty easy. I think it looks pretty cozy.

Daddy Duck Does the Dance

Steve is trying to move like a duck. I am not sure it is working. Anyways, that is the basement steps leading up to the shed: new home of the ducks (for like two weeks).

Lettuce is not enough

I realized that lettuce was all they looked forward to. And that's no fun.

The ducks started to look pretty big in their little baby tub. I was beginning to feel badly for them. And their chips had to be changed a lot. And no offense? But they started to stink up the joint.

Ten days old?

The ducks now are connoisseurs of lettuce. It is so much fun to feed them. They eat out of your hand and they like to nip your hand flesh when all the lettuce is gone. They will also try to get your rings if you wear one. They eat so much and when you get home and first say hello to them they run up to the edge of the tub like little puppies, eagerly waiting for food. (I like to think they are also happy to see me.)

Their frenzy to eat is so endearing. Why is that? That someone is so excited that I am giving them a little handful of chopped up lettuce is so fulfilling on a very gut level. Oh, it just makes them so happy!

Aww, who's a little sleepy bunch of ducks?

Crazies!

After the ducks finish eating they get sort of jazzed up and do this thing we call "the crazies." They run like crazy all around their little tub. Then they stop. Then, some duck will start it all up again and they will all peep like crazy!
Crazies!

Water!

Ducks obviously love water. This one was trying to swim in the water dish. Nice one-legged swimming!

98 degrees in the basement

They were so tired after they ate that first night. They didn't know where to put their little heads so they just flopped over to the side. One duck was standing and starting to wobble. He had fallen asleep and promptly fell right over!

Week One

When we first got the ducks in the mail they were so tiny! Steve picked them up at the post office and they were in a little cardboard box peeping away. When I got home, he had the whole set up put together: a blue plastic baby pool filled with pine shavings, food and water troughs, and a nice warm heat lamp. They began eating and drinking right away.