It’s been a rough spring on the farm!
Let me tell you, keeping animals is hard.
Like, daydreaming-of-throwing-in-the-towel hard.
We’ve seen a lot of loss here in the past couple of months and so I, really and truly, just didn’t want to tell you another sad story.
So I didn’t tell you when our fiercely independent mama duck (the one who set her clutch on our neighbor’s property) was absconded with by a predator one night just over two weeks ago.
Yes, if you’re keeping track, she literally went missing right after I posted here about all of the duckling abundance that was seemingly headed our way.
But I didn’t say anything here or on social media because I was just too heartbroken and I just really didn’t want to tell you another sad story.
And so, after a little less than 24 hours of waiting and deeply hoping she’d return, we debated what to do with her 16 perfect eggs still on her perfect nest…
We wondered if we should put them under Kitty, but she had just set her own clutch and we didn’t want to risk her tossing the whole nest or hatching out these older eggs and then tossing her own eggs which were about three weeks behind.
We also lamented the fact that not a single one of our hens has gone broody in over a year.
So we brought them inside, candled them, and put them under a heat lamp (because, as you might remember, the incubator we purchased was defective)…
And we asked our friends and Ember’s classmates and County Extension if there were any extra/empty incubators floating around that we could borrow…
But it’s spring, so the answer was, “Nope. They’re all in use.”
And then, as we approached the 48 hour mark, Kim found an incubator on Craigslist…
So they now had a safe place to stay, at least.
And then we waited…
And we turned and candled and turned and candled…
And we were told it’d be a miracle if any of those babies survived at all.
And slowly, one by one, they stopped developing.
We went from 16 to 13 to ten to three.
But I told you I wasn’t going to tell you another sad story…
And so I won’t.
No, this is not another sad story…
It’s a story of extreme resilience…
And hope and perseverance despite all the worst odds.
Because, Wednesday evening, we started hearing little knocking noises…
And we starting watching tiny eggshells crack open, an itty bitty bit at a time…
And by Thursday evening we could hear chirping from time to time…
And the cracks were getting bigger and bigger…
And by Friday morning we had not one, but two sweet ducklings make their way out of their shells and into this wild world of ours.
And so, miracle of all miracles, two of that fierce mama’s sweet babies have survived!
And now, with these two babies looking for a mama, we have two more babies to bond with and care for.
Aren’t they just lovely?
And so my heart swells.
xoxo,
M
P.S.
Here’s the actual busting forth of the first sweet duckling, filmed by our good friend Cameron who was here helping with Disbudding Day.
How are the ducklings?
Hi Tonya! Thanks for checking in! I’ll have another update shortly (maybe even today, if I can pull some photos together), but for now…we’re down to one. Strong little bugger, she is, but alone none-the-less. She’s become my shadow and I’ll take it, though I feel horrible for her in her loneliness. Kitty should hatch her clutch in the next day or so and after a bit of time, we’ll see if our singleton can join the newest batch of ducklings…
Aww bless her little heart 🙁
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So glad to read a happy ending. May those little ducklings have long and happy lives. Right now I’m at that “thinking of throwing the towel in” stage.
Oh Bill…the struggle is real, isn’t it? I’ve come around the other side of it and am working to cherish each moment I have with each of these amazing creatures we’ve been entrusted with, but I also know that another wave will surely hit…eventually. I do hope you’re practicing some self-care and doing your best to stay present with yourself and your brood. This path is intense, and so beautiful and bountiful to round out the rough spots <3
So happy to hear that two ducklings made it. They are real fighters!
I read this with tears in my eyes! Oh what a ride it’s been for you all there!! And now two babies to raise and love. I am so thankfull those little bitty ducks made it 😊 I am thankful there is a happy ending 😊 Enjoy those fluffy babies!
Such a wild ride, Linda. Thank you for all your love and support sent across the world for us here. I’ll have an update for everyone shortly 🙂
Oh, I am so happy for y’all! Definitely some much needed happiness.
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Thank you, Tonya! We are so very grateful!!! Hope you and yours are doing well!!!