Blackham Ducks 2018

This was the first year in a few, where we didn't have ducklings. But we did have ducks for all twelve months of the year. This was the first year we kept the ducks over the winter. This crew had been hatched so late in the year, they weren't old enough to take off on their own. Moreover, they weren't full Mallards, as their mom had been a domestic Buff. So they were bigger and heavier and likely wouldn't survive. We'd clipped their wings to keep them from flying (there had been a couple accidental pops over the neighbor's fence), and even when then flight feathers grew back in ... they never tried to fly away again. 

Winter was a little tough. With the water turned off, I'd have to manually lug a pail of water out in the morning and evening. Grayson had put a big piece of plastic over the front of the pen, so I could still see inside, but would stop snow from blowing in. I'd still let the ducks free range most of the time. Often they'd end up right on the back step, outside the door (picture above).  We were all happy when the weather warmed up and there was no more snow. 

With Spring ... the two girls were old enough to start laying eggs. And they did! 

It was like Easter everyday, as I'd do a little search around to see if I could find any. 

This egg looks brown, I think it's just the light, and a bit of dirt. 

All the eggs were white.

Life with four ducks. They take a bit of caring for. Out in the morning to make sure they have fresh water and grain, look for eggs. Take them some treats (peas, grapes, watermelon, tomatoes). Once when it rained and the earthworms emerged, I spent the morning picking them up from the sidewalks and streets and keeping them on hand for my babies.

My duckies say "What the Hail?"

Then, Gabby died. I could tell something was off with her for a day or so. She stopped wandering around with the other three. She wasn't really eating. We don't know what it was. Super sad :( So for a while there, it was just the three ducks. Now with ducks, you always want more females, so it was either getting rid of one of the males, or getting more girls. We got more girls. We adopted three pretty Welsh Harlequins. I named them Quinn, GG and ... the one came with a name, HandyQuack. Her back had been damaged during a prior move. She was okay, but had a limp and a different set to her wings.

Six ducks.

With four girls, we got a lot of eggs.

They would really vary in size.

The girls weren't always consistent. Some days I'd get four eggs, other days only two. They'd often switch where they were laying, and the new girls would almost always lay their eggs together in the same spot. They'd take turns on the nest. IF I was to allow them to sit and hatch some babies ... which one of them would take on the task? But no ... no babies this year, and we were enjoying the eggs.

As Spring rolled into Summer, and Summer to Fall, and Winter was coming ... was I committed to another Winter, lugging water and going out in the cold and worrying about the birds in the backyard? I guess so ...

Here's a peek at a year in the life of Blackham Ducks.