They’re here!
Forty-three of the cutest little beings imaginable.
These are a breed of ducklings called Khaki Campbells. We’re raising them (for the first time ever!) because we want organic, pastured duck eggs.
These little guys had big adventures on their first day alive! They left the incubation chamber they cracked themselves out into and got scooped up by an orange-bearded man (Bryan). Bryan then drove them 3 hours home (he picked them up at Wayne Oulton’s Farm – W.G Oulton & Sons – in Windsor, NS). Once he got them home, I (Shannon) ran from the field where I’d been transplanting and carried these puffballs into the porch where we’ve created a brooder for them to live for the first few weeks of their lives.
They all look alike so we have no hopes of remembering any names….though, at least for now, there’s one we’re calling Baldy…because there’s a little bald patch on her/his head where the fuzz hasn’t fully grown in. I expect it’ll grow in pretty quickly and we won’t be able to tell Baldy apart any longer.
They’ve all been exploring the different areas of their new home.
They’ve got their 2 water dishes….I floated bits of weeds in one of them so they’d get a taste for them. They are obsessed with those floating bits!
They have 2 feed dishes which we’ve filled with organic starter mash from our friends Mark and Sally at Barnyard Organics in PEI.
And they have 2 heat lamps where they’ve been nestling under for their little naps.
Just like chicks, they have complete disregard when any of their siblings are napping….they just run right over them!
Their feet drive me wild! I love watching them pad around on them. And up close, they look dinosaur-like.
This little baby is wiped out from his big adventures!
Check out the video we made of their first day in this world and hear their constant chatter. And see if you can spot Baldy!
Lil’ Kevin’s been keeping an eye on them through the window.
Wow are they ever cute! This should a wonderfully different adventure for both you and Bryan.
I remember visiting the Oulton farms years ago, back when I worked at Co-op Atlantic and Mr Mike Oulton (father) was on the board of directors. It was quite a farm. The variety of animals was amazing.
I wish you all the best in this new adventure.
Amusez-vous bien! (have fun)
I love them! And I’d like to have some ducks down the road… if you ever consider breeding them in a couple years I’d be interested in getting some for our farm from you!