New Baby Ducklings First Swim 2018
It took me awhile to get an update on our new ducks at Chicken Heaven On Earth but here they are. Have not thought of names for them yet. These ducks will not be adopted out. I have discovered a way to keep ducks from mucking the chickens water (using poultry water cups and a barrel) but have yet to figure out how to stop the chickens from drinking from the duck pool without separating them. They all roost in the same coop and since the ducks have been roosting with the chickens there have been no predator attacks on my small coop which I suspect is because the ducks will make such a ruckus the predators get scared and leave. Here are my new baby ducks taking their first swim in a dishpan. Too cute. Read their story below.
The Duckling with two mothers
Daffy Jr is Daffy ducks only child left
May 3, 2012
These cute little ducklings were rescued by Chicken Heaven On Earth. The person who brought them to us said he bought them as Easter pets for a family member and they could not keep them so they gave them back to him. He lives inside Mineral Wells City limits and was not allowed to keep them even though he purchased them inside city limits. Before you buy a live bird or animal for someone be sure to see if they want one and if they are able to keep them where they live. We have named these three little cuties in the video, Daisy (yellow) Daffy(grey) and Donnie Jo (black)
Update
July 2012
Daffy tries to drown a chicken hen
Daffy the Drake holds his head up high and leads the two duck hens everywhere they go. For the most part the two female ducks Daisy and Donnie Jo were a welcome addition to our flock of chickens, the drake named Daffy was fast becoming a problem. After he pushed a chicken hen into the pull and proceeded to hold her head under water trying to mate with her. Luckily, I was near, saw what happened and rescued the now soaked and scared to death hen. I put Daffy in a cage until I could move the pool into a caged area.
Update
May 2013
Drake Daffy becomes violent and gets checked by Kingpin rooster named Buttercup
Daffy made his escape from the caged area and fly's around the property which is very fun to watch. None of the ducks like to be handled, were too messy to keep in the hen house with the girls (not to mention they were impossible to catch as we don't use nets).
Daffy is consistently becoming more aggressive with the hens and has even challenged Buttercup (our kingpin boss Roo of the hens-that's what we call him) the Rooster who quickly let Daffy know that his hens were out of bounds but that did not stop Daffy. Daffy seemed to back off for a few days (having two duck hens of his own). I thought Daffy had heeded Buttercups warning when I found one hen with the back of her head cut in the perfect shape of the end of a duck beak. Daffy was caged again and the young hen named, "Nummy 1" recovered nicely. It was evident that Daffy was going to have to leave CHOE.
Update
June 2013
Daisy, Donnie Jo and Daffy's Adoption
Daisy and Donnie Jo started nesting in a empty doghouse on the property and took turns sitting on their little clutch of eggs (about 15 or 20). During this period Daffy the Drake has to be caged because he is extremely aggressive toward the hens. The decision was made that we needed to adopt him out to someone who did not have chickens. The day after we put the word out my neighbor from across the street told us he would be happy to adopt Daffy but he wanted the duck hens too. We agreed because this way they could keep their little dog house, pool, and all be together with the added benefit that we could see them as he put them in the front yard. It was not long and we could hear the little ducklings..peep, peep, peeping even from across the street. I had informed the man who adopted them that the Drake would have to be kept separate when the chicks hatch but apparently he was not paying attention. I also told him that if he ever decided he did not want them to just let us know and we will come and get them. We never expected what happened next.
Update
July 2013
Daffy, Daisy, Donnie Jo's Terrifying ordeal with their adopter
Rev. Penny Dean
"One morning I got up to go let the chickens out of the hen house and heard the ducks quacking frantically across the street. Thinking it was a snake or predator I started running toward them when I noticed the neighbor had a rifle in his hand and pointing it at the ground in some tall grass, he fired a shot and I thought he must have killed a snake..both Donnie jo and Daisy the duck hens came running to his fence line toward me when the neighbor fired a second shot while I was hollering,"What is it?, What is it?" when suddenly he reached down and picked it up even from where I stood more than 50 feet away I could see the flapping wings-.my heart broke into tiny shards of glass when I realized-he had shot Daffy-and then I was furious, too furious to deal with him at that moment. I told another neighbor what he had done and that I want the duck hens and any chicks returned right away. She told him and he allowed me to come get them while telling me the Drake was killing the baby ducklings and when he heard them while he tried to justify killing Daffy the Drake saying that morning he went out with his rifle thinking it was a predator and then he said Drake Daffy was the predator, grabbing the chicks and snapping their necks. Of ten chicks there were only two left-one of which had been in Daffy's mouth when the neighbor shot him. He admitted he acted rashly and should have brought the male back but insisted he could not catch him. I said nothing to him while I gathered the two hens and the ducklings later that evening.
Daisy, Donnie Jo and two ducklings return to Chicken Heaven On Earth
That night I moved the two hens and their two duckling who looked to be only 1-3 days old too the little tyke log cabin where they stayed when they were ducklings. I also brought their large dog house and pool back. They were so happy to be home and snuggled up together in the log cabin rather than the dog house with their baby chicks. Later that night I noticed the two baby chicks were still in a tiny pool I had made from the plastic bottom of a rabbit cage three hours later..they were drenched to the bone and shaking even though it was warm outside. I grabbed them up wrapping them in a towel and brought them in the house, warmed a towel and proceeded to dry them and keep them warm. I noticed they were very skinny, one of them's neck appeared to be twisted, and neither of them were eating. I made a mash from some chick feed and hard catfood soaked in water and tried to get them to eat. They ate a small amount and were now dry. I emptied the pools and pushed the baby duckling back under Daisy and Donnie Jo who were steadily calling for the chicks. The next morning I went to check on them and one of the chicks was dead. Only one remained so I took him from the two mother hens and placed him in a cage with a heat lamp by several baby chicks so he could learn how to eat.
The New sheriff named Daffy Jr. at CHOE
Meanwhile both mother duck hens cried out for their baby, so I take him outside to visit with them everyday and the hens would calm down. Each day I would let him take a swim in the duck pool and each day the mothers would come to the pool and call him out. He would follow them everywhere and while one hen was laying an egg, he would follow the other one and vice versa, come nightfall both mothers would bring the little duckling to the log cabin and leave him there each night and then they would leave him there and come to my door quacking loudly. When I come outside each night-there is Daffy waiting for me to bring him in and put him in his rabbit cage and the next day we would do the same thing until a few nights ago when Daffy Jr.'s two mothers decided to keep him outside with them.
Daffy Jr. gets lost and finds a third mother
The chicken hens seem to know better than to mess with the little duckling ..and it is hilarious when he loses both of his mother duck hens and starts to follow every chicken hen running in circles until he finds his Duck mothers. One of our Buff Orps named Betty Jo (4 years old) who just happens to be one of the best when it comes to mothering chicks (even if they are not her own-she hears little Daffy jr. peeping and watches to see if the duck mother's are around. If she does not see them she rounds the little duckling up-he will follow her and she will bring him to the mother ducks but if she does not find them (we live by the river) she will bring little Daffy Jr. to me when she tires of looking for his mothers. Betty Jo is what we call a dominant queen of our flock. There are 4 queens but Betty Jo is the toughest and her age and authority goes unchallenged by younger hens. When the hens seen Betty Jo strutting with her new found baby duckling not one hen approached but stayed back, watching , and cackling amongst each other as Betty Jo walked with her head pushed down and wings out to protect the duckling while she made threatening noises to anyone who even came close to approaching the duckling. Betty Jo does this every day now while the duck mothers lay their new eggs in the dog house, and every single one of the chicken hens move out of Daffy Jr.'s way when he comes peeping through the crowd-head held high..just like his Daddy Daffy Sr. did before him-..ya just gotta love him..Daffy Jr. that's his name."
Update: Daffy Jr. and both his mothers were adopted by Still Water Farms and now have a beautiful place to live, a large pond to swim in and many other ducks to interact with.
These cute little ducklings were rescued by Chicken Heaven On Earth. The person who brought them to us said he bought them as Easter pets for a family member and they could not keep them so they gave them back to him. He lives inside Mineral Wells City limits and was not allowed to keep them even though he purchased them inside city limits. Before you buy a live bird or animal for someone be sure to see if they want one and if they are able to keep them where they live. We have named these three little cuties in the video, Daisy (yellow) Daffy(grey) and Donnie Jo (black)
Update
July 2012
Daffy tries to drown a chicken hen
Daffy the Drake holds his head up high and leads the two duck hens everywhere they go. For the most part the two female ducks Daisy and Donnie Jo were a welcome addition to our flock of chickens, the drake named Daffy was fast becoming a problem. After he pushed a chicken hen into the pull and proceeded to hold her head under water trying to mate with her. Luckily, I was near, saw what happened and rescued the now soaked and scared to death hen. I put Daffy in a cage until I could move the pool into a caged area.
Update
May 2013
Drake Daffy becomes violent and gets checked by Kingpin rooster named Buttercup
Daffy made his escape from the caged area and fly's around the property which is very fun to watch. None of the ducks like to be handled, were too messy to keep in the hen house with the girls (not to mention they were impossible to catch as we don't use nets).
Daffy is consistently becoming more aggressive with the hens and has even challenged Buttercup (our kingpin boss Roo of the hens-that's what we call him) the Rooster who quickly let Daffy know that his hens were out of bounds but that did not stop Daffy. Daffy seemed to back off for a few days (having two duck hens of his own). I thought Daffy had heeded Buttercups warning when I found one hen with the back of her head cut in the perfect shape of the end of a duck beak. Daffy was caged again and the young hen named, "Nummy 1" recovered nicely. It was evident that Daffy was going to have to leave CHOE.
Update
June 2013
Daisy, Donnie Jo and Daffy's Adoption
Daisy and Donnie Jo started nesting in a empty doghouse on the property and took turns sitting on their little clutch of eggs (about 15 or 20). During this period Daffy the Drake has to be caged because he is extremely aggressive toward the hens. The decision was made that we needed to adopt him out to someone who did not have chickens. The day after we put the word out my neighbor from across the street told us he would be happy to adopt Daffy but he wanted the duck hens too. We agreed because this way they could keep their little dog house, pool, and all be together with the added benefit that we could see them as he put them in the front yard. It was not long and we could hear the little ducklings..peep, peep, peeping even from across the street. I had informed the man who adopted them that the Drake would have to be kept separate when the chicks hatch but apparently he was not paying attention. I also told him that if he ever decided he did not want them to just let us know and we will come and get them. We never expected what happened next.
Update
July 2013
Daffy, Daisy, Donnie Jo's Terrifying ordeal with their adopter
Rev. Penny Dean
"One morning I got up to go let the chickens out of the hen house and heard the ducks quacking frantically across the street. Thinking it was a snake or predator I started running toward them when I noticed the neighbor had a rifle in his hand and pointing it at the ground in some tall grass, he fired a shot and I thought he must have killed a snake..both Donnie jo and Daisy the duck hens came running to his fence line toward me when the neighbor fired a second shot while I was hollering,"What is it?, What is it?" when suddenly he reached down and picked it up even from where I stood more than 50 feet away I could see the flapping wings-.my heart broke into tiny shards of glass when I realized-he had shot Daffy-and then I was furious, too furious to deal with him at that moment. I told another neighbor what he had done and that I want the duck hens and any chicks returned right away. She told him and he allowed me to come get them while telling me the Drake was killing the baby ducklings and when he heard them while he tried to justify killing Daffy the Drake saying that morning he went out with his rifle thinking it was a predator and then he said Drake Daffy was the predator, grabbing the chicks and snapping their necks. Of ten chicks there were only two left-one of which had been in Daffy's mouth when the neighbor shot him. He admitted he acted rashly and should have brought the male back but insisted he could not catch him. I said nothing to him while I gathered the two hens and the ducklings later that evening.
Daisy, Donnie Jo and two ducklings return to Chicken Heaven On Earth
That night I moved the two hens and their two duckling who looked to be only 1-3 days old too the little tyke log cabin where they stayed when they were ducklings. I also brought their large dog house and pool back. They were so happy to be home and snuggled up together in the log cabin rather than the dog house with their baby chicks. Later that night I noticed the two baby chicks were still in a tiny pool I had made from the plastic bottom of a rabbit cage three hours later..they were drenched to the bone and shaking even though it was warm outside. I grabbed them up wrapping them in a towel and brought them in the house, warmed a towel and proceeded to dry them and keep them warm. I noticed they were very skinny, one of them's neck appeared to be twisted, and neither of them were eating. I made a mash from some chick feed and hard catfood soaked in water and tried to get them to eat. They ate a small amount and were now dry. I emptied the pools and pushed the baby duckling back under Daisy and Donnie Jo who were steadily calling for the chicks. The next morning I went to check on them and one of the chicks was dead. Only one remained so I took him from the two mother hens and placed him in a cage with a heat lamp by several baby chicks so he could learn how to eat.
The New sheriff named Daffy Jr. at CHOE
Meanwhile both mother duck hens cried out for their baby, so I take him outside to visit with them everyday and the hens would calm down. Each day I would let him take a swim in the duck pool and each day the mothers would come to the pool and call him out. He would follow them everywhere and while one hen was laying an egg, he would follow the other one and vice versa, come nightfall both mothers would bring the little duckling to the log cabin and leave him there each night and then they would leave him there and come to my door quacking loudly. When I come outside each night-there is Daffy waiting for me to bring him in and put him in his rabbit cage and the next day we would do the same thing until a few nights ago when Daffy Jr.'s two mothers decided to keep him outside with them.
Daffy Jr. gets lost and finds a third mother
The chicken hens seem to know better than to mess with the little duckling ..and it is hilarious when he loses both of his mother duck hens and starts to follow every chicken hen running in circles until he finds his Duck mothers. One of our Buff Orps named Betty Jo (4 years old) who just happens to be one of the best when it comes to mothering chicks (even if they are not her own-she hears little Daffy jr. peeping and watches to see if the duck mother's are around. If she does not see them she rounds the little duckling up-he will follow her and she will bring him to the mother ducks but if she does not find them (we live by the river) she will bring little Daffy Jr. to me when she tires of looking for his mothers. Betty Jo is what we call a dominant queen of our flock. There are 4 queens but Betty Jo is the toughest and her age and authority goes unchallenged by younger hens. When the hens seen Betty Jo strutting with her new found baby duckling not one hen approached but stayed back, watching , and cackling amongst each other as Betty Jo walked with her head pushed down and wings out to protect the duckling while she made threatening noises to anyone who even came close to approaching the duckling. Betty Jo does this every day now while the duck mothers lay their new eggs in the dog house, and every single one of the chicken hens move out of Daffy Jr.'s way when he comes peeping through the crowd-head held high..just like his Daddy Daffy Sr. did before him-..ya just gotta love him..Daffy Jr. that's his name."
Update: Daffy Jr. and both his mothers were adopted by Still Water Farms and now have a beautiful place to live, a large pond to swim in and many other ducks to interact with.
Hot Item: Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks
If you are looking for a great informative book that explains how to raise ducks you will find Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks extremely informative and helpful. "With in-depth information on feeding, housing, behavior, and health care, this comprehensive guide also provides proven strategies for creating a profitable business plan and marketing your products. Whether you’re about to acquire your first ducks or are interested in experimenting with rare breeds, Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks will help you achieve your duck-raising goals".
From the Back Cover:
A perfect choice for many farmers, ducks produce eggs and meat efficiently, thrive in inclement weather, help control insect and snail populations, and they're also entertaining and beautiful. From selecting the breed that's right for you to rearing, housing, and caring for your birds, Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks provides essential advice and practical know-how you need to keep a thriving flock.
The revised and updated second edition includes:
*Expanded coverage of 23 domestic North American breeds
*Preview of natural and artificial incubation
*Revised and expanded guide to duck colors
*Up-to-date information on disease prevention and treatment
*Guidelines for showing
*Tips on rare breed conservation
About the Author:
Dave Holderread, author of Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks, has raised ducks for nearly 50 years. He and his wife have established one of the largest genetic stocks of domestic waterfowl in the world on their farm in Oregon, and their ducks have won numerous championships at regional and national shows. Holderread teaches in vocational poultry programs throughout North America. #commissionsearned
From the Back Cover:
A perfect choice for many farmers, ducks produce eggs and meat efficiently, thrive in inclement weather, help control insect and snail populations, and they're also entertaining and beautiful. From selecting the breed that's right for you to rearing, housing, and caring for your birds, Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks provides essential advice and practical know-how you need to keep a thriving flock.
The revised and updated second edition includes:
*Expanded coverage of 23 domestic North American breeds
*Preview of natural and artificial incubation
*Revised and expanded guide to duck colors
*Up-to-date information on disease prevention and treatment
*Guidelines for showing
*Tips on rare breed conservation
About the Author:
Dave Holderread, author of Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks, has raised ducks for nearly 50 years. He and his wife have established one of the largest genetic stocks of domestic waterfowl in the world on their farm in Oregon, and their ducks have won numerous championships at regional and national shows. Holderread teaches in vocational poultry programs throughout North America. #commissionsearned
