Hatch Report: PM Edition

[trystinn]

Segunda, in all her loveliness:



Babs, our Black Swede, has three little look-alike ducklings to the avatar above. A few of her eggs are pipped, so I expect more ducklings soon.

Nera, the Rouen hen, has given up brooding again. *sigh* Hopefully, by the next time she broods again we'll have an incubator ready for them.

Sad news to report: Prima, our first little duckling from Rincewind, has passed away. She's pretty much ignoring the other two eggs, so chances aren't good for any more hatchings from her. We'll go ahead and keep Segunda if she is female, for the home flock egg business.

I'm struck at how different this is than breeding mammals who nurse their young. I provide water and food for the babies, making me something akin to a co-parent. :D

Comments

[vicki-sine.livejournal.com]

Cute little fuzzy. Domestic ducks just are not the greatest moms.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I'm honestly amazed that we have this much success, given how poor they do generally. I'm really fighting myself over whether I should remove the ducklings and put them in a brooder right now, especially given Prima's death. *sigh* It's certainly much more complicated to provide food, water and shelter for them with their mothers than it would be to pop them in a brooder where I can micro-manage things myself.

Fighting my instincts to remove them, but I want to give the mothers the opportunity to get it right.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Aww, little quacklings. :)