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Day 29 After yesterday's dramas, and some good advice, we have decided to remove the bully (Diddy!) from the others for a while, whilst still keeping D separate to give her bleeding wing a chance to heal! In this picture you can see our run (in the middle) with the smaller run we have borrowed from our kind neighbour, Rosemary, in the front for D. Diddy is in the cat basket to the rear! As they can see each other, there is no distressed cheeping! Thanks to Daphne Mays from the USA for helping me with our duckling troubles via e-mail last night! |
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Before we headed out to our complicated run set-up outside, there was time for a photo shoot! (If you enjoy these individual pictures, don't forget to check out each duckling's photo album!) |
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Marty Still the sweetest, calmest and kindest duckling of the bunch! |
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BQ |
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Bruiser (Now my little friend!) |
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Marge |
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Titch |
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Unlike most of the others, when you lower Titchy down after her photo, she stays happily on your hand! |
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This dear little duck has turned into a bully! Diddy is pecking at all the others and tugging their wings quite viciously! |
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Injured D, having spent the night alone in the brooder box, seems to be enjoying her borrowed run! |
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Day 30 The ducklings started the day with swimming in the baby baths and then moved to the runs on the grass. Injured D had a swim with the others but bully, Diddy, was kept separate.
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This afternoon, Diddy, who now spends most of the time in a wire cat basket, came out for a run around. He enjoyed foraging near his victim, D, but she was safely in her run! (I've had advice to put him in with the older ducks to sort him out, but I need him to be a bit bigger- and cat proof- before I do that!) |
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Day 31 Torrential rain, and the fact that I was exhausted, conspired to keep the ducklings indoors today! I checked on them regularly and took them grassy treats and then let them out for a run around the dining room this afternoon. (I did let Diddy out for a bit but he started to go for the others again!)
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Dining room adventures always follow the same pattern! Clambering over my legs... |
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and stopping off for a cuddle... |
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before snuggling down for a much needed nap! |
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Here is a close up of D's wing. She is definitely developing angel wing. |
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Day 32 A treat before bedtime! (Water they can clamber into is much more popular than their drinker.)
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Pretending to be civilised! |
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It's amazing what mess can be made with so little water! |
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They may be getting bigger, but they are not grown-up enough to forget the tugging at laces game! |
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First attempt at taping up D's angel wing. It needs to stay on for around five days. Let's see how long it lasts! She can still walk about but it does seem mean. A definite case of being cruel to be kind! (See yesterday's section for details of the condition!) |
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Day 33 After all the recent rain, the runs were put on the patio today to avoid the ducklings ruining the lawn! An added bonus was that they could have pans of water to swim in!
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Enjoying a swim in the sunshine! |
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The patient! |
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Day 34 Marty keeps Diddy company!
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A race for my lap! |
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Hanging out with those in isolation! (The other two do come out for run about sessions.) |
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Following an evening in the run outside, the ducklings settle down for the night. (They are still coming inside for several reasons. Firstly, D's injured wing needs monitoring and if I separate her from the others it causes her distress. Secondly, they are not big enough to be cat proof and so keeping them near the house allows me to give them supervised garden time without having to walk up the garden, which I find hard. Finally, it allows me a few more days of cuddles in the dining room!) |
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Day 35 The ducklings forage in my jumper...
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and scramble across my legs! |
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Marty just sits quietly on my lap or falls asleep in my hand! |
