KathiQuacks

I’ve wanted ducks since 2019, but never had the resources to keep them.

After moving house in fall of 2021, I inherited 4 ducks, 2 drakes and 2 hens, with no knowledge of ducks or duck care, and with them living on a large lake, there wasn’t much care I could give them, anyway. For months, the only thing I could provide them was feed.

In spring of 2022, both hens began to lay eggs around the lake. I attempted to incubate the eggs, again, with no knowledge of what I was doing. I thought eggs had to be incubated immediately, so the first egg I found, I put under a heat lamp, and only a heat lamp, and monitored it very closely. That same day, I ordered an incubator, and got to learn all about proper temperature, humidity, egg turning, and most of all, how to care for ducklings. In all, I incubated 65 eggs, 46 of which were viable, but only 20 managed to hatch successfully (43% hatch rate..). 3 others attempted hatch, but each had their own set of complications and did not survive.

During this time, one of my hens went broody over a clutch of 20 eggs. Miraculously, 19 of her eggs hatched successfully (95% hatch rate!). I couldn’t believe I’d had so many more eggs than her, and we still hatched around the same amount of ducklings. This is the start of me realizing I’d done something wrong.

I built a coop for my ducks to stay in at night, and in mid 2022, 10 months after I’d moved house, I FINALLY got ahold of my original 4 ducks! What an amazing feeling, having them safe and secure in the coop with the rest of my ducks.

I kept 11 of the ducklings I’d hatched, and 3 of the ducklings my broody hatched. In the end, 8 were drakes, and 6 were hens. That won’t do. 4 of my hatched drakes were re-homed before I decided I’d rather keep my remaining drakes than re-home anymore. So, in winter of 2022, I decided to re-home ALL my hens and was left with a 6-drake flock.

I kept this flock for a year. Unfortunately, towards the end of 2023, 1 drake had to be re-homed due to bullying, and 4 drakes succumbed to predators… Suddenly, I was left with 1 drake, 1 of my 2 original drakes - Cherry Garcia. Cherry remained on the lake alone for a couple days before I could finally coax him up and bring him inside the house. I provided him a safe place to stay, a mirror to feel less lonely, and began to ponder what I’d do next. Should I re-home Cherry, or risk bringing new ducks home? 2 weeks after the predator attack, I decided I’d get more ducks after all. It was a very tough decision, but this time, I was determined to do it right. Everyone would be watched more closely, live in a much more secure coop, and be closer to the house.

I brought home 2 young hens, whom I named Caramel Cream and Pitaya Papaya. Them and Cherry hit it off very quickly - they were both head-over-heels for Cherry within a few days. I decided I would try incubation again, but this time, I’d do it right. I researched all I could about assisted hatch, malpositions, and deformities. I collected eggs to put in at the same time, rather than a new egg every day. I made sure the vents were all uncovered for better air flow. I made sure the eggs were turning properly, as my first hatch had many eggs that were too large to turn. I monitored the humidity more closely, as my first hatch had a few humidity dips. I always washed my hands before handling eggs. In total, I incubated 25 eggs, 13 of which were viable, with 10 hatching successfully (77% hatch rate! Better!)

Now, as I’m writing this on February 13th, 2024, I have 3 adult ducks, 10 ducklings, and a whole lot of excitement for the future.