Some of these little fellows came in a box from a hatchery. The eggs were artificially incubated and at a day old they were transported two provinces away in a small box. They had no food or water or mother, only each other for company and security. Some were hatched by their mother, but with the ravens around the farm, duckling and gosling makes a mighty fine breakfast, so they hatched and snatched away and put in a brooder with the box babies. The birdies from the hatchery are Blue Swedish ducklings, Danish White Geese and Pekin ducks. Both Danish White Geese and Pekin Ducks are noted for fast growing fat birdies that are raised for meat. If I can determine the sex of these birds, the females will stay and one of each male, possibly two,  depending on the ratio of male to females. Then next year they can lay their own eggs and hatch them and have their own babies. In this group there are also four Muscovy ducklings that were hatched by their mother. Muscovies do not survive long here either, I am not sure why, at least not the babies. 

So, into the brooder they went and they grew quickly. This is the friendliest bunch of babies so far. I am sure it is the docile breed of geese, but there are three or four home hatched goslings that I stole from the mother as well. That was for their own protection. Geese make excellent parents and will fiercely protect their young, but ravens are clever and wait for the most opportune moment before swooping down and whoosh, the gosling is lunch. So were the pot belly piglets as they were born. Bad ravens. 

The goslings are getting their adult feathers already, but the geese are a little behind. I cannot yet sex the ducks. Usually the bill colour gives the males away, but I do not believe that the males and females in the Pekins have any differences except a curl on the tail feathers of the adult males. The ducks that are more than I wish to overwinter will be advertised to sell as breeders, though in the fall most people are looking to get rid of ther waterfowl due to our harsh winters. So, they may go to the butcher shop instead. Pekin duck, next to Aylsbury or Rouen , is purported the tastiest. I guess I will eventually compare. 

It is interesting how the broods all stick together. There is a brood a few weeks older than this one and they do not socialize at all. The Sebastopol geese have given themselves the roles of watching over the babies, one for one group and one for the other. The gander is as attentive to his foster babies as the goose to hers. Isn't nature wonderful?  Duckies and goslings are so personable and so interesting to watch. They talk to each other constantly and sing themselves to sleep. I am with them a lot during the day and they are curious when they see me in case I have something tasty for them. I could have a duck and goose farm, I enjoy them so much, but boy, do they eat a lot! 5 gallons of grain per day is fed to the birds on the farm, and a few red winged black birds who have been hanging around. When they are out of the fast growth stage, the amount of feed they eat will drastically drop. I currently only feed them at the end of the day, which forces them to forage eating bugs and worms and grass. The goslings eat mostly grass all day long and the ducklings prefer a mix. They have a large fenced pasture for themselves when they feel comfortable enough to use it, and they have been offered the area around the house for now, though their deposits make them somewhat unwelcome visitors. Since the big rains in the past 3 days, the grass is growing everywhere again and they will be forbidden out of their own yard once more. 

Wouldn't you enjoy a gosling for a pet? 

Yesterday I moved the older ducklings out of the livestock trough brooder into the hoop coop because the new Blue Swedish and Pekin ducklings and the Danish white goslings arrived. The last hatched Muscovy ducks and the three goslings were left in the brooder because they were too young to move on with the ducklings. I did move the goslings, but they nearly got trampled as the ducklings tried to pile one on the other in an effort to get away from everything. 

The ducklings went over to the new home in the wagon. They were terrified as little ducklings always are. But, when they were in their new home, they had a lid from a Rubbermaid container filled with water to play in. It was 30 degrees and the water was a welcome diversion from the fear they experience with any new situations. Unless ducklings are handled frequently, they tend to be very skittish. Some breeds are reportedly better than others, like the Blue Swedish, but we shall see how they fare compared wth the Khaki Campbell, Rouen, Saxony and Ancona ducks. Of those breeds, the Campbells are certainly the most nervous and the Saxony the quietest. 

Once the older ducklings were in their new home, they began to play and eat, both very good signs that they are comfortable. A bit of a surprise came from the geese though. They heard the babies and their mother protective instincts took over and they began to come to the shelter and hiss at anything near. That was endearing to see. I wish the Sebastopol goose would sit on eggs. Maybe next year. Only one goose is sitting this year and she has about 6 eggs only. The Sebastopol cross goslings, if there are any, should be very beautiful with coloured long flowing feathers. 

I do enjoy the waterfowl. They are so much hardier than the chicks. The chicks are best incubated and raised by their mommas and one momma just hatched 10 little ones. Tomorrow I will show them to you. Now, out to feed the duckies!