The great thing about living near a farm store is that I no longer need to have baby fowl delivered via postal service. The bad thing about living near a farm store is that I just cannot stay away.
Last week, the kids and I snuck over there while Scott was out of town and brought this little guy home. His name is Nibbles and he’s a Khaki Campbell duck.
Khaki Campbells are known for their egg-laying ability – even surpassing some of the best chickens! I read that they can lay an average of 320 eggs a year. Have you ever tried a duck egg? I can’t wait.
She’s still an itty-bitty little thing.
Actually, I don’t know whether Nibbles is a girl or boy. We’ll find out in 6 months! (Yes, there’s a way to determine the sex of a duckling, but it involves pinching and prodding duckee parts that I’d rather just leave alone.)
If you haven’t yet seen this little video of Nibbles learning how to waddle:
Nibbles stays under the protection of her big sisters (again, I’m just guessing that they are girls) – she tries to keep up with them! Watch Scarface learn how to swim – the hard way!
A few days ago, I put out a little tub of water for them to play in. You have to wait a couple of weeks before letting newborn ducklings swim – they have no feathers yet, and can get sick (or drown) if you let them play in water too soon. Scarface and Duckee Momo have GROWN SO FAST!!! In just 2 weeks they went from fitting in the palm of your hand to now being able to be carried under your arm.
Here’s the ducks’ first time in water & and update on our 10 hens:
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@ Melinda: Knowing how to swim isn’t the issue. Their down will drown them until they’re bigger. Please do your research before posting something nasty. And one person cannot be a burden on a state, no matter how much you may personally dislike them. Keep it civil, please.
Is there a need to say something so horrid on this woman’s website? Because, needless to say, the rest of us here feel quite differently. Jaden Hair is a lovely woman who writes a very informative and engaging blog. Since you disagree, why not just stay away?
Ducklings already know how to swim.
JADEN HAIR IS A POSER!!! THIS NASTY WOMAN IS A BURDEN ON FLORIDA.
Awww how cute. I saw some people walking like that this weekend at Memphis In May but I think it had to do more with alcohol intake than learning to walk.
When the video came on and he started peeping, our cat strolled over as if to say, “Is that dinner I hear?”
THESE ARE TOO CUTE!! Omg I just want to cuddle them. I wish duck wasn’t so dang tasty… I’d love to try the eggs sometime.
That was one heck of a cute video!! Duck eggs are a real treat, cost abt USD 1 for one, and if you can find them. I find they are more flavourful used in fried rice or noodles. Have never tried them boiled or poached.
I love these videos. Nibbles is adorable and Scarface and Duckee Momo are sure turning into fine little ducks themselves. Hope one of them (at the very least) is a girl so you’ll get duck egss. Oh, and I hope the hens don’t decimate your brussel sprouts.
Duck eggs are OK to eat. I has been a while, but if I remember correctly the yolk seems a bit dry, the whites not as tasty. I prefer chicken eggs, but your tastes may be different from mine.
But, you must use duck eggs for baking! Cakes come out richer & lighter. The batter rises higher when made with duck eggs vs using chicken eggs.
I’m not sure what variety of ducks we had. They got some cracked corn as a supplement, browsed the garden & under fruit trees a bit (a wormy rotting apple was always investigated, they especially loved the slugs that were attracted to dropped fruit). However, they spent most of their time in the shallow stream in front of the house, bills filtering the mud & muck for any creepy crawly slimy bits of tasty goodness. The occasional crayfish resulted in lots of noise & a chase as the have-not ducks tried to steal the treat.
Can not get any cuter!!!!!