Ducks' First Spring

   As Spring comes along I am coming to a close on all of the ducks' firsts for their first year of life.  Come June they'll be one year old.  They are enjoying their first Spring.  They are most excited that the pool is open again for the season - as long as the hose that fills it doesn't freeze on our cold March nights.  All four are laying one egg a night.  They still bury their eggs, and they all share one common nest spot in their coop.  They are busy foraging again, but are more restricted to certain areas of the yard as we have some sensitive flower gardens that need to come up before there is duck access.  With April quickly approaching, there is still room for snow, but these quackers are happy with the greening yard.  I'm guessing that Summer will be their favorite season - rain, puddles, worms, bugs, greens galore.  

Each one lays an egg a day.  

Warmer mornings make ducks happy.  

The pool froze overnight.  

But it thawed by mid-day, and they had loads of fun.  

Splashing.

They love to bed down in fresh marsh hay. 
Here they nestle against the greenhouse.  

Fresh Duck Eggs Daily

Duck Eggs!  

  The duck eggs are large - much larger than a chicken egg.  The yolks are huge, a rich dark color.  The eggs are delicious, not much different than chicken eggs, and they do work great in baked goods. All four hens are successfully producing fresh eggs daily.  They all share one nest that they create in their pine shaving bedding.  Each night they are in a different spot in their coop.  They still bury their egg treasures in their nest they create.  Their appetites have increased greatly, and they are now going through much more food.  They get to indulge in daily treats - from butternut squash to romaine to peas.  They are pampered egg layers.  :)  

Duck Eggs

   February 26th brought a surprise - our first duck eggs.  I was churning the bedding after letting the ladies out of their coop, and my pitchfork scooped up an egg.  One of the little hens had buried her treasure.  In fact, the other ducks like to bury them, too.  So the past few mornings I've been up to my knees in pine shavings trying to dig up eggs.  Two hens are currently laying, and I am patiently waiting for the other two to start. 

One of our hens was laying two eggs at a time at first.  But then
she regulated and went down to one egg a day. 

Blackish egg from our black Cayuga duck.  

One of my egg collecting helpers.  

Black Cayuga Egg