Happy One Year Birthday, Ducks!

  One year ago today our little ducks hatched in their hatchery in California.  The next day they were sexed, packaged in a holed box, and shipped via jet plane to my part of the United States.  I will never forget the peeping sounds they were making when we picked them up at the post office.  They were so cute.  Then started the year of adventure and learning for this duck mom.  I couldn't be happier with my new adventure.
  Even though we said good-bye to our wild Mallard - what a success that was to hatch out, raise, and release a wild mallard; and even though we had to re-home our super noisy Swedish duck hen, Galantis - it was a successful first year in duck raising.  I have three beautiful, sweet, quiet, hard-working hens.
  They lay an egg each daily.  They gobble up lots of garden pests - they have almost completely eradicated the slugs and earwigs destroying my plants.  They love dandelions, and are doing a good job keeping those numbers lower.  They are funny and sweet.  They are a delight to watch as they chase bugs, reach into my raised beds for some romaine (I call it the forbidden salad bar), sleep in the yard, splash in their pool, relish in the rainstorm, and dig for worms.
  They are a hefty chore - a chore I love to do.  They need to be taken care of daily, like a dog.  And like our own dog that barks when alerting us, they quack along with him to let me know something is wrong.  They were upset when a crow snatched some rabbit babies, they were upset when the neighbor's cat hunted chipmunks from our fence, and they get upset if they run out of food.  But they are typically quiet, happy feathered friends.  They wander after me as I work in my garden beds, digging up pests.
  Happy 1st Birthday to them, and I hope for many more years to come. 

Coming out of their coop in the morning. 
They follow me to their day spot - my old veggie garden turned into duck home.  

Birthday treat - cherry tomatoes - one of their favorite things.  

Birthday treat a success.  

Dahlia (on left) and Molasses (on right).  

They just love their pool.  Napping.  

Daisy looking out.  They have a huge fenced in area in our yard. 
And they also get to come out into the entire yard certain times of the day. 
They are pampered feathered friends.