Ducklings arrived today!

Spring has always been a favorite time of year for me.  My bulbs come up with the first spring flowers, my roses begin to bud, and the birds go wild!  I see more and more birds outside as the spring progresses: robins come back to town, the hummingbirds should be arriving any day, and birds start thinking about their yearly family.

Yep, that's right.  Spring is in the air.  And wild birds aren't the only ones that know it.  Chicks are available in feed stores, and ducklings too!  I was able to get my chicks about a month ago, but my first group of ducklings arrived today.  Okay, so no, these ducklings are pets, not for the show.  My show ducklings will arrive in about another month.  But they're so cute!

I have decided that not only are ducklings the cutest things in the world, they're also the messiest!  After only 4 hours in their new brooder, I had to clean it!  Part of the reason ducklings are so messy is the way that ducks have to eat.  They take a bite of food, then wash it down with a sip of water.  And they're not very good at keeping things in their bills.  So food gets in their water dish, and watery food gets everywhere!

Then there's their poop.  Have you ever seen a duck poop?  It's pretty messy, and smelly too!  Have you ever seen baby poop?  Most babies (of most any animal) have messy, smelly poo too.  And ducklings are the worst!

So yes, ducklings are super cute.  But they have to be kept inside their first few weeks, which means there's a lot of cleaning involved.  Did you know you can get a diaper for a duck?  Yep, if you want an indoor, pet duck, you can have it wear a diaper to keep the mess under control.  But I prefer my chickens and ducks outside, where I don't have to worry about their mess so much, and they can do my gardening.  Chickens and ducks like to eat bugs and small plants, so they help keep the weeds down and snack on my slugs.  It's a win-win!

Happy Birding, and enjoy your Spring!