Anyone who knows my husband knows he is a fan of Ducks. As we walk through the city or on the Boardwalk, we always make our way to locations which are known for housing wild Mallards. Josh started his love affair with ducks on a Father's Day more than six years when we purchased a pet quality pair of grey Call Ducks that we named Acquilla and Pricilla.
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| Acquilla - Our First Call Drake |
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| Pricilla - Our first Call Hen |
From those two sweet ducks, we gathered some of the most beautiful blue/green eggs and I incubated them so Josh could enjoy flocks of baby Call Ducklings.
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| Samuel with our first Duckling hatched in our incubators with Zeke looking on. |
Incubating ducks take some dedication as you rotate them seven to nine times a day for a good hatch, keeping the temperature as perfect as possible so they develop properly and monitor the humidity to keep it nice and moist so they are able to stay hydrated.
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| First Duckling to our Farm |
From all that work we got the tiniest little balls of fluff.
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| Within a day or two, we get our ducklings into a warm bath so they don't loose the instinct to swim. You have to be careful though, their oil gland isn't working yet so they aren't completely water proof. In nature the mother hen covers her ducklings with her oil making them waterproof immediately after they hatch. |
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| This flock of ducklings imprinted on Samuel at first. Don't fear, though, as soon as the duckling's hormones start flowing, they break that relationship and start following instinct. |
The move to the city meant Josh had to sell his flock of layers, heritage and Call Ducks. That was the hardest part for my husband so, to ease his pain, I found a fun little reminder, the spirit of his ducks will always be with him.
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| Vincent at home in his cup. |
I call his new duckling 'Vincent' and he bobs up and down in Josh's cup creating the perfect cup of tea for him.
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| Vincent smiling for the camera. |
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| Vincent showing off his keel. |
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| Vincent preparing to enter the water again. |
Okay, he doesn't exactly resemble our winning heritage ducks but he does remind us that duckies make us smile...and then relax with a cup of warm tea, served English style, of course, with sugar and cream.
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| Vincent settling back into his cup. |
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| Vincent completing his brewing process. |
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| Vincent with blue holder waiting to be removed so cream and sugar can be added. |
And, so the story is of, Vincent...
May the Lord Bless and Keep You in His Grace,
Lynne
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