Introducing Sunshine...and 'Are You My Mother?'

Notice Anything Unusual Here?  Different beaks, perhaps?

One of these things is not like the other! Well, you can't see the webbed feet on those babies!

Look!  Baby Ducklings with a Mama Chicken!

Sunshine is a Very Good and Protective Happy Mama

On the lookout!  Mama is checking for intruders, little ducking?  Learning fast!

So, sometime ago, Sami slipped some duck eggs under one of the broody hens.  A hen that decided she wanted to sit on eggs all day - so, she was given a job.  This is the second time Sami has done this experiment.

Last summer, the ducklings hatched, but were not enclosed or guarded very well - so, they disappeared quite fast. I suspect a cat got them.  Pumpkin kitty was busted this past December eating chicks, so she got moved to the hay barn, which is 2 miles down the road at the other end of the ranch! 

This year, after the hatching, (which did include one unsuccessful assist) Sami moved the mama and the babies to their own indoor pen, with supervised  access to the outdoors. 

So far, so good! It's been one week and we have four baby ducklings.

Now, for Sunshine?  She is a chicken. I'm not sure if she realizes these babies are 'different'.  They tuck under wings, and hide under her, and she makes a fuss if anyone comes around - just like baby chicks, but they eat things differently with their bills (back and forth funny motion - not a pecking motion) and they sure make a mess of the water feeder.

All in all. It's sweet to see this little bunch moving around..

And, it reminds me of the first board book I had for Sami - it's about a little lost duckling looking for it's mommy!  I'll have to find it and share the title!

Thanks for visiting!