Tuesday, June 17, 2014

This one has "pet" written all over it!

So Kali's ducklings were scheduled to hatch yesterday.  Sunday there were no pips.  I was secretly a little worried as often our chicks start hatching a good day or two before hatch date.  But we told Kali to save her worry for the next day.  Maybe the power outage had slowed their development down a bit (hopefully it wasn't their demise).  By Monday morning, one pip.  By Monday evening, one duckling and no additional pips.  To date there are no more pips.  Kali started with a dozen eggs, was down to ten by the last candling, and only one hatched.  Not considered a good hatch by any calculation and sad because we expect to find mostly formed ducklings in all the other eggs.  We aren't sure what happened and, of course, are more and more fond of using broody hens when possible (they are so much more reliable than electricity).  But, in the end, this might be an opportunity of a lifetime for Kali.  Without other little ducklings around, it is getting all the attention and due to that seems to have imprinted onto Kali.

The little thing peeps constantly if Kali is not close by.  It seems somewhat calmed by Alida too.  As last evening wore along, we weren't sure how this was all going to shake out.  Were any of us going to get any sleep?  The heat lamp also made it bright so it didn't seem to give it the clear communication that it was time to sleep.  It would be calm and happy in Kali's hands and the moment she put it under the lamp, it peeped and peeped until she returned.  I find the sound much more endearing than that of the goats, but still not desirable to listen to all night long.  It didn't seem like having the duckling in her bed was a great idea.  Of course Jason came through with the plan!

Before getting to that, I should mention that it made a guest appearance at our family meeting last night.  Kali had a bit of a harder time concentrating than normal. Understandably so!  She had a pretty good distraction:



Kali put the duckling back partway through our meeting so she could eat her popcorn and it wasn't impressed.  She also had a hard time brushing her teeth.  See how the duckling feels about being separated from her for even short periods of time:



Kali and Alida were both trying to assure it that it was okay without them.  It clearly didn't agree with that assessment.  It was soon after that we started exploring sleeping options that involved the duckling being close to Kali:



Jason suggested that Kali could put it in a shoe box with good air holes and tape it shut and put it inside her sleeping bag with her right next to it.  So before long, the little duckling was laying on a rag in the little shoe box acquired this week when Alida got new sandals. I helped Kali make her bed on the floor of her bedroom and soon they were tucked in side by side and all was quiet. I was worried about it smothering but Jason assured me he was 100% sure it was safe.

I woke up around 6:30 and happily realized I didn't have to go to work and could even go back to sleep for a little bit.  Then I remembered the duckling and was completely awake in an instant. I heard nothing. I went into Kali's room and was relieved to see that the sleeping bag was not completely covering the box (so the duckling should be getting sufficient air).  I jostled the box and still heard nothing. I went to brush my teeth and try to assure myself it was fine.  I got a flashlight and went back in.  This time Kali roused and sleepily told me that it was shuffling around and peeped some in the middle of the night. I am assuming it was the sound of her voice that roused the duckling and I was relieved to hear shuffling and little tiny contented noises.  Phew!!

So after a good night's sleep, the duckling got in on some new adventures.  Here it is taking its first swim.



Kali also took the duckling out for some ants.  Now Kali is curled up on her beanbag reading beside the duckling's metal basin. The duckling is not always so sure that she is close enough, but it seems to calm when she talks to it.  It doesn't look like Kali will be getting to her garden weeding anytime soon!

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