Huey and Duey

I needed to keep a silkie chook broody, so I grabbed 2 eggs from the floor of the duck pen and popped them under her, when the chicks I wanted her to raise hatched in the incubator, I put them under her, and passed the eggs to the next silkie chook!  Eventually, I ran out of silkies and had plenty of mums bringing up incubator babies, but I couldnt bear to throw out the 'dummy' eggs, so I put them in the incubator.  On Friday Huey hatched, after pipping on Wednesday - nail biting stuff, but I am perservering (sp?) with the totally hands off hatching policy!!

Here is Huey, who well and truly passes the 'good ducks sit' test, and first sink swim.

Eventually... more than 24 hours later the other egg hatched - 2 ducklings from 2 eggs, pretty speccy!! - and Duey was just the company Huey needed.

Today they both enjoyed a sink swim, yesterday Huey began with the underwater swimming event, and is now able to do a lap and a half without coming up for air.  Today Duey also had a go at this fun activity, and he's pretty much sold on the deal ;-D

Hardest thing is putting them back in the brooder, they are pretty firmly imprinted and hurl themselves at the walls of the brooder trying to follow me as I leave - steeling my heart!

Some people tell me they are having problems hatching ducklings this season, me, I cant stop them!!  We are now approaching 150 after a slow start because of my trip to France.... and for my duck friends, Huey is light phase, and choc trout by any other name, and Duey is choc mallard - at least that's my bet so far!  The last eggs are in the incubator, and there's only 4 of them... but we'll keep our fingers crossed, also have 3 polish eggs moving along... hope another silkie goes broody soon LOL!!