Sunday 19th, Father's Day and ... we have ducklings!

What a surprise I had first thing this morning, there were THREE little ducklings scrambling over each other in the incubator, they had hatched during the night.  I had seen one little pip in one of the now12 eggs in the incubator, and that was yesterday morning.  All through the day, everytime I came in from the garden and all evening while half-watching television, I'd have a look and hope to see one or other egg wobble or pip, but I didn't think anything would happen for another two days -  how wrong I was!

While those three first ducklings were fighting and scrambling around in the incubator 2 more hatched and another two were on the way.  We took the 3 dry ones out and put them into a box with a heat lamp over it,

and took out the empty shells of the first five in order to make more room for the next hatchlings.

We were delighted to see that among the first five out were 3 from the eggs [before DVE struck] of our top group of nine, dated 12th, 13th and 14th May, and two from friend Mel. The ducklings from Mel look a lot darker than ours, she must have black or chocolate runners. 

The news about our hatching ducklings - when I'd been almost despondent about our chances - had gone out to friends and family first thing, and Carl and his family were eager to see the new babies and came visiting this afternoon.  The almost black little one in the photo above of the first 3 became Sarah's absolute favourite,
and Emmeline made one after the other cosy on her hands as she just couldn't decide which one she liked best.

I was really sorry that Eleanor lives so far away.  She had been with us when we first candled the eggs, and we'd all been so disappointed because we hadn't been able to see the net of veins indicating a growing duckling.  How thrilled she would have been to see these arrive and to hold them!

This little chap with a spot behind his right eye looks just like our Blob who died.  I wonder if he was the daddy?  And the little one on the right I stood up on its own specially to photograph for Annie, so that she can start her duckling pictures!
I started feeding them in the evening, ground-up grains puddled in water.  They were thrilled!  This little tyke had to get into the pot right away  -

it amazes me [just like it did in 2005 with our first brood] how quickly they try and dominate the food source by sitting in it. I stood the container on its side, and then it was better for access.

Last picture of the day at half past 10, they're all cuddled up ready for the night.  It had been an exhausing day ..... for us, too!