So I May Have Bought 13 Ducks...

- May 02, 2011

I'm a sucker for the things, always have been and at .15 cents a beak who could resist the temptation? I had originally planned on just buying two but when I saw them all huddled together I couldn't bear to split them up so I bought the whole newborn flock. After 3 died on me in a matter of days I sent out for the mother and she has since put a halt to all this dying...though she is a bit messy, we're gonna have to work on that because I can't keep after her all day with a pail of water and a broom like I have been. They're actually not terribly difficult to tend to; in the morning I put them out into the stones and garden, throw some food down and put out a giant dish of water - I check on them periodically through the day and then at night they sleep in my shower. My father has asked me what I plan on doing with these ducks of mine, I told him that I will eat each and every one of them before the year's out but that's just lies - I really plan on naming them, digging a pond in my garden and watching them waddle about all the livelong day...though duck meat is tasty.

an artsy shot of myrtle and her brood

myrtle likes to get away from all the noise every now and then.

she'll put her children under the banana trees and then find a spot slightly removed from them.

this is from our first night together, the only time i allowed them to roam free inside the house.

i might add that they have a strange mania about sneaking back in during the day.

their water, food and shade are all outside but if someone leaves the back door open they'll make a mad dash for the inside and once there start to pick at everything in sight.

it's funny because at night they hate coming in.

every honduran i've seen, in all their caninal wisdom, has warned me that my ferocious and feral german shepherd will slay and devour my flock of ducks.

she did try to play at first but after i scolded her she was afraid to even look at them.

tolo and pani seem to have taken a liking to them

this is myrtle when she still had 10...were down to 9 now.

okay, so i had planned on just posting these photos (and even they are a bit much) but i got to taking some pictures yesterday and got hit with the desire to add these to the post as well.