Uninhibited Ducks - Duck and Duckling Rescue

I thought I might try out the video embedding feature (there are lots more videos on my facebook page).

This video shows the first clutch of ducklings that were hatched this autumn, which I adopted, on their first day out of their cages as juvenille ducks.

Another clutch hatched a few da after these guys. Unfortunately at the time I only had one cage and run to put rescued ducks in, so couldnt take them and within 2-3 days of hatching all of them died.

Sadder still, their mother spent more than two weeks afterward calling out for them, becoming more and more desperate sounding. It was heartbreaking to watch...

The 12 ducks in this video, nicknamed the Hooligans, I took in when they wer about 3 days old. Their mum, Matilda, adapted really well to captivity. In fact half an hr or so after I herded them into the cage and house I had prepared for them, Matilda had eaten a decent meal of pellets, and was falling asleep while brooding them.

Matilda settled in well, and after a few days was being let out of the cage (without the ducklings) to go for a quick wing stretch or swim nearby.

All 12 ducklings thrived and grew fast. They became addicted to beef flavoured jellymeat, eventually overcame that addiction, and when fully feathered and almost fully grown, where released upon the unsuspecting duck world.

That was at least a month, or more ago. Since then The Hooligans have learnt to fly, 5 have found a boyfriend (one boyfriend, they are sharing him) and Matilda also has a boyfriend. All 12 Hooligans, mum, Matilda, and Matildas boyfriend Mr Duck, spend almost every night in my duck enclosures, often queuing up outside the doors if I have not finished cleaning the runs or moving the ducklings to their night housing. They spend their days foraging, performing all sorts of feats in the nearby pond, and bullying adult ducks.

Perhaps because there are 12 of them (ducks have broods averaging 12-14 ducklings but most die at a very young age) they feel rather invincible. Maybe its just the cockyness of youth...

They are easy to notice about the property where I live, they all look alike, and look and sound like clones of their mum.

Obviosly i am biased, but they really have turned into the most gorgeous ducks, they still all hang out together, and their mum Matilda, spends every day with them still.

Its unlikely most, or any of these guys would have survived in the wild at this time of year...

Looking at them and laughing at their antics every day makes all the time, money and effort worthwhile. And I look forard to seeing all my other ducklings turn into Hooligans too!