Duckling alert! Let the wisequacks begin

SHALL we dispense with the wisequacks from the start? It wasn't quite the quack of dawn, but my wife and I were up very early this morning because are expecting a couple of new additions to the family. Ducklings.

CLICK (or cluck) ON THE PHOTO: Rosemary with her duck eggs

Rosemary, our broody Pekin Bantam, is about to become a surrogate mum to a pair of Indian Runner Ducks after sitting on the eggs for almost a month. The idea was suggested by a neighbour, a.k.a. Greengrass, who told us broody bantams make brilliant mothers. Our three ducks don't seem remotely interested in the eggs they lay so it seemed like a good idea to try for some young 'uns with Rosemary.

We had given up hope with the experiment until yesterday when my wife noticed that cracks were appearing in the egg shells ... and the nerves are now beginning to kick in.

We dashed down again this morning to see if the ducklings had emerged but nothing as yet. The cracks in the eggs are significantly bigger and we can see movement. It's a question of wait and see, I suppose.

STAND-OFF: Sir Francis, our protective drake, can
often be seen chasing away wood pigeons if they
have the audacity to land anywhere near his harem.
This bold intruder decided to sit it out on the fence,
much to Francis's displeasure

Mum and babies will have their own maternity area - we're a little worried that the other bantams might become jealous - so we have made alternative arrangements and they will have their own home and pen, within the main hen section. And if Rosemary rejects the babies then we will use the utility room in our house, which stays very warm because of the central heating boiler.

In the meantime, a few items I found after a brief search on the, err, Web.

'Put it on the bill,' said the duck to the bartender.
Who stole the bathroom soap? The robber duck.
Why do ducks watch the news? For the feather forecast.
Where do ducks go when they are ill? To see the ducktor ... to see the Quack.

No, I can't go on. I'll keep you posted.

Sir Francis Drake and the girls make their entrance

What are you staring at? Sir Francis [left] and his girls settle in,
unaware of the sheep behind them

The dashing Sir Francis Drake has finally joined us. He arrived in a humble family Ford rather than the Golden Hind, but he did so with three very attractive ladies in tow.
Yes, we finally made it to nearby Norfolk to collect our Trout Indian Runner ducks from Karen and Richard, the lovely couple who run, among other things, Power Poultry [http://www.powerpoultry.co.uk - see also Karen's blog].
We ordered the ducks a couple of months ago when we picked up Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and ... Mabel, Pekin batams complete with feathered trousers and plenty of attitude [see Crispy Ducks post, July 1]. Sadly, my wife's accident [see Friday 13th post, July 14] and subsequent recuperation meant we had to put Operation Duck on hold. But it has been well worth the wait. This week I finally completed their enclosure and, having taken delivery of our custom-made duck house - unlike former MP Sir Peter Viggers, we are unable to make any claim for Sir Francis's new abode - we brought the flock home.

Relocation, relocation: Kirsty and Phil eat your heart out

They seem great characters and really do fit the bill! They are already settling in, despite some curious onlookers, notably our pygmy goats, and my wife is in the process of giving the ladies names so an update will follow in a couple of days. Must go, it will be dark soon.
Footnote: First night nerves for the gang, I'm afraid. They were extremely noisy when I went down to put the animals away for the night and simply dashed from corner to corner as I tried to herd them into their new quarters. I had to call on the assistance of my wife who hobbled to the rescue and used her crutches to great effect as we eventually directed them up the ramp and to bed for the night. All now quiet. Bliss.
And the girls' have finally been named. No, not noisy little buggers, as I suggested after that episode an hour or so ago. Drake's companions are henceforth known as Demelza, Dafne[y] and Daisy. D'oh!

PS: Follow me on Twitter - Fenman@harrysrus 

Peeking Pekins: Martha (front) and the girls look on

Noisy neighbours: Molly and Reg [right] stare at the newcomers

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Crispy ducks? No, bantams in a box

Deal or no deal: just open
the box, will you?

The young ones: plucky Mabel is cornered

The new arrivals: Mabel (centre) and the girls settle in to
their new home earlier in the week
Photo: Paul Fry

The wife's babies have arrived ... in an empty Walkers box. Crispy ducks? Nope, the Indian Runner ducks will be here in a few weeks' time. Chicken flavour? Well, this week four lovely little Pekin batams with feathered trousers made their entrance in Fenland.
The first night was a bit of a disaster because the light-coloured silver partridge, aka Mabel, decided she was able - the boy's a poet if he did know it - to wriggle her way through the netting enclosing the new chicken run.
I saw the wire as a way of keeping curious foxes out rather than keeping the youngsters in, but Mabel decided otherwise. With the help of a friend - cheers Paul - we were able to resolve the problem by putting up netting with smaller gaps, which makes the Great Escape [cue theme music] much more difficult. However, sparky Mabel is a rebel and I fully expect her to organise an escape committee in the near future.
The bantams have now been at their new home for just over three days and are beginning to settle in to their new environment.

Excited expectant mother gets in a right flap

Best seat: one-horned Lily in front of the chicken enclosures

My wife is getting more than a little excited about the prospect of the arrival of her "babies" in the next day or so. The patter of tiny feet? Well, bantams' feet, to be precise.
And it doesn't end there. They will be followed by several Indian Runner ducks. We must be quackers.
The decision to increase the size of Family Fenman meant that accommodation had to be sorted out, too. So the last few days have been hectic sorting out chicken coops, making fox-proof enclosures and even fencing in new trees to stop the neighbour's sheep tearing them apart. All this between extreme heat and then heavy showers.

Fortunately, I was able to complete most of the work - with some invaluable hired help - before the really bad weather kicked in this weekend. Many areas of the UK, particularly the north of England - Hebden Bridge was badly affected - suffered floods as a month's worth of rain fell in less than 24 hours. Despite the weather, I didn't feel the need to build a chicken ark. If I did, I suppose I would have needed some two by two. Oh Noah! [I've used that before, but who cares?]
The goats were very curious as the new enclosure was going up, with pygmy goats Ralph and Lily particularly interested. The chickens, too, seemed unruffled by events and did a tour when the fencing was completed, before settling down to making dust bowls by one of the fences.
But this rain, along with sunny spells, is doing wonders for our garden. As previously mentioned, the vegetables are coming along a treat, and so are the flowers.

Feathered friends: up to mischief

Blooming lovely: our various roses

The roses are looking - and smelling - particularly good, although a couple of specimens are still suffering from a touch of blackspot despite our efforts to get rid of the disease last year.
We've tried cutting out the affected stems and leaves, and have disposed of them, but I think we might have to use to fungicide ... our last resort.
The new roses that we've planted, however, seem to be resistant to the disease so we're keeping our fingers crossed that we don't have problems with them. I'll keep you posted on this thorny issue.

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