These are the mother ducks sitting on their nest. Only 6 of the eggs hatched and they left the rest of them to take the hatchlings to the water. The eggs were cold when we checked the nest.
We did, however, find this egg with a small hole in it and when I checked it the chick inside was still alive. For a video of the duckling in the egg click here.
I gave the egg to my daughter to keep warm and we watched the baby duckling emerge.
Here's the duckling right after he came out of the egg. We dried him off and let him stretch himself out. In this picture he's still egg-shaped.
He had a rough start to life, abandoned by his mother, difficulty getting out of his shell and then he had splayed legs (where his legs went out to the side and he couldn't stand up). For a video of the baby duckling after his first night click here.
After a few weeks under the heat lamp and daily sessions of physical therapy in a little pool the duckling is as good as new. He doesn't recognize his family so he will be staying with us as he continues to grow and get stronger every day. My daughter has adopted him and called him Peep Peep.
For a video of Peep Peep's first time in water, click here.
For a video of Peep Peep's first swim, click here.
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