What the waddles are up to

Posted on October 19, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Five months ago, we brought home our four ducklings. Five months means they are no longer ducklings. They are now ducks.

Our two Cayugas have turned a beautiful glossy green. The White Cresteds are buttery white with impressive pom-poms on their heads. Their voices have changed into deep (sometimes loud) quacks. And wow do they waddle. Sometimes I think they’re going to tip over as they wobble across the lawn.

Our ducks are a bit spazzy. Their default setting with people, including us, is freak out. I can usually manage to not spook them too much. I am aware of their comfort zone and do my best to stay out of their personal space. The ducks I had as a child were always very social and calm, so this is unusual for me and a bit disappointing.

I tried to woo them with worms. They were afraid of the worms. I haven’t put in a concerted effort, but I think we could make them a bit more comfortable and social with time.

They do enjoy being around us when we’re eating breakfast or lunch on the patio, though the chickens always beat them to the crumbs Ellie throws. Occasionally the ducks will get frustrated and chase the chickens. We cheer them on when they’re assertive and brave.

Chasing a squirrel. Go waddles!

Their confidence (and tolerance) has grown as they free range with the chickens. They will now wander a bit farther from the barn and have made their way around the house. Working up their courage to cross the drain pipes on the downspouts took a few tries.

They always, always, always travel as a flock. Swimming in the pool, everyone goes. Rooting in the grass, everyone goes. Nibbling on the planter on the patio, everyone goes.

Watching them play in their pool is a lot of fun. They will splash and dive, jump out of the pool, run around, jump back in and do it all again. I’m still on the hunt for a bathtub, as they’re definitely ready for something deeper. (They’re not brave enough to go down to the pond, which is fine with me.)

A big question since we got them has been who is a boy (drake) and who is a girl (duck or hen). Now that they’re full grown, we have an answer. Look for the tail curl (the sign of a drake). Starlight, check. Midnight, check. Wonder, not quite as curly, but still check. Poufy, straight.

So we have three drakes and just one duck. Not the best ratio.

So far the males don’t seem to hassle Poufy too much. There has been some breeding behaviour in the pool (from both her and them). If we need to separate them in springtime we can do that.

Part of my motivation in getting ducks was to have eggs. Especially Cayuga eggs. They lay dark grey eggs, and I love my coloured eggs. But both our Cayugas are drakes, so no grey eggs for me.

Part of Ellie’s motivation in getting ducks is to have ducklings, so she has high hopes for Poufy’s maternal instincts.

Male, female. Calm, spazzy. Social, fearful. None of it matters much to us. We have a lot of fun watching our waddles and are glad they’re part of our family.

Ducklings move out

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

The ducklings have made the move to the coop. This week, they will turn 5 weeks old. They still don’t have their full feathers, but they have grown so much.

We brooded in the house for just over 3 weeks. The challenge with ducklings–which I knew–is water. Even the littlest ducklings want to be in water, need to be in water, love to be in water. I set things up as best as I could in the brooder to limit the splashing, but everything was still very wet.

When I felt like the temperatures were warm enough and the birds were big enough, they moved out.

The ducklings have their own section of the coop separate from the chickens. They have an indoor pen with an attached outdoor run.

When I first put them in the run, they were pretty unsure. I sat with them, and they stayed close. Very close.

Ellie and I had found a section of an old plastic barrel, so we put that in the run so that they had a small tub for swimming. They quickly discovered the tub and happily hopped in, so that made them more comfortable. They loved nibbling on all the weeds and grasses in the run, so that helped too.

The drama came at night when it was time to go in the coop. They had no idea what to do. I lifted them one by one and passed them through the small door to Ellie who was inside. Then I locked them in. When I came out in the morning and opened the door, I was able to talk them into coming out on their own, though they had no idea how navigate the ramp and tumbled off the side (it’s a very short fall, and ducklings bounce pretty well).

The second day, we repeated the ritual. The third evening they were able to walk up the ramp into the coop by themselves with us herding them from behind, and they were confident enough to come out by themselves in the morning. They have now figured out that the coop is a good place and they go in and out on their own. I still lock them in at night, though the run is very secure and I don’t really think they’re at risk.

We’ve also started letting them free range a bit during the day. If we’re outside, we tend to let the chickens out. So we’ve included the ducklings. Again, it took them awhile to build their confidence. Walking through the gate was hard. But they feel safest with us, so they will come to where we are (usually at top speed). They also know their baby pool is across the yard, so that’s additional motivation.

The other day the chickens were between the ducks and us, and the ducklings blasted right through the flock. They did not care that anyone was in their path. Our big barred rock, Boss-Boss, didn’t know what to do when all four ducklings were coming straight at her.

And that’s why I got ducklings. They are hilarious and fun and we love having them.

Ducklings!

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Our family is expanding again. Last week, we brought home four ducklings.

Ducklings have been in our plans since I built the coop. You may remember Ellie made a sign for one of the pens saying “where the waddles live.”

Well, the waddles now live with us!

Like with our chickens, we chose day old birds. When we went to the Feathered Acres hatchery to pick them up, they were probably less than a day old. They were so small.

We chose two Cayuga and two White Crested. Ellie picked the White Crested for their hair dos and the Cayugas for their colour. I picked the Cayugas for (hopefully) their eggs–grey or black shells!

Regardless of their looks, we love them all. They are currently brooding under a heat lamp in the living room. They spend their days making a mess with their water–typical duckling behaviour–and peeping. They get lots of cuddles too.

They are pets, so we’re working to make sure they’re comfortable with us and used to being handled. They are energetic and silly little babies.

We’re already starting to see their personalities. Ellie chose the name Wonder for our most curious duck. Poufy is the other White Crested, so named for her hair do. Our working names for the Cayugas are Midnight (all black) and Starlight (a little splash of yellow on her breast). We don’t know yet whether they’re males or females. We’re hoping for mostly females.

Ducks are such fun birds. I’m so happy to add their little flock to our family.