Mae Bell's a mama!

This is the sight I came home to yesterday afternoon

At least one duckling made it out!  I took a closer look, gently lifting her up to see what she was hiding...



and another little head poked out!

I couldn't lift her up well enough to do a head count, but I could see shell under her (just to the right of the ducklings).  I started to pull out the spent shells and after getting four out, my finger touched one still whole, but with a little break in it.  I gently pulled it out from under her and could feel the little thing moving around in the egg!  It was just starting to hatch and had the tiniest of hole it was pecking at.  I laid it back beside Mama and she scooped it right back under her.  I checked this morning and it was out, being cuddled.  The Littlest Hen hatched all five of her eggs on her first try!  We're both proud mama's!  :)

It won't be long before they're bigger than her!

Broody Banty

Sitting on duck eggs!

My sweet Bantam Speckled Sussex, Mae Bell, went broody last month.  Instead of letting her sit on her own eggs which are fertilized by my not so attractive Bantam Cornish Roo, I stuck some of my Indian Runner eggs under her in hopes they would hatch.  Won't that be so cute, little ducks who'll be almost as big as Mama when they hatch?!

Below is a picture of the Mamas and the Papas....

The boys are on either end with the girls in the middle. I have a set of three with crests and three without.  Mae Bell is sitting on five eggs, so there's no telling what I'll come out with! 

I put them under her on March 15.  They started pipping this morning!