Animal Behavior

With apologies for some unflattering shots of my backside, I had to share this little clip my husband took of me feeding our duckling flock. This is my third year raising ducklings, but my first year using actual duck parents. The last two years I raised them myself under a brooder lamp in my basement, taking them outside each day and sitting with them in the grass so they could run around. I tried to get them to imprint on me, but they remained very standoffish. As they became old enough to have the run of the place, spending their days on our pond, I would often have to go out on a boat to herd them off the pond at feeding time. They would sometimes come near me, but would never eat out of my hand or let me touch them in any way.

This year, we had a successful outdoor hatching with our nesting pair. The hen laid too many eggs to incubate herself, so I put some in an indoor incubator. In the end, she and I hatched out 19 ducklings. She has raised 16 of those. The other 3 hatched after all the rest, and I was unable to get the mother to accept them as hers, so I have kept those inside as in the past. The point of all this is that I find it fascinating that the 16 being raised by a mother duck follow me around the yard, pecking on my feet and clamoring for food. They are full of adventurous confidence. The 3 I am raising are shy and keep their distance from me. It's as if being without a natural mother has left them feeling cautious and unsure of themselves.

You can see in this clip that I have a hard time walking for all the ducklings thronged around my feet. And it's not just me--just this morning, they all chased my piano tuner to his car. Fortunately, he was a good sport about it.

(Technical note: This was recorded on a digital point and shoot. The clicking sound you hear is the auto-focus continually adjusting. For all my love of technology, you'd think I'd have better toys.)