Gangly teen agers, is all I can say about the ducklings this week.  And while they may look awkward, and like teenagers, they still act like babies.  As you can probably tell, they are in on my kitchen floor...because we have been experiencing Noah like rain for the last several days—they have decided they don’t like rain.  So, when it starts to come down, they run into the garage, or stand at the back door until one of my sympathetic children happens by.  Needless to say, I am starting to be concerned about their ability to ‘fly off’ when the time is right...So now I have piped Lenny Kravitz “I want to fly away” into their box at night in the garage.  You think it will work?????

Things you may not know:  When mallards get their first set of feathers they all appear to be girls.  It isn’t until they molt at 16 weeks that they develop their ‘adult’ plumage.  Naturally, this will reveal if they are males or females.  Although, at this point I think I can pick out who is who. 

In other news, Lil Rounds is still pretty small, but this week we discovered she could swim!  Ironically, swimming has seemed to be like a type of therapy for her, and she can now ‘stand’ on her ‘knees’ better than before.  Interesting, huh?

These eggs which I ordered off the internet when I thought the little three weren’t going to make it are duds.  I am pretty sure these three (probably four) were never fertilized.  They never showed any sign of development at all.  Unfortunately, I have one egg that is very vibrant and full of life.  So, if all goes well, by the end of the month we will have an ‘only duckling’ child.  Problematic because ducks are flocking animals.  That means he will want to ‘flock’ with us—which requires a lot more attention and care on our part.  I am hoping that Lil Rounds will be a good surrogate friend for the new little fledgling!