Ok it's official!

I have found a home for all my boy ducks! No more ducklings! I've still got to go through this twice more!

Second  lot of ducklings born yesterday. Mum was excellent and was trying to take them right up the paddock to here where she knows the food is, even though I had put food and water down at the nest!  She was so much better than the first mum ( who left her babies in the middle of a paddock!)  as she walked slowly making sure they were all next to her.  I could see a pukeko in the paddock and I know they kill baby chicks, so I caught mum and all 8 babies ~ yes that would have been a funny sight if anyone had been looking ~  and have ensconced them safely in the new chicken house. It was worth the sand fly bites and the grazes from falling over a tree.

  Poor Geraldine and Gertrude have lost their home for the time being, but just until tomorrow afternoon when the grown up ducklings are heading to their new home ( along with the big boys) I'm keeping a couple of girls...then I'll put this next batch in the broody house and Geraldine and Gertrude can have their home back. They're free ranging anyway so hopefully they will go to sleep with the others tonight.

Mummy duck is rather traumatised by the whole thing and has taken her babies up to the top floor of the house and they're all curled up in a nesting box.

It's worth it as I know they are safe there, away from and wee evil things that like eating babies.