Ducklings and Chicks-All Grown Up

Here are pictures, (supposed to be) one for every week of the little ducklings life (but I somehow didn't get it that way).  They are Peking.  They are flightless and able to be "harvested" at just 8 weeks of age.  They are our pets.  Although, if there is one of each gender, their children will get sold or...harvested...  when full grown.  Otherwise, we'll just eat the eggs or enjoy their presence.  They really are fun!

2 Ducklings, 6 bantams, and 4 Wyandottes....

At three weeks of age, we took them out to the coop.  They were too big for the brooder, and were being used as heaters/pillows by the chicks.  It was time, and warm outside enough. (note-this was a very hard day for us in terms of work, as you can see from Arlis's shirt)

We were really quite concerned as how the hens and cat would react.  The hens left them alone.  The ducks eventually dominated them.

 The pool from our last ducks which were Mallards.

 Oh my!  Boy sure is interested!

 He takes the position...

Not to worry.  Boy leaves them alone and the ducks are bigger than he is now.  In fact, the grey bantam (you'll see later) gets out all the time and Boy leaves him completely alone even though I've seen him eat birds that size!
Another week goes by, and you can tell when it's time to put the chicks in the coop:

 They missed their ducks.

 Molting continues.

 Up-another week, and tail feathers start to come in
Down-another week-they really are too big for the pool now.  See that tiny grey speck to the right of the pool?  That's a bantam cockerel.  He's already roosting and getting out and everything.  Feisty little bugger.

 The Wyandottes are brought in and start roosting rather quickly.

(We lost one silver laced one the first week they were out.  It somehow got in the duck pool and got chilled or something.  It didn't drown.  We still haven't figured that one out.)

 The bantams join in.

 They all remember each other-ahhhh, sibling rivalry.

 Full grown-as far as we can tell.

 Off topic-we had a branch fall during a bad storm.  The chickens have tore it to shreds!!  They actually jump up wings flapping trying to get a beakful of leaves-quite amusing!

The ducks have a much larger pool now that they enjoy.