It’s hard to believe the guys on the left, (5 Porcelain Pekin chicks (a week old) 3 Indian Runners and 2 White Runners (3 days old)), have now been living at QH for three weeks, and how they have grown.

It is also notable the extraordinary difference in growth rates between the hens and the ducks, you can see in the picture on the left, the ducklings are smaller than the chicks, but within three weeks they are nearly double the size.

 

Yesterday we decided to give them their first taste of the great outdoors, well, a pen in QH. The ducks had their very own swimming pool, and loved every second of it. I’m sure I could see them enviously eyeing the main pond. At the end of the day they were returned to their indoor home and back under the heat lamp.

 

Today, the 7 June, we have decided that the ducks can stay outside and sleep in their new temporary quarters. the chicks however will return to the indoor accommodation for a few more weeks.

 

The new arrivals had numerous visitors and were given a warm welcome by the rest of the gang who, like the martyrs they are, took valuable time away from eating grass seed to say hello.