The latest additions to our little farm are an adorable pair of ducklings. Since we already have chickens, it was a natural addition, and we assumed that we could house the ducks in the chicken run, with their own doghouse-turned-duckhouse for a shelter.
Of course, the way projects often go...we realized that the chicken run would be unsuitable for the ducks and we decided to build them their own enclosure. The doghouse--suffering from a bit of rot, required considerable renovation, and now will sport a new red metal roof made from scraps from the chicken coop, and a clerestory window, with a hinged roof section for easy access.
The ducks have grown inches every day, and at four weeks old today, they are at least five times their original size, and growing feathers.
Swimming practice has taken place in the bathtub, a large plastic bin, and muck buckets.
They should be old enough to swim on the pond now, but cold rainy weather has delayed the duck housing construction, and so they'll happily remain in their temporary barn enclosure under a heat lamp for the time being. This little 8 x 10 oil study is the first of many duckling-inspired paintings to come.
