Today, several pictures of ducklings on top of the EcoGlow, and in the water dish. Oh, and we’re thinking about names for these ducklings; read on for details.

The newest ducklings are all female: one Khaki Campbell, a breed developed in England, so we want a “C” name suitable to that area, to join Clyde and Cora. Plus one Blue Swedish, so we want a Swedish “S” name to join Sven and Sonja. And four Rouens, which originated in France, so want four suitable “R” names, to join Rémy. We have some ideas, but I’d welcome other suggestions, if you have any.

Last night, I spotted one of the Rouens sitting on top of the EcoGlow heating panel:

They’re supposed to sit under it, but seem to enjoy the top more than underneath. This morning, a Rouen and the Khaki Campbell were both there:

A duckling in the water dish — which is fine; it’s there as a bathing intro, to literally get their feet wet on the concept:

But it’s also available for drinking, at least until they splash all the water out:

Watching me:

It’s fun to stand in the dish:

Again on the EcoGlow (and you can see her tongue):

Two:

Today I added a ceramic cat dish to the duck house, as a baby-sized pool from which they can enjoy drinking and wading. Next week I’ll upgrade that to the red paint tray pool, but this is a good start.

Ducklings can drown if allowed in too much water too soon, as they don’t have the waterproofing oils yet. (If they were raised by a mother duck, she would share her oils with them.) Wading in shallow water helps them develop and spread their own oils.

Hey what’s this?

Looks like it’d be fun to step into:

Yep:

My turn:

Mine too:

This is fun!

The newest ducklings are now starting their second week. Other than the introduction of straw (which I did a couple of days ago), and reducing the temperature by 1° each day, the only other change due this week will be to add a ceramic dish of water for bonus drinking and stepping in, as a prelude to the paint tray pool. I’ll probably add that dish tomorrow.

Peeking at the ducklings in a nesting box, through the cupboard:

Some more duckling cuteness:

Today I introduced the ducklings to straw bedding, and raised up the feeder a little, since they’re getting bigger.

The new ducklings are noticeably growing every day; they’re already starting to get a more duck-like shape:

I raised up the waterer a little today, to compensate for their growth. I’ll probably raise the feeder tomorrow.

Today the high temperature reached 94° F (34° C) which is a bit warm even for brand-new ducklings.

Via the duck house cam, I spotted two Rouens on the EcoGlow in the early morning:

Hey ducklings:

I feel like they’re watching me… because they are:

Standing on the over-full feeder:

Did you see the video of them eating?

Ducklings in nesting boxes:

Since it’s so hot today, I turned off the heat lamp, and partially opened the vent, to maintain the optimal floor temperature of around 90°; with the vents closed, the duck house gets quite a bit warmer than the outside air, which is good overnight, but not so much with such a hot day: