Are You My Mommy?

[ObedienceGoldens]

I posted in May about our Guinea Hen laying her eggs in a nest
that had duck eggs.

Well, this morning our Guinea is the proud mom of 7 keets & 5 duckling


I can just imagine what the ducklings are saying
"Mom, is that really you?" [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

I think we have a good show for Jerry Springer [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

[Fred]

How do these things usually work out? Will the ducklings learn they need water if they are being raised by a Guinea hen? Will instinct eventually take over?
At least the ducklings won't get shot as turkeys by some idiot [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[roujesky]

It will work out fine... When I was a kid, we purposely put duck eggs in the chicken nest. The chickens were always good mamas. It did not appear to mess with the psyches of the baby duckling when they matured [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] The chicken hens did not take their babies swimming, though [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I had always heard that you really did not want ducklings swimming anyway until they were much older. I cannot remember why... Maybe just the danger of drowning or getting sick...

[mysticokra]

Ducklings can swim as early as two weeks, but she be attended to make sure they don't get waterlogged and sink.
They need to be able to put their heads under water to keep their bill clean and open.

[ObedienceGoldens]

Well all the babies are doing fine....We have two shallow pans of water in with them
Even the keets will stand in there LOL and of couse jump out