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There is something new to report from the children’s barn again! Our duck babies have hatched and their dear chicken mama is very proud of her offspring! Wait… chicken mama? Nonsense, that’s not possible! Oh, but it is! We are the best proof of it :)!

A few weeks ago, I placed a few duck eggs under our brood hen Emma in addition to her own eggs. The eggs were dutifully hatched and when they hatched, Emma probably wondered what had gone wrong there. But she still kindly welcomed the duck babies and her own chick.

It gives us and our farm guests a lot of joy to watch the little ones grow. Emma was an excellent brood hen and only left her nest in emergencies and to drink, which kept the eggs nice and warm and meant no one else could get to the eggs. Day and night!

By the end of school, the time had come; the first cracks could be seen in the eggshells and in the late afternoon, the chicks could be seen. After hatching, the offspring hid in mama’s warm feathers until their own feathers were dry and they could explore their new home. They are absolutely adorable!

Since I hadn’t had a brood hen for a long time, I first checked with my mama and Elisabeth Wallner to see what they all needed for the start. So there was water and crushed oat flakes and a boiled, crushed egg every day. That’s what they liked best. In the meantime, they also get chick starter as a varied food supplement.

My husband built an enclosure, as the animals have also been outside daily for a while now. This way, despite the fresh air and sunshine, they are protected from cats and other animals.

Once a day, we put the duck babies in a small bathtub so that they get to swim until they get a taste for it themselves. :-)

Best regards and see you soon. Katharina from Zittrauerhof www.gasteinurlaub.com