Ducking Death in Disbelief
In our last post, I told you the sad story about momma duck. I had found a duck carcass with feathers that matched hers down by the tank, so I assumed she had succumbed to her broken leg.
Last Sunday was also the due date for the ducklings, and we were sad that none of them had hatched. We decided to leave them in the incubator for a few more days.
On Wednesday evening, before lenten services last week, we removed the duck eggs from the incubator because we didn’t want any rotten eggs exploding. If you've ever smelled rotten eggs, you know why. It is our custom to break open the eggs that don’t hatch to inspect for stages of development. The first two eggs did not contain an embryo. I suppose 21 eggs were just too many for one momma to incubate.
But then, much to our surprise, the third egg had a duckling inside, and it was still alive. We couldn’t believe it. So we placed all of the remaining eggs back into the incubator in hopes that a few might hatch soon. So far none have hatched, but I will let you know if they do. It seems impossible and yet it seems possible.
On Friday evening, we were out feeding the animals and doing our chores when I saw a duck sitting by the incubator shed, right next to the wall where the duck eggs were being incubated..
Oh my goodness!!! Momma duck is still alive!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes.
When she saw me, she got up and limped away on one leg. A little later she flew up and sat on the cattle corral fence next to the shed.
How is this even possible? The duck carcass I found must have been one of her babies that she had hatched a few months ago.
How peculiar that she chose to sit in that particular spot. Do you think she knows her babies are inside? Do you think she senses life? Or do you think she is hanging on to hope? I certainly see evidence of it all. Animals deserve so much more credit than we give them.
Momma ducks injured leg is healing. She has a limp, but she can put some weight on it. What a survivor she is! In all of this, she never gave up on her babies. She is a momma after my own heart.
Thank you for reading our emails and sharing in our farm journey. To show our appreciation, we have a special offer on Wagyu beef that is only available to our email subscribers through a private link in the email you received. If you have not already subscribed, just click the link below, and never miss our farm stories, or one of our private special offers again.
