Little Ducks with Feet

So, I called this blog Little Duck Feet because 1) I have known for awhile that I want a few ducks and 2) I have short, wide feet, which I've always referred to as little duck feet. I'm learning to stand on them, so it seemed a good idea to honor them in some way.

I've raised chickens before - lots of them - but never ducks. I live in Albuquerque now, a city which holds on to its agricultural roots. There is no prohibition against having a few ducks anywhere in the city, and my landlords don't mind either. The ducks will be a lovely component of my mini-farm-in-the-city - deliverers of fresh eggs, eaters of scraps, and garden pals who feast on the snails that cover every damn green thing growing here after a rain. And all that duck poop can go right on the compost pile. Plus, they are cute. Damn cute. I chose Indian Runner ducks (which my daughter Sophie calls "running ducks") because they are hands down the entertainers of the duck world. They walk almost upright, and can run like hell when they want to.

So, I've been waiting for spring, so I could order my ducks. I've always ordered straight from the hatchery, because I always ordered a lot of chicks. But I don't have two acres of land anymore, I have a rather smallish city lot. I want to be able to provide the bulk of their food year-round, because the ducks are so much healthier, and the eggs are so much yummier, but it's not like I have a pasture in my high desert back yard. So, I decided four ducks would be good. Four is far less than what a hatchery will send - they need a group of 10-15 so they can huddle together in their little overnight box and keep warm. I called up Farmer's Feed Store, up on Fourth Street, and asked if I could get 4 Indian runner females. Kenny at the feed store hemmed and hawed a bit, then called up his supplier, and lo and behold! they were just putting together Kenny's shipment. They threw 4 female runner ducks in with the 100 or so chicks that were already on their way to Kenny's. That meant they would be arriving......today.

I was not quite prepared for that level of efficiency. Anyone who's lived in New Mexico for any length of time knows exactly what I'm talking about. Nothing here happens on time. The locals call it the "Land of Manana", or the land of tomorrow, because everything can really wait just one more day. If you are the one with your pipes bursting (and I have been), you might not share that opinion. But you can be sure that whatever plumber you call will pleasantly tell you they will be right over. And they won't show up for two weeks. And they will not understand why you are upset about that. Seriously, when people at parties refer their plumber or contractor or landscaper or whatever, one of the highest recommendations is "S/He showed up on time." That statement has been known to cast a hush on a crowd.

But clearly Kenny at Farmer's Feed is a man who understands the power of now. Which means that even though I am sicker than I have been in a very long time, I had to get my butt in gear and get the baby duck facilities all set up. Which I did.

Sophie and I went up this morning to get our new duck friends. They are so cute, but they do have big hot pink splotches of color on their heads. Kenny explained that the four with the paint splotches were mine. OK, I can see the point of this, if I were trying to pick out my 4 female runner ducks from a sea of otherwise identical baby ducks (they do all look the same when they are little). But in the sea of yellow fluffy, mine were the only ones that were, in fact, ducks. The rest were chickens. Despite the similar cute, yellow fluffiness, all the chicks had beaks. And all the ducks had bills. And large pink splotches of paint. So anyway, that's why the ducks have pink heads. Kenny says it will wear off in a few days.