Doesn't everyone have baby chicks in their house? With the introduction of Noel (top) and the New Year Baby (bottom), we have had chicks brooding in our house on three separate occasions during 2012. That is not so strange I am sure, especially in this frigid weather. Why would any self-respecting hen want to sit on a nest of eggs in these conditions is beyond me. That to me is not all that strange either. The hens are giving a lot of body heat to the eggs, but their efforts are not all lost. The eggs also provide heat back to the hen. Otherwise her heat would be lost to the surroundings. At least the eggs can be a hot water bottle of sorts. These nesting hens are snugged in nesting boxes lined with hay and straw, tucked away from the winds and elements. So maybe they are not as crazy as I think they are sometimes. Nonetheless, that does not change a thing for me.
It is very often that the line between barn and house has been blurred here. Rabbits, ducks, raccoons, a lamb, dogs, a miniature horse, pigs, chicks, cats and possibly more have somehow found their way into our home. My next question that comes to mind is, "Doesn't everyone have a duck in their bathtub?" That cannot be as uncommon as I think. The Peabody hotels have duck parades, leading their feathered celebrities off of an elevator and into a fountain in the lobby. Or adventure is far less glamorous. A mallard duck named Scooter has taken residence in our bathroom. She really is our child as we are the only parents she has ever known. When this little weak, dying duckling was found in the duck pen she was just hatched, still had bits of shell attached and was completely rejected by her natural parents. She was rushed to the house for intensive care. Her body temperature so low, she was barley clinging to life. Careful use of a hair dryer began to bring the little one around. As she became more alert, her eyes began to take in things around her. She saw this new place she was in and the parents who were caring for her. She was so weak at first that it seemed touch and go for a while. Then she began to move around on her own. She scooted without using her legs. We thought we had done a bad thing and that perhaps nature was just taking it course int he duck pen. We did not give up on her and the name Scooter emerged. She waxed stronger every day.
Scooter became so imprinted to us, she will follow us in the yard. She took to the air only one time. She is a bit spoiled and wants what she wants, when she wants it. We had a garden that year. This mallard loves to hang out in the swimming pool. We were in the garden which she was becoming more and more impatient with. All of the a sudden the fussy duck lifted off the ground going as high as an airplane gaining altitude. We thought our time with her was over. Like a plane shot down over enemy lines, Scooter noticed she had made a big mistake. She was high enough to see the object of her affection, the pool. She hurdled straight down flailing as if her parachute failed to open. She made less than a perfect 10 landing, but safe in the water regardless. She never attempted to fly again after that episode. Four years have passed and this girl is still in the house. We tried to introduce her to her own kind once she was big enough. She hated them and they hated her. She is a duck of privilege. She has played in snows and flood waters, but at the end of the day she is back where she belongs, inside with us.
It is not easy to raise a duck inside. There are anatomical reason that I will not go into that prevent them from being tidy pets. There are sanitary remedies that can make the process easier. We have little complaint about our feather child. She molts quite often. At times it seems she has exploded as feathers are every where. She is an excellent drummer as she taps along with the television. She places drum beats and rolls in places that they were not originally but sound great. She can hear us turn over in the bed. Forget having a lazy day because she sees that as her cue to eat. She lays eggs regularly, too. In all she does we do not complain. Our minds go back to a little helpless chick, sure to die and look at her today.
It has been quite a journey and still going. We never knew when constructing our home that it would be just another stall. It is not animal hoarding. There are not that many critters in the house. They are kept in sanitary conditions. In addition from a duck in the bath tub, we truly must have bats in our belfry. But then again, doesn't everyone?
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