Some ducks don’t need a pond. Some ducks just need a kiddie pool, a dog cage and a boy to take care of them.
This year, ducklings Malley, Taft (also known as Michael Quackson), Peckers and Tiger are enjoying the cool summer days with eighth grade student Ryan Coulson.
Ryan has volunteered to raise ducklings hatched from Sangamon Elementary first grade egg unit for four years. His mom, Kay is a first grade teacher.
The Coulson’s didn’t think they would raise ducklings this year. But when Candy Cockerill had extra ducklings after sending seven to Prairie Farms in Champaign, Ryan took the other four.
Although the ducklings may not be from the same clutch, they’ve spent the much of the first four weeks of their lives curled up together in the shade.
“Sometimes you can’t tell which head belongs to which body,” Kay said.
With the drought last summer, the ducklings spent a lot of time on the Coulson’s driveway in the kiddie pool. Ryan built steps up to the pool so that they can easily access the water.
The two ducklings that survived last summer became very dependent on Ryan for food. So Ryan takes the four ducklings this year to the pond behind his house so that they can search for their own food and become independent.
When the ducklings begin to prop up on their webbed feet and flap their small wings like they are going to fly, Ryan helps teach them about flying by tossing them into the air. He said sometimes they just fall, and other times, if they are lucky, they land in the water.
During his successful duck raising years, Ryan said that the ducks do learn how to fly on their own.
Ryan has only had two successful years with the ducklings. The first year, he didn’t have a cage for them. The ducklings, who just spent time next to the pond just disappeared one day.
The next year, he put them in a trough outside of his house. With a top on the trough, an animal reached in, and killed the ducklings.
Although he put them in a dog crate last year, an animal still reached into the cage and killed two of the ducklings. Ryan raised the other two until they mated and laid eggs in the neighbor’s bushes. While Ryan believes the two ducks that visit their front yard are his from last year, he has no way of knowing.
He added chicken wire to the outside of the dog crate this year to ensure their safety.
“It’s fun,” Ryan said. “It’s like having your own pet. They are so funny.”
Each day, Ryan has to clean out their cage, their droppings from the driveway, a towel and a tray that the ducks use. He also feeds them meat bird crumble, which he calls “meat bird crème brulee.”
While Ryan loves raising his ducks, he has learned that they can get very ugly when they are changing from a duckling to an adult duck.
But he still enjoys watching their quirky synchronized movements. They run from side to side together, and even turn their heads at the same time.
In the two weeks that the ducklings have been with the Coulson’s they have grown significantly and changed color. Their adult feathers around their tails are beginning to come in.
