04 June 2007

More on the Magpies

The mother Magpie duck took her brood out for a stroll Sunday morning. The first two hatchlings were keeping up with her fine, but the third kept falling behind. After watching him get disoriented and lost a few times, I took him and put him in the brooder with the turkey poults. At first, they pecked at him and I was a bit concerned. But once he'd dried off, they seemed to welcome him in as one of the gang. We'll keep him there until he's mature enough to turn loose.

Meanwhile, Mama Magpie was joined by a Magpie drake (he's the one with the curly tail feathers), and the two of them have been caring for the ducklings together. He never leaves her side, and chases other birds away when they come too close. It's very sweet.

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