MOLLY’S EIGHT

Molly had eight live babies yesterday evening and into the night. It was not a warm night, and I found it hard to keep them warmed up so it was a long night.

The babies are little, three were very small and died in the night, Molly herself was very shaky and unsettled through the whole process which took hours. But so far so good.

And the new duck house came. We will set that up today. John will put windows in it. Heidi who is here helping this week suggested we line the floor with a tarp so the duck poop and wet straw does not rot it. This is a pretty good idea.

I will take some photos of the new babies after work this morning. Everything will look better in there when I open her door. She and I both hate being locked in.

We got so many vege scraps from the restaurant that even the cows got a share.

Ok! Have a great day. I will drop back in after a few hours at the mill.

Celi

30 Comments on “MOLLY’S EIGHT

  1. Morning Miss C I am sorry to hear about the little piglets.. hope the five left will be strong enough to make it and do well. It clearly would have been a very long night.

    Might I offer the idea (if the funds are there at some point) to replace the tarp idea with stall mats that are often used in horse barns, they go on sale pretty regular (at least they do around here) and when they are layers in, they make a cleanable floor in regards to being able to shovel them off, where tarp would not be able to be cleaned in the house easily in the same way.

    It also really helps keep the ground cold out which could be a good thing in regards to laying in winter, not that ducks tend to have much issues with that anyway but still if they are warmer in the cold, less energy going to that is always a good thing.

    Hope the day goes smoothly.

    • The stall mats do work well, I used something along that order. It came rolled up so it was much thinner than a stall mat and measured 5’x10′. I got it at our local farm supply store, it may have been in the automotive dept., I don’t recall.

      • That would be great if you could get the same effect with it being thinner.. nice, I think I have seen something like that in the auto department for being placed on floor in a garage..

  2. Oh dear, so sorry you and Molly had a bad night, hope the remaining 5 and Molly pull through and go from strength to strength. The safe house is very smart, but would adding windows not reduce the security you desire? Would you build nesting boxes, I don’t even know if ducks roost off the ground like chooks? Look after yourself too. Hugs. Laura

  3. Hi celi, oh poor wee babies…at least molly had your help. I hope the other five are going to be okay now?. Just a thought on the bottom of the duck barn, would Lino help, as it could be washed down, and not sure about over your side of the pond, but they do quite big off cuts over here. Hope you have a better night tonight x

  4. Sorry to hear about the three little ones not making it, let’s hope all runs smoothly now. Take care you are working very hard.

  5. Can’t wait to see the duck house inside and out when it’s ready for its new tenants! Should be very cool looking, and safe! xo

  6. You must be knackered! Take care of yourself. Looking forward to meeting “ the famous five”.

  7. Poor little ones. I hope the the remaining piglets do well and Molly recovers from the birthing and is able to take care of them.

  8. I’m sorry Molly (and you) had such a rough time of it! I hope she and her five gain strength, though, and the new duck house looks great. Have a good day at the mill.

  9. Baby piggies are my favorites. It’s so sad that three of the lovelies didn’t make it. I hope mama and the remaining piglets are doing better.

    Also just wanted to tell you how much I always enjoy the pictures of the cows at or in the boot of that car. Such a unique feeder. It always makes me smile.

  10. What a rough night you all had! So wish the three had survived! Hope things settle down and Molly calms down especially. Love the look of the duck house. Pretty!

  11. Hi, Miss C! For some reason, my comments are coming back as ‘anonymous’ or not showing up at all. I’m Sunny from California and not anonymous. Do I need to sign in again?

  12. I have used enamel paint on floor to make easier to clean
    a neighbor used cheep sticky back tile in his chicken house
    or odds and ends of vynal flooring, stores sometimes sell cheap, or give away

  13. Well done Molly (and you). I look forward to seeing the piglets.
    The duck house looks fantastic!

  14. All the best to you, Molly, and her 5. I am quite unhappy about the weather right now as I have goat babies due in a few days. I hope the baby piggies do well. The new duck house is lovely!

  15. Hope I did not hex the site a few days back saying Molly would birth five to eight ! Just her size and number of teats ! Sorry! The new duck palace is beautiful and a good buy for the future ! And those restaurant leftovers look preciously perfect for a pot of soup made in the kitchen for two-leggeds 🙂 !

  16. Sending good wishes to Molly and her wee ones! Glad she had you there on her team. Looks like warmer weather is about two days away. The duck house looks amazing! They are going to love it.

  17. Do we get to name the new duck accommodations, palatial as they are? How about Duck Mahal, or Ducktopia…? I thought the tarp floor lining was a good idea, especially if you use one a bit larger than the floor size, string some rope though the eyelets round the sides, and then hook the rope onto hooks in the walls round the sides. When the time comes to clean up, you just pull the rope up tight and it encloses the contents like a big purse for you to remove and hose down. Well done Miss Molly on the remaining 5, I hope she’s recovering from her birth-shock. It must be such a strange feeling to be suddenly empty after being inhabited by 8 babies for so long.

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