We have ducks!
Mar 01, 2024
We would like to make an intro..DUCK..tion! Welcomed a family of new ducklings last week!
Okay, so remember in the blog last week we talked about the self-catering bungalows at Kule? Well, we decided the ducks deserve their hideaway too - sooo... we started building the duck’s new self-catering units as well.
Shortly after starting, we noticed that one of the Ducks was sitting in her nest and not moving, and we immediately knew what this meant. She was sitting on eggs which were probably going to hatch soon, and that gave us even more motivation to finish the project.
Throughout the whole process of pushing to get the new duck shelter completed (keep in mind, we have to protect them from leopards and other predators), we were concerned that all the noise and commotion around her would stress the mother duck - but to our relief she stayed on her eggs the entire time and didn't seem bothered at all, despite the construction happening all around her. It’s like she knew that the entire team was doing all this for her!
Now imagine our surprise two days BEFORE completion when we saw these tiny ducklings poking their heads out of the nest! I mean we knew we had to finish sooner to give mama duck some peace ..BUT we did not expect these beauties to come so quickly. We thought we had time! Apparently, she has been sitting on her eggs for longer than we realised.. we just hadn't noticed because she is always out in the pond.
It was wonderful to put the final touches the new duck house just two days after hatching - and even more gratifying to see all 7 of our new ducklings waddle out of their nest to explore their new surroundings and get their feathers wet for the first time in their very own pond.
What we didn't anticiapte was the DRAMA of rounding up all these little guys every evening…. Have you ever had to herd 10 cats????? Yes, I'm sure this is what it must feel like! Getting these cuties inside at the end of the day seems to have turned into a huge game.
It’s like they are competing to see who can stay out the longest on the water. While we trying our hardest to get them to the safety for the night... they keep .. well.. DUCKing us (..sorry I couldn’t help myself there).
Every evening without fail, we manage to get at least 5 inside, and before the celebration is over, half of them somehow manage to make a beeline for the pond and we are right back where we started. I give up.. we now have to put someone else in charge of these DUCKS!!
This whole experience has brought the Gwango team a whole lot of laughter and excitement and we couldn’t be more grateful. The daily hide and seek with our family of ducks has managed to draw quite an audience every evening and is becoming the highlight of everyone's day at Gobelo Farm.
All that to say, the Gwango team are now the proud parents of seven mischievous new Duck-akteers! Be sure to stay in the loop and get updates on our new feathered family.. or better yet, come on Gobelo Farm tour next time you're in Hwange.