Before the ducks hatched, I had fantasized about them imprinting on me and believing that I was their mother. I would raise them as my own. And when the time was right, I would teach them how to fly using an airplane like that movie Fly Away Home. Silly me.
This past Tuesday, Ms. Esther, Ms. Anna, and I decided to return our ducklings to the farm. We looked at different options. We were knees deep in duck poop and decided to go with the original plan to return the ducks where we got the eggs from. With the school year quickly coming to an end, we needed to make a decision, quick. I wanted to give them to a local high school that has an agricultural program and has raised farm animals. Our principal e-mailed their principal about our duck situation. Unfortunately, our request fell on deaf ears. Tuesday was our last day with our, now big, ducklings. Each of the three teachers who took part in the incubation process had two ducks. Since Ms. Esther only had one egg hatch, we decided it would be beneficial for her duck, Jessie, to socialize with one of mine. Charlie spent the week with Jessie to help him develop social skills. I told my students that our ducks would be leaving that day. Many were disappointed and everyone was given the opportunity to say one last goodbye before our departure. We left promptly when the school day ended in an unsuccessful attempt to beat the traffic on the Long Island Expressway. It took about an hour for us to get to our destination, the Makinajian Poultry Farm & Country Store. We pulled up to a small pond where the ducks were roaming freely in an open space. A man came to greet us and looked at our ducks. We couldn't help but ask about the fate of our feathered friends. He assured us that they would not be killed. None of the animals were killed on this farm. They will be used for their eggs. Our ducks had to be adjusted to the farm life and would then be allowed to join the rest of the ducks in the open pond area. We said one last tearful goodbye. Esther held Jessie and I did the same with Gimpy. Both ducks with success stories after coming from a grim start straight out of the incubator, Jessie coming out premature and Gimpy with a bummed leg. We reflected on the whole process. This was the first year Ms. Anna and Ms. Esther had hatched duck eggs and my first year hatching eggs. They had previously worked with chick eggs. Esther and I agreed that the ducklings had more personality and we were way more attached to them than the chicks. It was a great experience but we probably will not incubate duck eggs again. We both agreed to take a break from incubating eggs next year.
Before the ducks hatched, I had fantasized about them imprinting on me and believing that I was their mother. I would raise them as my own. And when the time was right, I would teach them how to fly using an airplane like that movie Fly Away Home. Silly me.
1 Comment
TU
6/24/2014 12:00:37 am
Glad they are going to a good home!
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CategoriesAuthorCurrently in my eighth year of teaching Pre-K at an early childhood elementary school. Archives
October 2022
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