Ducklings!

 Just a few days ago we were commiserating with poor little broody hen Cookie who had dedicated so much time and effort to sitting on a clutch of duck eggs which just hadn't hatched.  Duck eggs take a full week longer than chicken eggs to hatch, and she'd been trying to brood for a few weeks before we actually gave her any to sit on, so she's been extremely patient.  But to our surprise, about three days after their due date, two little peeps were spotted in the chick house!

Mother Cookie is very experienced in hatching and raising a family, but we do wonder what she thinks of these funny little "chicks."  She's treating them just like she has all her other children--and they know she's their mother--so everything is working out just fine.  

I'm not totally sure, but it's possible that these two little ducklings are even cuter than chicks.  Here's hoping they get ugly soon so I don't feel too bad about eating one or both of them;  maybe they're both girls and get a free pass?  We kind of think one might be, but it's hard to tell at this age.

The two new Cherry Valley ducks are enclosed with the other three in their large yard in the Perennials section, but are still very wary of both us and the old ducks, who were spotted trying to drown one in the half-filled pond.  We've let the pond empty and will keep it that way until we're sure everyone is friendly--or at least neutral.  The new ones are mostly keeping under cover in the very back corner.