Mommy's baby chicks, ducks, and geese

I mentioned in my last post about how Mommy and her fellow first grade teachers at Silver Creek Elementary School hatched chicks, ducklings and goslings in incubators from eggs supplied by our friend Frank Jenkins. We got to keep the new babies overnight the Friday before Easter. I was at my house and got a call from Daddy that Hazel and Sage were there, and Mommy was about to take the new babies home from school and take Easter pictures out in the front yard. I was awaiting that call, but before I went over, I hurriedly took my own Easter outdoor pictures with my New Lanark stuffed bunny, which I got published in my last post. By the time I reached my family's house, the pictures were already taking place. I'm posting some of the ones that were taken, both before and after I arrived.


Sage enjoyed seeing the goslings, ducklings, and chicks wandering around on the blanket that was set outside.

Emma got in the pictures.

This next picture is funny, with one of the baby geese perched on Hazel's very pregnant belly.

Sage wanted to see how the gosling was perched.

It is cute how she made a pouch for two of the chicks.

This gosling was on Emma's lap.

I really wanted to get into the pictures, but Sage had an unfortunate accident, and everything was taken inside, with the chicks, ducks and goslings put back into their boxes. Mommy talked about taking more pictures, but then she and Hazel got engaged in cooking supper. I begged Mommy to let me have some pictures, and she finally let me go outside for pictures, though she only got three of the chicks for me to hold, and not the basket or ducklings and baby geese. I thought it was nice to hold the chicks in my hands anyway. This first picture is my favorite, with my big smile. I like the flowers in the background.

It is neat how the orange chick is looking towards the camera in this next picture.

The dark chick and the light colored chick look cute together in the picture below.

I was quickly made to go back inside, but that night I took my own pictures of the chicks, ducklings, and goslings in their boxes. The chicks were first. I noticed how the chicks loved to perch on top of their food dishes. I managed to get a picture with both the food dishes being occupied.

I then turned to the box housing the ducklings and goslings. The four goslings were eager for water, while the baby ducks enjoyed resting with each other. I like their close companionship. It is funny that in this photo, it looks like the woman featured in the newspaper photograph is lying down and holding a giant duckling on her chest. The duckling seems to be looking into her face.

There kept being lots of scampering around in the box, and I managed to get a close-up picture of one of the ducklings resting all alone. Since the word "College" happens to be right beside the duckling, I like to imagine that the duckling is dreaming of attending college.

The duckling had a friend come join it, causing it to rouse up again.

The water dish proved to be a big gathering place. One of the ducklings is hard to see in this picture. It is in the very bottom of the picture in the shadows by the dish and the geese.

This duckling and gosling were a sweet pair at the food dish.

I wanted to get more close up photos of the chicks perched on their food dishes, and I took this picture just as one of the other chicks was sticking its head completely through a hole in this dish, making for a rather funny picture.

I thought this chick that perched on the other food dish is a beautiful chick with its stripes running down its back.

The chicks were snuggled up with one another, dozing off as I took the last photo of the night.

Frank Jenkins wasn't coming to collect the chicks, ducklings, and goslings until the following evening, so I had more time to spend with my new friends before he came. After arriving from my house, I noticed the ducklings and geese were in a different box with sides more of an even length all around. The goslings were busy pecking holes along the cardboard.

I thought this was a nice example of ducklings and goslings lying down together.

This duckling looked cute in between two goslings, lined up in a row.

I turned to the chicks once again, with the food dishes now side by side. The chick perched on the left food dish remained there for a long time.

When Mommy got home, Frank was already here, but he was sitting with Daddy at our outdoor fireplace, where Daddy likes to grill food. Mommy led Frank in and showed him the ducklings and the goslings first, since they were right next to the door. Mommy explained to him that a baby goose and a chick had hatched just that day. I had forgotten about what Mommy had said the day before about them still being unhatched in the incubators at school. From what Mommy said, both the baby goose and the chick could have easily died unhatched. I managed to take a picture of the chick before Mommy set it into the box again. Mommy was naming it Lucky, along with the baby goose that just hatched.

I looked back at the newly hatched gosling in its box. This gosling was so much smaller than its peers. I was rather confused when I first saw it that day. After having heard its story about its late hatching, I took a rather sweet picture of it lying with three of its bigger siblings. I like how one of the other goslings is looking right at it as they rest.

Later on all of the ducklings and goslings decided to rest together, making for a very cute group picture.

I remained fascinated with the tiny gosling that almost didn't hatch, and watched it walking along the box with a duckling friend, before the two of them decided to rest together.

Just shortly after I took that picture, Mommy took out their food and water, removed the heat lamps, and totally shut the box up, so Frank could take it away. It was time to say goodbye to my new friends, and I was rather sad. I imagined the ducklings and goslings weren't very happy, with their peace being disrupted and being shut up in the dark. Mommy then took the food and water away from the chicks and I hurriedly took one last picture of them before Mommy removed their heat lamps as well. They were clearly running around and talking to each other, wondering what's going on. I knew they would ultimately get to live on a farm, but they would have to have a long and miserable car ride before that.

I met Frank's wife, Deborah Thompson at the Berea College Country Dancer convocation the following Tuesday, and she shared the very sad news that the tiny gosling that was born late had in fact died. I had gotten so attached to that gosling and had taken such sweet pictures of it with the others, and now I found out that it was no longer alive. I had admired its ability to get along and socialize with the others despite its tiny size. Now I felt that I had truly lost a friend. At least the chick that almost didn't hatch is still doing fine. As I mourned the little gosling, I knew I still have Hazel's new baby boy to look forward to. My nephew can be born any time now, and I've been anticipating spending my first moments with him. I really hope he has a good birth and turns out healthy. I think he will be happy with his new family.