THE U-Pick GARDEN will be closing August 20th. This will be the last year the garden will be open to the public. Next year I'll be operating as a CSA, supplying about 20 regular customers with weekly boxes. Thank you for your support over the last 8 years, but it's time to try something new.

To get a copy of my book, "How To Grow Vegetables In Sitka, Alaska" just give me a call....The books are $20 plus tax. If you live out of town and want me to mail you a copy, you can mail a check for $25.60 to:

Lori Adams
P O Box 6021
Sitka, Alaska
99835


Down To Earth U-Pick Garden is located at 2103 Sawmill Creek Road in Sitka, Alaska. It is open usually from mid-June through late August. Hours are Monday-Saturday 12:00 to 6:30. On Farmer's Market Saturdays I am not open until 2:00. Children are welcome but may not run through the garden or chase the ducks. If you have any questions you can contact me, Lori Adams, at 907-747-6108 or 907-738-2241. My email address is downtoearthupick@gmail.com

Sunday, July 14, 2013

And Then There Were 3

Mr. Adams had a garage sale this weekend....so when I placed the ad in the paper I listed "baby ducklings for sale". I really didn't figure I would sell any of them.....one doesn't just take a duckling home on a whim! Things have be put into place before you house ducks.  Well, low and behold......2 people bought 4 ducklings each! Pink-Pink wasn't too happy.....do you think ducks can count?

Anyways, it's going to be much easier for her to handle 3....maybe she'll get some sleep now.

Here are some more of Ben's fabulous photos, and some things you may not know about ducks.
Ducks scoop water up into their beaks and then have to tip their heads back to swallow it....



Ducks have an oil gland on the top of their tail. They rub their beaks across the gland and then all throughout their feathers to make themselves water proof. Ducklings do not produce their own oil until they are about 6 weeks old, so if I incubate eggs myself I have to keep the ducklings out of the water until they are old enough to produce their own oil. Ducklings that are hatched by a mother duck are waterproof right away because of all the time they spend underneath their mother...her oily feathers oil them up. So...they can get into the water as soon as they are born.


For about the first 2 days after hatching, ducklings can fit through the chicken wire!!!


From the time they are born, ducklings know how to do all sorts of stuff....... preen themselves, scratch their itches with their feet, dive and swim, tip their heads back to drink, stretch their legs, etc. and NOONE TEACHES THEM HOW TO DO IT! God has designed them to know how to do all of those things.



Mallard ducks are especially conscious of predators. They are always aware of what is going on above them in the sky. When they see something out of corner of their eye that seems dangerous they tip their heads to the side so they can get a better look.....


I'm going to miss all those ducklings, but they grow really fast, and 11 additional mouths to feed are just too many for me to afford. I'm glad Ben took all these great photos.....so I can remember how cute they all were!


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1 comment:

  1. melissaJuly 15, 2013 at 6:43 AM

    Oh phew, I thought something tragic had happened to leave you with only 3!!

    ReplyDelete

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