Today was a stressful and wonderful day! I received an email on Monday saying the three new ducklings I ordered from Metzer Farms in California had shipped. Riding in a box shipped by the post office, my three Black Swedish duck babies had quite a journey considering they were one day old when their adventure started.

Hello New Babies!!!

Like any mother figure, I've been worried about the ducklings as they traveled from California to Tennessee in a shipping box. From the moment I got the tracking number I checked on their location regularly. I even signed up for text alerts so I knew every time the box was scanned at a USPS center.

My local post office was suppose to call when the ducklings arrived so I could pick them up as soon as possible. They don't deliver the ducklings to your house in case you aren't home and instead they are kept safe and warm inside the post office.

I woke up around 4 AM to use the bathroom and saw a notification my ducks arrived in a nearby city so I knew they'd arrive today but I didn't know where. We live close to four different cities so there are four potential post offices they could have ended up at. I noticed at 4 AM that my phone didn't have a signal and our internet was down. Big Problem!

I'm so glad you have arrived safe and sound!

We live out in the country and use a phone booster connected to the modem to get a cell phone signal. Without internet we have no phone. How was I suppose to get a call from the post office or notifications where my ducklings arrived???

Our internet didn't come back on until 5 PM and I was so angry. Don't get Century Link for internet...SO MANY OUTAGES ALL THE TIME!

I set my alarm for 8 AM when the post offices open but was really restless and kept waking up to check if things were back. I was also set to have a meeting with my dissertation adviser at 11 AM but with no phone and internet I was screwed. I have mini panic attacks these days when I have adviser meetings which are either on Skype or the phone. I couldn't sleep well at all.

Around 10:00 AM I didn't have a cell signal but somehow I managed to get a voicemail left by the post office. Thankfully, the ducklings arrived at the post office five minutes from my house instead of the one 20 minutes from my house like last year when I got my first four ducklings. I was able to pick them up quickly and get them home so they could eat real food and drink water for the first time since Monday. I got them settled then jumped in the car and drove 15 minutes to McDonalds where I used their internet and did my phone call meeting with my adviser.

Under the red heat lamp

Already got my ducks in a row.

Right now the new babies are in their brooder under a heat lamp with food and water. The water has probiotics in it which is good for birds who have gone through stressful ordeals like being shipped in the mail. They are eating crumbles for baby birds with 20% protein. As they grow I have to be careful not to give them too much protein or their wing feathers can grow in incorrectly.

I haven't picked out names yet for them. I'm enjoying them though. Ducklings are so fluffy and cute when they are born. I had forgotten how small they are. I'll share better pictures another time. I don't want to handle them too much today. They need to bond with one another really well before I start handling them more.