Ducklings Hatched Naturally on Pasture

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Gold Shaw Farm
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About Gold Shaw Farm: Gold Shaw Farm is more of a farm-in-progress than an honest-to-goodness farm. We dream that someday we can transform our 150+ acre parcel of land into a regenerative and productive homestead and farm.

[@Crosses3]

Alison, the duckling whisperer. She picks them up and they calm down immediately.

[@grapefruit1992]

Some men bring their wofes flowers, Morgan brought his a bunch of baby ducks 😂❤

[@polarberri]

I think the natural ducklings might have done well if there hadn't been a disastrous level of flooding! Wishing them luck for next year.

[@bland9876]

I'm guessing it was the cold that killed them?

[@Angiehere-1]

I think the ducklings got cold.

[@JoeyBlogs007]

Cold in summer ??? Ducks are water birds 😂🤣🤪

[@martinsmallridge4025]

@@JoeyBlogs007maybw time for an experiment. Put on a load of cotton or other absorbent clothing, (no waterproofs) and sit out in the rain for 24-48 hours and watch your body temp plummet. The feather down and heat sapping effects of constant water/damp aren’t friends to a baby duckling.

[@JoeyBlogs007]

@@martinsmallridge4025 They were doing fine, were highly mobile and they are water birds. There were no significant floods there. These animals have evolved over millions of years and experienced that sort of thing.

[@promisedjubileedaniels]

This is my favorite thing my ducks do. Disappear, then reappear more than a month later and magically have 20 ducklings. So sweet ❤️

[@aquaticma]

Watching Abby's nose in the brooding house is hilarious! I remember when you couldn't let her near baby chicks. She's come so far! ❤

[@Wellington.Gonzalez]

How old is Abby?

[@tiii4017]

@@Wellington.Gonzalez like under 2 years, it was a year ago she came to the farm

[@dawnywoodburn]

Bless your heart Morgan! I know it was hard for you to lose those babies but I respect you for letting nature take it’s course. Love to you and Allison and your menagerie.

[@anthonywashington2885]

I appreciate your honesty with your viewers. It's very disappointing news for all of us, but this really puts much more into scope how devastating these floods are.

[@bkm2797]

Wow that's sad you lost all the baby ducklings due to bad weather. It looked like there was plenty of places that should be Ok, but I guess we learned a hard lesson. Really hope that's the last of any more flooding. Otherwise everything seems Ok, and Gold Shaw Farm will have many more 'Stories on the Farm' to tell. Thanks Morgan, appreciate you taking us along, see you soon!

[@Joycat510]

Morgan, don’t beat yourself up. Nature takes over and foils our plans. This is life. You and Allison have proven over and over again how much you care about your animals. You don’t owe us an apology.

[@lauriemartin7358]

Can't wait to see Lil's reaction to sharing the house with Abby. Those chick's are going to grow into beautiful birds.

[@tomgroves2567]

I've been watching you since the covid days and it's incredible when I think about how differently you respond and approach things now compared to then. Shows how much you've grown and part of me feels like you're in a better place now than before

[@preschoolhomestead]

Allison with the ducks was so adorable. Sorry for your loss of the others.

[@jrrarglblarg9241]

I walk my dog past a place we call “the duck ditch.” Wild ducks love it. It has good forage, natural shelter and neighbors with chickens poisoned all the raccoons a few years ago. Every year a momma duck hatches a nest of eggs, sometimes up to a dozen. Survival rate is about one ducking per year, even under these ideal conditions. That’s why they sit a clutch of eggs at once.

[@beejls]

Good point, there's a reason some animals have large broods. Sadly, it's because most won't survive to adulthood.

[@jwenting]

@@beejls Correct, and that's why farmers don't let nature take its course.

[@tenofivelips]

What a wonderful small world you two have created. It's been a pleasure to watch. It's not all your fault. It's nature. And nature can be brutal. Beautiful little chicks.

[@jennifergriffiths42]

Those little chicks are just so fluffy and cute!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@zoni3gurl641]

So sorry about the little ducklings. When you grabbed those ones for sale, my heart kind of hurt but then in hind sight now, it was a good thing. Mother nature can be a real kill joy sometimes. Those little chicks are adorable and will be happy to watch their progress on the farm. I am happy that your farm was pretty safe from all the flooding.

[@RollingThunder2020]

Morgan, keep in mind that species generally evolve to breed enough that 2 will survive to adulthood and breed; species where a lot of them tend to die off young have large broods and ducks definitely fit in the "larger brood" category. 50% survival to teenage stage is probably a higher than in the wild average.

[@amandajarboe1131]

Morgan, all things considered, you are doing well, learning from your mistakes and doing better. That's all anyone can ask. HUGS and the chicks look adorable!

[@anitraahrens905]

Wunderbar! I see Allison is happy with the new ducklings , too. Thanx for the weird chickens "moment of Zen," Morgan. So sorry that some of the ducklings perished. Love the new addition of the baby chicks. I hope Abby will be alright.

[@jimputnam2044]

I live in NS> Canada ,we too were hit with the worst flooding in 50 yrs. Millions of dollars worth of damage. The weather is deffinately getting weird. We had a spring drought and wild fires that consumed a lot of forest. Now all under water.

[@nicsxnin6786]

Saw another comment with same thought, heating plate for chicks too low. Bad storms are rough on newborns. Very glad to see your farm doing so well through this flooding event. My prayers go out for those who didn’t fare as well 🙏.

[@lynnbetts4332]

Sorry about the ducklings. I had a hen pop out with 7 chicks this spring. By afternoon, she was down to 3. The crows were really active near the garden that day, so I think they got them. Or a rat snake. I had a girl sitting on 16 eggs near the shop. She got to the last week. She had kicked out a couple of bad eggs, but still had 10 left when I checked that evening. The next morning, ALL were gone. I have decided that if anymore hens hatch out chicks, I'm grabbing them and putting them in a brooder area. But, of the 4 chicks that made it through this spring, only one is a hen. I think I'll stick to buying pullets.

[@ShadowMoon878]

Get a decoy Owl on your coop. They will scare the crows away

[@minnahumble2294]

I think Lynn has a better idea, which is to put them in a brooder after they hatch.

[@surlycanadian]

@@minnahumble2294unless Lynn doesn’t ever sleep, it may be difficult for her to ensure she is even awake and aware that they’ve hatched and can move them to a safe place in a timely manner. A $10 fake owl will reduce the aerial predator risk massively and buy a lot of time for her to first discover that there are freshly hatched chicks to scoop up and move.

[@lynnbetts4332]

@@ShadowMoon878 My chickens are all free-range. Normally, they all run for cover when any large bird flies overhead. This hen just wasn't very attentive. I was worried when I saw her that morning, and she wasn't keeping up with them all. Was planning on rounding them up that afternoon and putting into a dog crate overnight for safety, but too late.

[@lynnbetts4332]

@@surlycanadian I have more issues with rat snakes than aerial attack. They have even killed full grown hens. Lost 3 young bantams (2 months old) to snake. They were in my 2'x8' grow-out pen, and they couldn't escape.

[@ljcl1859]

I'm sorry about the ducklings. I think a middle ground letting the ducks raise the ducklings but in a more secure area. In one of the mobile coops like you have done before worked pretty well. At least until they are bit bigger. Same with the chickens, I have seen most farmers seperate them out with their mothers, in a separate coop.

[@OliviaLovesPugs]

This is exactly what I was thinking; collect all the babies and their mother and grow them out in a brooder setup.

[@James2PlayzMC]

This video just goes to show how powerful nature is!

[@phasm42]

Could poke a few drain holes in the shademobile, maybe rivet them with tarp rivets so they're not prone to rip further.

[@graehamjestin1493]

Audrey has to be my favorite cow on the farm. I love how sleek her coat is and she's got a beautiful build! She strikes a very impressive figure

[@donnalaplante6589]

NEK Vermont Born raised. Prayers for Vermont ❤ Our beautiful state another flood

[@arcan762]

tbh I would have thought this would be a learned lesson at this point and have just immediately moved them into that triangular chicken tractor thing that a bunch of baby ducks were successfully raised in with the parents last time

[@Nphen]

Now you know for next year to collect the natural hatchlings by the end of the day you find them. No need for the brooder, put them in the bins you kept the gooselings in. That way you can just dump out the bedding when it gets dirty. It was amazing to see them in their natural habitat, maybe allow them out in nice weather and collect them at night. You may well sell a few and only have to raise a few.

[@leahness3588]

The mothers do a good job at raising their babies. The storm didn't help. I keep my hen and babies in a separate pen for a few weeks so they don't get trampled by the adults. Live and learn. ❤❤

[@carleeneaton5272]

So sorry about your ducklings. I’m in western central VT and we had considerable flooding near me as well. Farm life is truly wonderful and can be so difficult as well. I really enjoy your videos and your approach towards farming. Keep up the good work.

[@cindym7234]

Morgan, anytime you see a mother duck with babies, catch the mom and babies and lock them up!!! Don't talk yourself out of it. Just do it!! It's a no brainer!

[@pistol0grip0pump]

I love how much Alison melts at the sight of baby ducklings, like how can you not? Those little peeps....Oh my god I just got why the candies are called peeps!..how did I not get that until now?!

[@seth4bucks]

In years past, you have put new born ducklings/goslings with their moms inside one of your modified John Suscovich chicken tractors until they got old enough to free range. Those ones are the ones who have great survivability and the others are the ones who usually fail to make it. Leaving literally just hatched little ducklings out to face the worst bad weather Vermont has seen in decades seems a little inhumane and contrary to everything you stand for when you could have at least corralled them into a chicken tractor.

[@meilaniwenska664]

Pretty awesome job the ducks did hatching out so many lil ducklings! Though was nervous to watch this video from seeing prior one. I hope Abbylicious has been contained up top and her paw is better. Also, at 12:52 check the amazing Thunderthighs! Looks like a chicken superhero!

[@Lightna]

Take it as a leason, Morgan. The next time you have a gut feeling that the weather is not going to be good for baby animals, take it as a sign you should prepare shelter for them ASAP. Do not force down that feeling, listen to your gut. : )

[@farming_in_a_city.]

Yo love all the things you did on the farm and I like how far you went with it and it's just so amazing to see all of these baby ducklings following there mom it's heart warming and adorable.

[@tomorrowhowever7488]

When you began, you had intention. You took action on that intention. That is why your farm has not flooded. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@tomorrowhowever7488]

Please don't discount the swales and pond. They may have saved your farm! Your thoughtful use of land made it possible for you to help others! Oh wow, you're the cool kid now!

[@DanCheaptrix]

I'm sorry to hear about your ducklings. Glad those three got the chance to have a good life.

[@T_P_W_ThachoZenjuan]

Ahhhhhh, all that work in hatching them and boom. Gone. I've learned to always take the babes or lock em up during crap weather.

[@AshKay131]

All growth is so fulfilling and beautiful thank you as always for sharing with us, Morgan!

[@howdywowey2165]

Love the detailed chick raising section. Excellent Video 🎉

[@Mac-di1yf]

In the past you had put the mother duck and ducklings in mobile shelters for a couple of weeks and I thought that had better results. They may not be able to roam free like how you would want but if it does have better survivability results seems like the best of both worlds.

[@Spudscave]

Everyone take a deep breath and relax Life at the farm goes on ❤from Glasgow Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@JenesisDark]

I could weirdly watch 30 mins of weird chicken zen. You have trained me well.

[@luckyrobinshomestead]

As a farmer, nothing is a complete loss if we learn from it. You have learned that next time you will trust your instincts more, and you did have them, to go and grab the ducklings. Experience is what teaches. We all learn by making mistakes. In a good year, your experiment would have gone just fine, but this was not a good year. If you had succeeded this year, or for several years, and then had a year like this, you would have felt just as bad as this, but now you know from the beginning that this can happen and to be prepared for it. Early lessons are better than late lessons, but I'm still sorry you went through it. It feels rotten.

[@sgrvtl7183]

Always look forward to seeing your videos. The ducklings are adorable, sorry the losses, always sad. You have a lot going on - on the farm!!

[@benjaminwilliams3568]

Gold I'm very Sad with you over the loss of those wonderful clutch of baby ducks. That was impressive the sheer number of new born baby ducks😢. Truly a loss of a blessed miracle. I'm praying to God that somewhere somehow some of those lost babies are found.

[@linnsoltwedel]

These videos have turned in to my favorite videos on KZbin! :D

[@randymousley1427]

Do you follow “Just a Few Acres”? If not, you should.

[@christiensgarden3325]

Sorry to hear about the ducklings and I think you are right keeping them in a brooder

[@jillianstolling2602]

I remembered you telling us about this in your live stream and kind of was dreading watching this video. I love mucklings and as much as I hate raising them myself, there is nothing quite like the little water monsters. We generally take in our moms with their babies, unless the mom proves to be a bad mother (had a mother hen this year kill her chicks and then stuff the bodies under her so we took the few remaining eggs.) If the mom is bad we can help the babies and kick her back out or if he is decent after a few days we release them all together or a week or two later, as in the past winter where we had similar storms all season and a few crazy hens who thought it was wise to hatch in that. Don't kick yourself to much, most people don't know how bad an atmospheric river can be when it's dumping on you. Fingers crossed for you out there that it is just the one storm and not a season of them like California. Thank you for the story and thank you even more for the Cochin babies at the end. Gosh I love those babies and birds more than anything. Good luck and best wishes for safety.

[@Adam.304]

we went camping this wknd, in alberta. i cant believe what BEAUTIFUL 35ºC days were followed by terrential rains in the evening.

[@gabriellafox7948]

🐤Those baby ducks are so precious and I was so happy for the mama! I’m surprised that not even one 🤷🏼‍♀️or two of them survived?? So sad I almost cried, especially because I know how disappointing that was for you. I can’t imagine how you felt when you found the first two. I know it’s a farm and we’re supposed to just take this all in stride but it is very sad to loose the life of any animal. Hopefully next time the weather won’t be severe or you could remove them with the mother into our safe enclosure for a week until the babies get a bit stronger. Then you can put them right back out on the range with everyone else. Some may say that that’s cheating, rather I think it’s a hand up in the preservation of a little flock. I know Abbey is already doing OK from other videos, press on stay strong & know that we love that you share all this with us Morgan, such a beautiful farm. Both you/farm have learned and grown so much over the last couple of years✨ ♥️🇨🇦♥️

[@tjs114]

when you rebuild the shade mobile, try to make one side taller than the other- either on the short side or the long side it doesn't matter; but the angled roof would let the rain run off rather than pool.

[@-touya_todoroki]

I suggest "shelter boxs" for mamas brooding outsider or your animals that stay outside, having pockets and multiple escape routes out where they like to nest As well as maybe putting out flood protection?

[@hopeofdawn]

One of the things that I think a lot of us who love animals and nature is that in the wild, babies of all species often have a 90% mortality rate in the first year. Working with nature is important for a farmer, but I think we tend to forget that it often isn't kind.

[@greengrendel]

The ducklings did well in that mama duck shed set-up that you had. That might just have to be the way, at least for that first critical week.

[@mollydion8311]

Those chicks are so beautiful. Will enjoy watching them grow.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Well sad that some of the little Ducks did not make it.......Thanks Morgan 👍 Old Shoe🇺🇸

[@SandrA-hr5zk]

I’m surprised you didn’t use the chicken tractor to house the baby ducklings. It seems to have worked in previous years.

[@janw491]

Hindsight says move the mommas and chicks to a little enclosure once they appear.

[@jeanneshannon5607]

Allison, your hubby looks healthy! Good to see you too😍

[@brookemahanes]

I’m so sorry you lost them Morgan. Your new chics are beautiful.

[@atlanticx100]

That was a creek! wow, your neighborhood was hit badly. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

[@sooshrholes647]

I was correcting my 6 yr old and she looks at me, smiles and says," GOOD MORNING WEIRD CHICKENS!" Do you know hard it is to be sincere while dying laughing???

[@Lonesome__Dove]

Stoked for the live reading of Toby dog book. Literally can't stop thinking about it. When u told us on the fundraising livestream if we made it to 20k i knew i had to do everything i could to help make that happen. Still going to get the physical copy and the audio version as well. I don't have children and my only nephew is a teenager so im getting it for myself lol. I still have my favorite childrens books 📚

[@heidipustelniak652]

Sad, to lose the ducklings! They were so cute!

[@pfeilsusan]

Went into Hobby Lobby the other day and highland cows are the "in" thing. Artwork throughout the store showing these beautiful species. :)

[@neretilderem7029]

I'm so early it's only available in 360p

[@ancaci]

straight out of the fps oven 🤣

[@morningsun5684]

lol dude, i was looking on google why we have only 360p and i found i am to early here..

[@Flowmaster925]

now, this was the episode that was all over place. you survived, you lost, you gained. real Shakespeare like

[@katiehettinger7857]

Sad you lost your naturally hatched ducklings to the stormy weather, but your philosophical response was refreshing. The reality of the survival rate caststhe way domestic birds are raised in a kinder light. 😉👍💙🇺🇸🕊

[@eric2500]

Allison: whispers encouragement to duckling. Duckling: Warm, but screaming like a smoke alarm...

[@catherinecarreiro3955]

Sorry about the lost ducklings. 😢Love the colors among the new chicks. 😊

[@Rayxster]

Im so sorry about all those ducklings😢, please don't blame yourself to hard. We all learn from out mistakes, we improve, and we change. Next year, if the same situation arises, you know to remove them from the mother duck. Nature can truly be cruel, I doubt many wild ducklings survived that ordeal.

[@RoulicisThe]

The loss rate of ducklings in the wild is between 50 and 70%. It's easy to forget how merciless nature can be

[@defeqel6537]

@@RoulicisThe we also forget that those percentages used to apply to human babies / children, though more usually at birth

[@marymasters3960]

Sorry about the loss of all those cute ducklings. My cat went absolutely nuts when all those chicks were peeping away, she just couldn't figure out where they were. We have more than double the normal rainfall for this area, also in the N east.

[@FoxySonia]

@goldshawfarm Morgan, sorry for the ducklings that didn't make it. Your new chicks are adorable. The brooder heat plate is set way to low and close to the floor. It should be high enough to allow the chicks (or ducklings or goslings) to easily get under it and not have direct contact with the hot metal plate. The birds won't know where they can get warmth unless you show them by placing them under the brooder heat plate, like you did with the "sleepy" chick that was actually too cold and would most likely have died if not warmed up.

[@dc-4ever201]

Might wanna consider building some Duck houses to put up there, raised up just enough to keep water out, it will allow momma Ducks to have some shelter with the brood.

[@SearchfortheMeaning]

Hi Morgan GoldShaw! 👋 Hey, 7 Things You Can Do With Your Dog's Fur Knit Clothes. Just like you can spin and knit sheep's wool, you can do the same thing with dog fur. ... Make Felted Crafts. Felting is a traditional way of making material. ... Protect Your Garden. ... Clean Oil Spills. ... Stuff Dog Toys or Pillows. ... Fertilize the Soil.

[@sasasudar6845]

Those chicks are friking cute, the cutest so far on your farm Keep a good job Greetings from Bosnia and Herzegovina

[@Zairin.]

its always a treat seeing Allison in the videos also for the shademobile, you could always have one wheel lower than the other. i cant see it impacting rolling it around, and the water will naturally slide off

[@MrAxidol]

I’m Vietnamese, we like eating duck eggs in our dishes called thit kho trung😊 it’s pork and duck eggs simmering in fish sauce

[@ritamulloy3522]

Little fluffs of cuteness 🥰😘

[@tasanokiranoko881]

Are these the ducklings that had issues with the storm? Or did these end up hatching after?

[@thewheelingpath-finder1955]

so to explain the ducklings from the sounds of it all died. the baby birds you seen at the end of the video are chickens not ducks

[@deed5811]

All died but the 3 ducklings he sold 😢

[@i-am-erica]

My kitty cat is loving this video! 👍 from her. 😊

[@watchmeimflying]

I’m the saddest about jemimas offspring. She’s getting older and I wanna see some Peking offspring to carry on her legacy

[@tshoitnshorts]

Yes, Morgan, please carry on Jemima's legacy. Would be nice to get her a companion pekin, too. Jemima rocks!

[@judykinsman3258]

Great music accompaniment Morgan.👌

[@SpeakerWiggin49]

I can't wait for Toby dog to sire some PUPPIES!

[@angeliamesserschmidtpowell6074]

Thank you for the baby chicks part.

[@codya8684]

Love the ducks, adorable ❤😊

[@chloesmithwalker7565]

Love how the land and the recent rains has made a habitat for the ducks.

[@ajnormandgroome]

Great shirt!

[@FeedMeSalt]

Hey Morgan, just wanted to ask how your flooding is doing. We share weather patterns, I'm in Nova Scotia Canada. We have lost multiple people this week and major highways washed out all over. Our farm is on a mounting so we are all good, I'm hoping your elevated farm is safe as well! We just had a missing banty hen come home with six chicks :) we thought we lost her cus she's tiny but nope, she was brooding our brown commercial hen flocks eggs. This little 1 pound chicken brought home six babies half her size. Sometimes nature can be amazing. Sometimes it can be more scary then anything else on this planet. Stay safe man!

[@gabriellafox7948]

Amazing that she was able to bring home those little baby chicks half her size. You must’ve been overcome with joy at that site! Mother nature IS absolutely amazing! ♥️AB🇨🇦

[@FeedMeSalt]

@@gabriellafox7948 absurd! We have constant month long storms and floods, and here comes our little girl with a half dozen soaked little puff balls. She must have found somewhere near by outside to bunker down and brave the storm for those babies. Babies she didn't even lay 😭 she's a forever brood hen now, never gonna get rid of her.

[@Ann-ub4mf]

Awe...they are so cute.😊❤❤❤🥰😘 Morgan, I am so sorry about the ducklings.😢

[@cjcarver6290]

Lessons learned. Keep on keeping on.

[@thesquirrelyprepperlifesty5523]

You are my new hero!

[@b.c.9358]

Sorry about the loss of your ducklings

[@norag188]

They are so cute!❤

[@katherinewhittenberg8919]

I am so sorry for your loss of birds, but this can be an experience for the next time. Would you be able to build a mountain or raised area in the pasture for the birds protection.

[@danu.2118]

You need a small scale hoop coop or a mobile Duck House and perhaps some Chicken Wire around it The Mobile Duck House inbetween the permaculture orchard and the barn and garden for Shelter of the Ducklings during the Night and Heavy Rains

[@Jennifer62389]

The new chicks have very pretty colors.

[@Seriouslioness]

They are sooooooooooooo adorable