TOTALLY QUACKERS!
When Chloe Greenwood, 35, from St Austell, picked up eggs at the supermarket, she was ready to hatch a plan...
Opening the lid of the egg carton, I ensured that there were no cracks. And taking the £2 Braddock eggs to the checkout in my local Morrisons, in August 2022, I had a master plan to hatch.
Always doing silly things around the house to entertain myself and my son Aidan, now 12, this time was no different.
After seeing a video on Facebook of someone who had grown their own poultry at home from a quail’s egg, it seemed like a genius idea.
I wonder if I would be able to try that with a duck egg?
I’d never owned a duck before, but I thought that our Cockapoos, Tilly and Lexi, could benefit from having a quacker running around.
And with the girls from work buying me an incubator after I wouldn’t stop banging on about my idea, I was all set.
Instead of cracking the eggs into a pan like usual, I carefully placed them in the incubator, switching on the lamp.
All we had to do was wait. ‘I’m telling you, I really do think that they will be fertile,’ I insisted to my mum Rachael, now 59. ‘I’ve just got a hunch.’
And just as I had predicted, on day three, there was a circle inside the shell with little veins.
‘It looks weird,’ Aidan replied, turning his nose up.
By day five, there was a tiny red blob inside and I could see a miniature heart beating.
And then, after a month in the incubator, I relied on Google to help me as our duck was ready for the world.
Needing to use tweezers to peel parts of the cracked egg off, Aidan was tucked up in bed when our yellow pet arrived.
Having to cut the umbilical cord that was still attached to the duckling’s tummy, it felt like I was some sort of makeshift vet – but I’d done it!
And Aidan had the shock of his life when he came downstairs in the morning.
Needing to cut holes in a sock to make a nappy, we assumed our duck was a boy, deciding on the name Buddy.
Both the dogs loved their new friend – Tilly treating him as if he was her own.
I’d often find the two of them huddled up.
Needing to keep a dog bed next to my bed for months on end, Buddy would quack constantly if I wasn’t by his side.
And he made our house his home.
Following me around for pieces of apple, we established a cracking routine.
And whenever anyone came to the front door, Buddy would greet them along with the dogs.
After spending six months next to my bed, Buddy is now trained to spend the day outside, before snuggling up of an evening at my feet.
On a diet consisting of pellets and fruit, he is one clever duck.
However, we did make a quacking revelation…
After finding an egg in the garden, we discovered that Buddy is actually a girl!
And now we regularly give out the eggs to our neighbours.
Mum and I have been put off the idea ever since realising that we could have eaten what would have become Buddy.
Now wearing a men’s sock as a nappy, Buddy is one – and she can live for 10 years.
Which means she’ll always be part of our family.
I’d love to be able to hatch some more ducklings, but for now we are putting all our eggs in one basket with Buddy.
She can be a real handful at the best of times and knows how to ruffle a few feathers.
She was an unexpected item in the bagging area.
But we wouldn’t have it any other way – she’s a good egg!
She’ll always be part of the family
● Follow Buddy on Tiktok: @buddythemorrisonsduck