New Ducklings-Coming April 24th

[FlynnTheBP]

So, a little background,
I'm an avid poultry keeper and have owned ducks, quail, chickens, etc., in the past. A few months ago I decided to get myself a pair of ducks to help out with the snails in the garden. I ordered hatchery choice, which is an assorted mix of random ducklings, and ended up with two female runner ducks. Runners are funny looking to say the least, they walk upright and run unlike other ducks, who waddle. They also seem to stay away from water for the most part though mine did swim on occasion. So, my two ducklings arrived in the mail, cute and chirping, and I raised them indoors before moving them outside. They had a pen I built for them complete with a tub for swimming and a large yard to free range in. The two were doing great and just began to lay eggs when tragedy struck. A week ago I left for vacation and my ducks were put into a care of a close friend who came to lock them in their pen each night. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication with said friend, and the ducks ended up being outside, their pen was useless without the door closed, and alone for three days and nights. I'm not sure when, my friend found them when they came, but both of my pets were killed by a predator, most likely a raccoon or bobcat. I felt terrible and was close to tears since I'd raised these two from babies. They followed me around like I was their mother and ate from my hands. I was pretty torn up, but I'll also admit, with a lot of guilt, that my thoughts quickly turned to ducklings, some of the best possible things to comfort you. Before I knew it, I'd ordered another pair of ducks for the yard, a jumbo peking and a black swedish. I know it might be too soon, but the mistake definitely won't happen again and it was nothing I can fix now. Anyway, I'll post pictures when the little cuties get here, I'm anxiously awaiting their arrival! Their hatch date is April 24th-26th, so I should get them by the end of the month. I'm pretty excited and a little nervous to go through the stress of raising ducks again. They're messy and loud, but they are definitely worth it.