I thought seeing the first heartbeat was exciting. Then I saw the first tiny crack in an eggshell.
After weeks of candling, checking temperatures, worrying about humidity, naming eggs, losing a few along the way, and getting far more emotionally invested than I ever expected, our ducklings were finally ready to hatch.
And somehow, all ten of our eggs made it.
If you’re just joining our slightly chaotic duck adventure, you can catch up on Part 1, where we started incubating 22 duck eggs, and Part 2, where we made it through the emotional final days before lockdown. Then come right back here because this is where things get really fun.
Before I get into the tiny peeps, duckling zoomies, and what raising ducklings for a week actually looked like, hi! I’m Jessica, a maternity, birth, and family photographer based in Beaumont, Alberta serving Edmonton and the surrounding communities. I’m a mama to two girls, a lover of meaningful family memories, and now someone who knows far more about baby ducks than I ever expected to.
This is Part 3 and the final chapter of our duck adventure, and it might be my favourite yet. From watching Quacklemore and Monarch break through their shells to duckling bath time, cuddles, visitors, and eventually saying goodbye, this chapter had a little bit of everything.
And just when we thought our duck story was officially over, another tiny duckling quite literally wandered into our lives.
I couldn’t make this stuff up.
Whether you’re here because you’ve been following our ducks from the beginning or you’re looking for an Edmonton photographer who loves the beautifully unpredictable parts of family life, I’m so glad you’re here. I’d love to connect and help tell your family’s story, too!
Raising Ducklings Started With One Tiny Pip
After lockdown, there wasn’t much left for us to do except stare at the incubator and wait.
Then we saw it. A pip!
That first tiny crack might not look like much, but after watching these eggs for weeks, it was ridiculously exciting. One of our ducklings had finally broken through the shell and was getting its first breath of outside air.
Quacklemore and Monarch were the first two to start hatching.
From there, we watched them slowly work their beaks around the egg. Little by little, they chipped away at the shell until eventually they were able to push their way out.
Getting to witness them enter the world was honestly one of the most exciting parts of this entire experience. We’d spent weeks looking at them through their shells, watching tiny heartbeats and wondering what they would look like.
Now they were actually here!
There’s something pretty incredible about waiting for new life to arrive. If you’re expecting, I’ve shared why I love capturing maternity photos at home. Read the blog here.
And Then All 10 Ducklings Hatched
One by one, our little team arrived. Every single egg that made it to lockdown hatched!
I knew that felt pretty incredible, but I didn’t realize just how special it was until I told the owner of the farm where we’d gotten the eggs.
She told us:
“That’s the first time that all duck eggs in lockdown hatched! Even at my house! Congratulations!”
I couldn’t believe it. We definitely got lucky, and after everything we’d experienced in Part 2, seeing every one of those little ducklings safely out of their shells made the moment even sweeter.
Our First Days Raising Ducklings
One thing I hadn’t realized before this experience is that ducklings don’t immediately leave the incubator after hatching.
Ours stayed inside for about 24 to 48 hours while they dried off, rested, and adjusted. Once they were ready, we moved them into the little pen we’d prepared with shavings, food, water, and an elevated heating plate to keep them warm.
It basically became a tiny duckling playground. They’d run around, eat, drink, chirp, climb onto the heating plate, and then launch themselves off into the shavings.
And the zoomies. Nobody prepared me for duckling zoomies.
They’d suddenly race around like tiny feathered maniacs and then settle back down as though nothing had happened.
They also quickly started recognizing our voices. We’d talk to them and they’d chirp back at us. We’d let them come out to run around and play, and before long they felt like ten tiny members of the family.
Raising ducklings was messy, noisy, and way more entertaining than I expected.
Watching all these tiny personalities emerge reminded me how much I love documenting the details that make every family different. If you’re looking for an Edmonton photographer who focuses on real connection, read this before choosing your photographer.
Apparently Raising Ducklings Makes You Very Popular
We also learned pretty quickly that having ten baby ducks in your house makes you extremely popular. We had a lot of visitors. Everyone wanted to meet the ducklings.
Friends and family came over to hold them, watch them run around, and see what all the excitement was about. Our house basically became the local duckling attraction for the week.
And honestly, I get it. They were ridiculously cute.
There was something so fun about watching everyone meet them for the first time. The kids wanted to hold them. The adults wanted to hold them. Everyone seemed to pick a favourite within about five minutes.
Apparently, if you want people to visit more often, forget hosting dinner. Just hatch ten ducks.
It made that one short week feel even more special because the experience wasn’t only ours anymore. So many people we loved got to be part of it too.
We Definitely Had Favourite Ducklings
I tried not to have favourites. That didn’t last.
Interestingly, William, the egg I’d been rooting for throughout incubation, didn’t end up being the duckling I bonded with most.
That title went to Jude.
Jude was so cuddly and loving, and I couldn’t get enough of him. After weeks of being attached to William simply because his egg looked different, apparently all it took to win me over in person was a duckling willing to snuggle.
Willa became another family favourite, especially for my husband and youngest daughter. She was impossible to miss because she was completely yellow.
We later learned from the breeder that Willa is a rare all white Indian Runner duck, with about a 1 in 200 chance of getting one!
The farm we got them from breeds grey mallard coloured and trout Indian Runner ducks, Ancona ducks, and a variety of beautiful mixed breed ducks. They also have a purebred Swedish Black drake in the group who apparently likes to throw tuxedo markings on the ducklings he fathers.
Basically, every little duckling was a surprise, which made watching them hatch even more fun.
Raising Ducklings Meant Bath Time Fun
I knew ducks liked water. I underestimated just how much.
Bath time quickly became one of our favourite parts of raising ducklings. We’d put them in the tub and suddenly these tiny creatures who were still figuring out how to navigate dry land seemed completely at home.
There was splashing, paddling, diving for peas, and plenty of jumping off the edge of the tub into the water.
Eventually, my girls joined them in the bath because, honestly, how many opportunities do you get to take a bath with ten baby ducks? It was chaotic, hilarious, and exactly the kind of childhood memory I hoped this whole adventure would create in the first place.
And yes, I took approximately a million photos.
Obviously.
This whole experience has reminded me that the photos we treasure aren’t always from perfectly planned moments. Sometimes they’re made in a bathtub full of ducklings. If you’re planning a family photo session, I’ve shared 10 of my favourite photo locations around Edmonton here.
The Hardest Part of Raising Ducklings
About a week after they hatched, it was time to say goodbye. All ten ducklings were heading back to Morning Meadows.
We knew from the beginning that we weren’t keeping them, but that didn’t make saying goodbye much easier. Our house had gotten used to the chirping, the girls had gotten used to checking on them, and I’d gotten very used to cuddling Jude.
Suddenly, they were gone.
A few days after they returned to the farm, we got to see our little flock off on another adventure: visiting seniors. After watching them grow from tiny veins inside eggs to fluffy ducklings in our house, it was pretty special to see them bringing some joy to other people too.
What started as a fun summer experience for my girls became so much more. They watched life develop inside an egg, experienced the sad parts when some didn’t make it, cared for ten tiny ducklings, shared them with people we love, and eventually had to say goodbye. I knew we’d remember it for a long time.
I just assumed the duck portion of our summer was officially finished.
Apparently not.
And Then Marshmallow Showed Up
Two weeks later, we went camping. It was our last night, and we were sitting around the campfire when a tiny baby duckling wandered directly into our campsite. Completely alone.
The little thing couldn’t have been more than about 12 hours old, and at one point it nearly wandered straight into the firepit. Thankfully, my oldest daughter grabbed it before that could happen. We immediately started looking for its mama, but we couldn’t find her anywhere. So, naturally, we suddenly had another duck.
The girls named the baby Marshmallow, which felt pretty fitting considering it had almost jumped into the campfire. Marshmallow spent the night safely in the bathtub of our trailer before riding home with us the next day.
The timing was almost unbelievable. A few weeks earlier, we knew basically nothing about ducklings. We’d just spent an entire month learning about incubation, hatching, and raising ducklings.
And then a newborn duckling wandered into our campsite. Of all the campsites it could have chosen, it somehow found ours.
We contacted WildNorth in Edmonton and brought Marshmallow to the wildlife rescue the next day so the little duckling could get the proper care it needed. It felt like the strangest, sweetest little epilogue to an already unforgettable adventure.
Raising Ducklings Became a Summer We’ll Never Forget
When I brought home those first 22 eggs, I wanted to give my girls a fun experience. That’s really all this was supposed to be.
Instead, we got tiny heartbeats, heartbreak, ridiculous names, ten successful hatches, duckling zoomies, a house full of visitors, bath time, cuddles, a hard goodbye, and somehow one bonus Marshmallow.
I’m pretty sure this is one of those summers my girls will remember. And that’s exactly why I wanted to do it.
The older they get, the more I’m reminded that childhood isn’t only made up of birthdays, vacations, and big milestones. It’s also the weird little adventures that happen in between. The things nobody planned that somehow become family stories you’ll tell forever.
Our time raising ducklings may have only lasted a week, but I’m incredibly grateful we got to be part of their beginning. And I’m really glad I took so many photos along the way.
If you’re here because you love holding onto these little seasons of family life too, I’d love to connect. Whether you’re expecting a baby, welcoming a newborn, or simply wanting to document who your family is right now, I’d love to help preserve the beautifully ordinary moments you’ll want to remember.
You can learn more about me or come say hi on Instagram too!
xo
Jessica
August 28, 2026
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