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Nigel's new brood of
ducks is introduced

by Mary Graham

When a ducks' nest appeared on his doorstep, Nigel Wynn looked
forward to the day he could see the new arrivals.

Little did he realise he would become a lifesaver to the five
chicks after their mother was killed.

It may sound a little quackers, but Mr Wynn now plans to look after
the tiny ducklings.

The tale began when a nest appeared underneath decking at Mr Wynn's
garden in Pratling Street, Aylesford.

He used to keep an eye on the nest but discovered it had been
abandoned for several days and the eggs were going cold.

Mr Wynn said: "I think the duck had been taken by a fox, so I
covered the eggs with a blanket, but the mother never came
back."

With a bit of quick thinking, he visited a nearby agricultural shop
and paid £80 for an incubator to keep the eggs at the right
temperature.

"I went straight onto the internet and found out as much as I could
about what to do and what temperature to set the incubator. It is
quite a complicated procedure," he added.

Of the 11 eggs four turned out to be infertile, but the first chick
hatched on Bank Holiday Monday.

By Tuesday which was also Mr Wynn's 50th birthday, seven eggs had
turned into healthy chicks but two later died.

Mr Wynn, a carpenter, added: "I've even found special crumbs for
them to eat and rigged up a water bottle.

"I will keep them and raise them. I'll build them a little duck
house, raised off the ground to keep them safe from foxes at night
and I might try and see if there is a female duck who can adopt
them."