WHEN Sue Collis called her husband Les to tell him that four ducklings had moved into their kitchen, you could have knocked him down with one of their feathers.

The two-day-old ducklings had been born in a field opposite their cottage in St Peter’s Valley last week when temperatures were far too fierce for them to survive.

There was also the threat of preying magpies and crows, which were thought to have taken two of the young birds already.Sue took pity on the ducklings and brought them inside.

When Les came home, he set about building them an enclosure in the kitchen by the window.

First of all, it was a question of how best to keep the little balls of fluff warm now that they were away from their mum.The couple found that an electric heat pad placed alongside a furry toy dog in the enclosure was an ideal mother substitute.When it came to ducks needing a daily dip, Les found the answer at B&Q, where he bought them a paint roller tray which has a deep and shallow end.

‘The ducklings drink the water before they jump in for a splash,’ he said.