Egg update

Egg update: bossy pants' nest is full-to-overflowing!  I am so hoping she will start to sit on it soon. When do you draw the line though?  The two ducks seem to be enjoying galavanting in the yard instead of tending to their nest!  

Being a duck mom is such a hard job! 

A baby move

Josh worked into the late night Thursday to get walls up on the first part of the coop expansion.

The siding isn't supposed to get wet until it's been painted so I came home early Friday and knocked it out. 

I got the hardware cloth up around the top, bedding on the floor, heat lamps hung, and food and water set up.  It was getting dark but I decided to go ahead and move the little girls over. I grabbed them up about 10 at a time and put them in a large container to carry them out. When I scooped them out and placed them in their new home they huddled together wildly in the corner by the heat lamps. I wasn't sure if they were scared or cold so I set up some styrofoam

Insulation around them to keep their heat contained. 

When I came out in the morning, they were all running about and seemed happy. 

They have so much more room now and can fly because the ceiling is so tall. They are checking out different perches and exploring their new space. 

And they have their very own bouncer at the door 😀

Can't you just hear this bird saying, "W'sup? What you want?"

Here's some more close ups of the growing babies...

Sunday morning communion with Nature

The dogs and two younger boys and I spent our Sunday morning in communion with nature. We hiked across the street and down to the river by the old flour mill. The air was cool and moist, perfect for waking up the senses and bringing color to your cheeks.

When we got to the water, I let the dogs off their leashes and the boys went running.  This is the kind of memory I treasure from my childhood: wandering free in nature, touching slimy things, dipping my hands in frigid creek water and screaming with delight, hunting for crawdads, collecting treasures to bring home with me...

I hope these times will stick with these boys just as they have with me, so many years later. 

Ducks being difficult

Oh man!  I said some not so kind words towards our ducks tonight. I don't know what was wrong with them but they would not come out of the pond.

Ever since we lost the one they have gone into their home fairly easily at night. This evening, though, we were having a family dinner party. I went out at dusk and they were out in the middle of the pond so I came back inside. I went out again when it was dark and they were still swimming. I tried tossing rocks out into the water which got them to swim to the edge, but then they hid under some trees right at the edge and I couldn't get them out from under the branches. Three times I almost got them and then they slipped back out into the middle of the pond. 

I went in for back up. Josh came out to help, and we tried a couple more times with the rocks but to no avail. 

Finally, just as we were about to give up, Josh thought to try his BB gun. He shot out into the water near the ducks to get them moving. Even this didn't seem to faze them!  

Once they started to make towards the duck house but got spooked and made a b-line for the water again. I threw my arms up in frustration. Why were they  being so difficult!?!

I had been out there for more than an hour chasing those birds around when Josh said, "We have family inside. We'll have to just leave them be."  

I wanted to cry or scream or both. I just couldn't stand the thought of coming out to find another pile of duck feathers in the yard. It seemed we had no choice but to leave them out though.  We began to walk up the hill when, like magic, out they came. 

The ducks came out by the cattails and ran up towards the chicken coop. Jo's and I followed behind and we were able to corner them by the coop and each picked one up. Finally!  We carried them down and locked them up in the duck house. 

What a relief. Now I'll be able to sleep, knowing they are safe out there. 

God help us if it's that hard to lock them up moving forward. I don't know if I'll have the patience to do that again. 

Almost ready for the roof

Despite the sudden return of wintry weather, Josh was out working on the coop expansion yesterday.  The snow was coming down in big, wet flakes and he was soaked through before long.  We really have to keep moving on the building because the chicks are growing fast!  We figure they have a week left before they are too big for the brooder.  They are already flying around and this morning I had to put a screen over the container so they wouldn't escape.  We have our one little wry neck baby separated still, with a few buddies to keep her company.  Yesterday afternoon Josh sent me this picture:

We had an escapee.  Now that they can fly, it's pretty easy for them to get out unless their space is screened in.

So, we finished up the purlins yesterday.  Those are the pieces that connect the rafters, which the metal roofing is screwed into.  During the day, Josh did one half...

Then when I got home, I helped him with the other side.  Here you can see how he uses a rope line to keep the ends straight and even.

It was nearly dark by the time we got the last purlin nailed in.

I believe Josh is going to pick up the metal today and we'll be ready to roll on the roof.  After the roof is up, he can start constructing the henhouse.  Finally, we'll fence in the run and we'll be just about ready to move the girls over.  Sounds simple enough, right?

Wry neck baby

We have a little baby chick that is exhibiting symptoms of what I call "exorcist neck," generally known as "wry neck."  When she tries to drink or sometimes just randomly, her little head twists around against her back and seems stuck there. 

Poor thing!  She's noticeably smaller than her sisters because she isn't able to eat or drink very effectively, though she's tenacious and keeps trying. 

I found a good website that talks about the condition, which it seems is linked to a vitamin deficiency.  Her parents probably had it and passed it on to her. 

This site says the chick needs supplementary vitamin E. So yesterday I went and got vitamin E tablets as well as some shelled sunflower seeds, which are a good natural source of the vitamin. 

Last night I cut open some of the vitamins, squeezed the liquid into a dropper and mixed it with some warm water. I tried feeding the baby some of this mixture with the dropper but she wouldn't drink much. 

Next thing to try- separating her. The website said being with the flock can stress out or injure the chick (the others might trample her when she's stuck with her head back).  It's good to pull them out but keep them close so they can still hear each other. They suggested putting a soft toy in with the chick so it doesn't feel alone.

This was my solution:

I made a separate brooder, right next to the one for the other chicks. I put the little wry neck girl in there with two other chicks so she wouldn't be alone.  I added some chopped sunflower seeds to the food dish and a little vitamin E to their water.  

Initially when I put the chicks in, they stood huddled together in the middle of the container chirping loudly.  It didn't take more than a minute or so, though, for the wry neck girl to find the food dish and begin chowing down.  She seemed so hungry!  And she was picking out the sunflower seeds.  Maybe part of the issue is she has a hard time getting into the feeders in the main brooder because she is smaller.  Anyway, I just got an update from Josh, who said she is eating voraciously and seems steadier on her feet.  

Hopefully we are on the right track to get her well again and growing.  I'll keep you posted!

Hi mom

My dear friend gave me some flower bulbs to plants two autumns ago, when my mom passed away - something beautiful to remind me of her each spring.  This morning I came out and saw this tiny purple crocus bud about to open and I said to myself, "hi mom." I thought I could almost hear her voice on the breeze saying back to me, "hi cupcake."