Sunday

Oh Ralphy what a magpie. I never would have guessed that I'd befriend a magpie as they were the source of much grief when I was a child. I've been feeding Ralphy lots of meat scraps lately and he's been loving it. Yesterday one of the ducks was having a bath and I was over there watching so along came Ralphy who then had a drink from the little pool. I though the baby girl was going to snap at Ralphy but she was cool.

This morning when I was feeding the ducks Speedy was like the rose between two thorns (Beaker and Tommy). Tommy wasn't too keen on having Speedy there and he looked at her and she eyeballed him back. She totally stood her ground and sure enough Tommy backed down. She's got those ducks wrapped around her little finger (if she had one).

Carnie

I was told that the baby girls look like one of those duck shooting games at side-show alley. I just saw Katcsa off her "eggs" and having a bath. I hope she re-joins the group soon.

I went into the chicken pen earlier to go and snatch the eggs when I was busted by Speedy who let out a noise to let the other chickens I was in there. I'm hip to their language. I found her nest yesterday and removed all 8 of her eggs and she was not impressed today. But I'm sure she would have been pleased to know the pancakes we made with her eggs were delicious and so yellow it was like they had been made with saffron.

I've been a baby girl pasta making machine lately, I'm even branching out into gluten-free baby girl pasta. I need the babies to go back to laying eggs so that I can keep up with the demand for eggs. Katcsa is holding me back.

Peeping Tom

I think one of the Baby Girls was trying to get a peak of Dan while he was changing.

No sooner has Robyn abandoned us (and stopped crapping on the window ledge) the ducks start getting up there.

I've seen some of the girls do this before, its their way of getting onto the roof. First the fly onto chair at the back door, then the window ledge, from there they fly to the BBQ and then onto the roof. I feel like I've only got five ducks at the moment, poor Katcsa with her 'eggs'. I think I might just put some gloves on and pick her up off her nest.

Tuesday

Not much has been going on at the farm at the moment, the ducks are more or less happy with each other. Katcsa is still sitting on her eggs and Speedy is locked in with the chickens tonight.

Its considerably warmer tonight so I'm going to go and check on her soon. Mainly that just involves me waking all the chickens and ducks up and creating a lot of noise in the pen - but I feel better for it.

BCB

Beaker the Cock Blocker. I think that says it all. All of the girls belong to Beaker and no other drake shall have them. I watched him action day in and day out. One of the males, usually Mandy will get all randy and stand on one of the girls like a surfboard, he'll balance around a bit while grinding their head into the ground. Meanwhile Beaker will hear their little whimpers and hurry along to the sex scene. It is there that Mandy gets scared and jumps off. Another block by Beaker the cock blocker.

Egg Fever

My day in lights is finally happening. My snaps of the farm are soon to be exhibited at The Little Larder, it was hard going through them all as I have so many of them. I could show photos just of Old Boy alone, but rest assure I've included a few of Speedy and Mandy. I've been told that my baby girl pasta has been selling well at the cafe. I tell you those shirts will be ready in know time.

Katcsa is still sitting on her invisible eggs. I'm afraid she's become a crazy duck. I pay out on the chickens that do the same, and now Katcsa is doing it. She's got Egg Fever. One day she'll get bored of sitting on the nest I'm sure. I tried the tough love approach yesterday and shut her out of the pen when she got up for a smoko break. She was off the nest for about 15 min and then she ran down to the pen and was climbing up the walls trying to get in. I watched for a little while and then cracked and opened the door so she could return to keeping her 'eggs' warm.

I found this photo of a very young Speedy with Katcsa.

Chillin at the beach

Ahh a happy family. A rare moment of all the ducks chillin' poolside. I went outside to check on them as it looked like they were scared or looking at something, but I couldn't see anything.

I'm keeping a close on on Katcsa at the moment as the other day I noticed two scabs on her face. I'm not sure where she'd get them from as she only sits on her nest (with no eggs). If you scroll down and look at her picture you'll see the marks. I've seen marks like this before on a chicken and it came from a snake biting the hen that was fiercely protecting her eggs. I really hope that's not what its from.

I saw one of the baby girls have a go at Old Boy today and he served it back to her, pecking her and jumping on her back. He didn't do her any harm, just teaching her a lesson. I still broke it up though. Its funny the only chicken the ducks are scared of is Speedy yet she is the chicken 2nd from the bottom in hierarchy in the chicken pen.

The princess chicken

When I let the ducks out of their pen this morning Speedy was no where to be be seen. Normally she is about grazing on grass, doing her thing. I fed everyone and then became concerned about the whereabouts of Speedy. I couldn't stop thinking about what I had written yesterday, perhaps that had sealed her fate to the snakes. Perhaps I was psychic after all this time. I wandered around the back of the chicken pen calling her name I walked everywhere to no response. I then had a look in the shed. Speedy was in there yesterday when i went to let the chickens out. So I stood at the entrance and called her name... Still no response.

Then I saw her, she was making a nest behind the table. I was so glad to see her, my little princess chicken. I'm not sure how long she'll stay in the shed, probably until someone moves her. I should really just grab her eggs. The shed is a no animal go zone. But I was just so relieved to see her, that she can stay there today.

As a side note, this is not a very good photo of Speedy, she's looking a little weathered and it's a bad angle. I think she may be blinking.

Model

Old Boy was totally working the camera today, but when is he not? Here he is doing my some of my favourite poses. Very supermodel

Pasta

I was hard at work in the office yesterday making my 'Baby Girl pasta'. Check out the colour of it. The dough was the same colour as my yellow cutting board. Alas I didn't get to try it as its been packaged and sent of to The Little Larder. I have a feeling my packaging of pasta needs a little work as it probably broke into a million pieces. Not to worry, I'm sure it will be put to good use. I've got so many eggs from the baby girls, except Katcsa so its going to be pasta central here.

I think I heard a mouse/rat getting killed by a snake last night when I went over to check on the chickens. I heard this squealing coming from the shed, and then it stopped. We have quite a few mice/rats over there so hopefully they will fill up on that and not eat the chickens. While the pen was once snake-proofed it needs a little work done on it now and I just haven't had the time. I just hope I'm not sealing Speedy's fate in my laziness. Maybe that's why I'm not too worried about her being penned. Who knows.

Young Boy the forth

I had a little shoot with Young Boy today. In one shot he actually tipped his head and the sun hit his crown. I was impressed with his modeling skills. I like Speedy asleep in the background in this photo. Not to be out photographed, Old Boy stepped up to the plate with this one. He is getting quite the portfolio of photos this rooster.

Beaker is the winner

Well it appears the fighting is over between Mandy and Beaker. I penned Mandy until about 2pm yesterday and when I finally let him out, they just talked but there was no fighting. There was a little scuffle between Tommy and Mandy but Mandy won that round. Beaker is still the head duck. Mandy slept in with the ducks last night, I'm sure he was much happier not being in with the chickens. Here is Katcsa still sitting on her nest. We took her one last egg about a week ago, but she still sits. I check her nest most days to see that she hasn't laid an egg. I think she must like sitting there, being away from all the other ducks. Either that or she's crazy, she must really want a baby.

Muscovy fighting duck

I pronounced Beaker the winner of today's round of fighting. Beaker laid a pretty good hit right at the end (well just before I broke it up). This time I took a few photos and let them fight a little before I got in there. Above is Mandy cooling is bloody feet in the pond, he also has a few scratches on his face. My neighbour suggested a way to sort out the duck problems - we eat them. I'm not too keen on that idea. Mandy is now penned in with the chickens. When I was I putting him in there I told him that he is my prized Muscovy fighting duck. Him and Beaker we at it between the fence earlier today, it was just like Old Boy and Derek.

fighting day 5

The fighting is still happening. This morning they'd walk and fight or have their little disagreements over near the water dish. In between telling each other that they wanted to rip each other apart they'd take little sips of water. Tommy got a little scared and ran off though. Here is Tommy's best fighting face. Yesterday when I was feeding the chickens I took in the seed and it was its normal free for all. Old Boy gets in there first followed by a few random sluts. Poor little Speedy is down the rank and wasn't allowed in there as this is this one older black slut that really has it in for her and pecks her. So there I was putting the food down and Speedy jumped up on my leg. So I gave her the special treatment and gave her her own food dish. Then stupidly I let her out of the pen to come and eat her normal breakfast with the ducks. I've been unable to pen her everysince. But she was just so cute jumping up on my leg, she hasn't done that since she was a baby.

Beef

The ducks aren't going to just hug and make up it seems. Again when I let Mandy out of the pen this morning they were at it again. These photos were taken after they had already been broken up fighting. Normally it's between Mandy and Beaker but here Tommy was in for a piece of the action. Beaker is at the back trying to dry off after I hosed him and Mandy. Tommy is on the right. I really need to let them just fight and work it out, but I don't want to see them hurt. I must admit though, when they want to fight they are much easier to pat. Because they are so preoccupied with the other duck I grab them and give them a pat and try to calm them down. It doesn't work of course but I like patting them. As a side note, their red stuff of their faces is really soft, it looks hard but it isn't. Below is Mandy with is best game face on and Beaker in the background with a mohawk

Coco

Like a greyhound at the races after the bunny Mandy was let out of the pen with much excitement this morning. He ran after Beaker and Tommy and much was talked about. There was one fight between Mandy and Beaker when I just put Mandy back in the pen. I don't like the fighting and although I want Mandy to be boss again I just don't like the fighting.
Can't they all just be friends?

Rise of the Mandy

We halted Mandy's rise to the top of the duck ranks this afternoon. Mandy has already beaten Tommy up and now has Beaker and his presidency in his sight. Twice the boys needed to be pulled apart today. First they were hosed and the second time they were sent to their rooms. Mandy is now in the chicken pen and Beaker is in the normal duck pen. I think Beaker is a little injured as he was limping. I tell you, when aren't my ducks limping? They are all lame!

I've past on strict instructions that Mandy is to stay penned with chickens tomorrow. Speedy is also penned so she's one of the chickens now. We put more lice powder on Old Boy today as we found a few lice on him. He doesn't really like having the powder put on, but he's certainly the easiest chicken to catch (excluding Speedy of course).

Sunday

So here I was thinking that Speedy had been penned up, she was all tucked up in her new warm bed in the chicken pen. But when I let them out the next morning there was Speedy coming around the back of the chicken pen. Turns out someone here couldn't tell one back chicken from another. Personally I think Speedy looks different from all the other sluts but could be biased.

So this morning I went to where I thought she was laying but instead its really far away, I could hear her making egg laying noises. She is down near a creak in a gully on the neighbours property. I think what I'm going to do tonight is just pen her up early and then leave her penned up for a few days.
Tommy slept in with the chickens last night as none of the boys would let him into the pen. I've got so many duck eggs I'm going to make up some baby girl pasta today. Should be good.

Fence

Old Boy is obsessed with standing in front of this fence. Normally he faces the fence but yesterday he faced out.

Speedy spent her first night penned in with the chickens. I'm not sure if she liked it, but I went and checked on her a few times to make sure she was ok and she seemed fine. I also heard that tonigh Speedy just went into the chicken pen with the rest of them. Perhaps all along she just wanted to be treated like a normal chicken.

Katcsa is still sitting on an egg. Today for the first time I actually thought that it might be ok if she has a duckling. But I'll probably just take her egg of her tomorrow.

Climbing the walls

When I was putting the ducks to bed last night I noticed that even Mandy was in there. He was huddled up the back but they were all close together. I was pretty pleased as I assumed this meant they had worked their differences out. So there I was getting their food together and setting it out when I hear flapping and general noise. I went over to stop the ducks (I assumed they were fighting) when I noticed it was Mandy climbing up the fencing to reach his bed at the top. I was so impressed, I always wondered how he made it up there considering i didn't think he'd be able to fly that high (not even a metre off the ground).
I think Mandy actually likes it up the top, he likes getting his own food and water.
Speedy is still getting penned at night. I locked her in the chicken pen this morning and she went straight in at sat on some sluts eggs. I told her that is not the way to make friends. Needless to say I had to intervene otherwise Speedy would have been pecked. I ended up taking all the eggs to prevent more fighting.

The Twins

One is called Danny, but they are both called baby girl. The Twins, so cute and fluffy. Someone here (not me) could actually tell them apart, when food was involved, but I still can't. You'd think after a year and a bit I'd tell but I just can't. When one of them was limping then I could, but now the limp is gone so I'm back to the beginning. Although with all of the mating that's going on at the moment they both have distinctive foot marks on their back but that will wash off.

Katcsa is sitting on eggs at the moment, I let her stay on them yesterday as it was raining yesterday and she was nice and dry. I caught one of the baby girl and Tommy down the drive-way the other day. Our driveway is pretty steep and I really don't want them going down there so I got out of the car and chased them up the hill. I think this may have been too much for her as she was panting. It was cute.

Our bottom neighbour has electric fences and a duck that used to live her got electrocuted and George the old duck that also lived here saw it. People think that's why George was so cranky. I think it would be quite traumatic for one duck to witness the death of another.

Katcsa

I thought I'd venture back to tell you why I named my ducks their names and how I can tell them apart. Katcsa is Hungarian for duck. Katcsa she was one of the two ducks I decided I'd keep - her and Beaker. As a duckling she was the largest and the slowest. Slow is probably a wrong label but she had this look in her eye. To be honest I used to call her the retarded duck, but I was advised against calling her this, so we decided on Katcsa. I used to spell it Cotcha, if you read my earlier posts until I was corrected. But I think the spelling of it may not even be correct now, I have a feeling it may not have a T in it, but its too late now, so Katcsa it is. I can tell her apart from The Twins because her mask is orange. The Twins mask is more pinky, plus she is rather bossy.