Frenemy

Yesterday the ducks are happy as larry out in playing in the mud and today the mud has dried up and they are fighting. I could barely get the ducks to bed last night they were having too much fun splashing around in the mud. Katcsa finally got a little mud on her so her pristine white feathers are no longer. Mandy's right foot seems to be a little bloody from the fighting between him and Tommy. I actually used the sentence "Tommy you need to just cool your jets". Most of Mandy's feathers on his wings are all twisted and broken.

I have to get more hay today as Speedy totally scratched off all of the hay from Mandy's bed this morning. She cleaned it quite well for me.

Wednesday

Oh Katcsa, what a pretty duck. I just love seeing her walk around with the group. She has started making this noise that strangely sounds a little like a dog. Its always in response to something I say. She's starting to get dirty like the other 5 ducks.

That baby chick didn't make it yesterday. I'd never seen a baby chicken so tired before, while the others cheep away and scratch for food this one stood there on the nod. I picked it up to see if it was ok and it woke up and ran off. I think it must have used the last of its energy as when I went out a few hours later I couldn't find it. So now the black hen has 7 or maybe 8, I can't remember.

Tuesday

Everyone is fine and of course very happy to see me. All babies, hens, ducks, roosters are accounted for. There is one chick that appears to either be very sick or very tired. I'll keep a close eye on it today.
Speedy is still sleeping in with the ducks, and loving it... I think.

Sunday

I'm not at hydrorancho, and I worry about the ducks and chickens. Is the neighbour remembering to tuck them in at night? Is Speedy ok?
Above is Mandy in all his dirty, broken feather glory. I tell him he needs to go and have a bath.

Snakefest resumes

We were just finishing our last bites of duck pasta when we heard chicken noises coming from then pen. We ran for a torch and sticks and ran to the pen. A snake was in the duck pen going after Speedy and her babies. Incidentally Speedy just moved into sleeping in the duck pen, she must have felt safer there. Luckily we made it in time and the snake only got a mouth full of Speedy's arse feathers.
I told her she was very smart in letting mum know that there was something wrong.

The first thing on my list for tomorrow is to re-snake proof the fence. I'm away from the babies all weekend so I'm sort of nervous what I'm going to come home to on Monday.

Integration

Katcsa's integration back into the group has been slow but she is adjusting to farm life well. Its great seeing the six ducks all walk around together. The whole gang is back together.

My new concern is with one of the baby girls. She may be shedding but she seems to be loosing an awful amount of feathers. Her coat is really lumpy from having no feathers. I tried to check her this morning as I thought it may be lice but I can't even see through all of her down to see her skin. Perhaps she is loosing her winter coat for summer. The baby girl with the feather issues is behind Katcsa in the photo above. Katcsa is so white from sitting in the box for the past 4 months. I wonder if she'll stay white for long.

Katcsa a free lady

After returning from the larder yesterday I was told of a Goanna trying to attack the chickens. We lost of of the other hens kids, so now she has 9 and Speedy still has her two. I'm not sure if the Goanna had anything to do with this, but Katcsa's had yolk all over her face and there was a half eaten egg near her nest. I ended up making an executive decision and removing all of her eggs from her nest. Only two were being warmed, the others were stone cold.

So this morning after months of Katcsa sitting on her nest and hatching neither a duck or a chicken we decided it was time she stretch her legs. I took her nest out of the pen and then up-turned it. She made her little noises and is now trying to intergrate back in with the ducks. I was worried about her not eating and drinking enough and her muscles disintegrating. She's been sitting for about 3 months now.

bath time

It appears I interrupted Young Boy and some slut getting all dirty having a bath together.

The brown hen had three babies yesterday and I think perhaps one more was about to hatch in the evening. So that brings our total to 15 babies, Speedy's are still the cutes though.

Sunday morning

There has been much to say between the ducks as of late. This photo was taken just after I let them out from being penned up with the chickens for an hour or so. This scene is pretty regular. The two baby girls are talking to Beaker and Tommy and Mandy are deep in discussion.

mmm charcol

Hanging by the hangi. The babies were all out pottering around the hangi yesterday.
Luckily these babies will never see the hangi the way Derek did.

I think the ducks can smell the cucumbers in the patch. I had to kick them out of the garden twice yesterday and early this morning they were checking out the fence for a whole in the wall. Little tricksters, I bet they find a way in too. Those wood ducks have totally taken up residence here at the ranch. Most of their day is spent lounging by the pond, except when them come down and eat out of the food bowl. I'm yet to name them, I'm sure something will come up.

Katcsa shares

Katcsa had a visitor in her nest today. This chicken has been eyeing her box off for ages. Finally today she took the plunge in. I thought Katcsa would put up more of a fight but she didn't. The hen was in there for a few hours before Katcsa kicked her out.

Wed

Well things have calmed down here since the excitement of Speedy having babies and I wonder about Katcsa. Her eggs still haven't hatched and I'm beginning to think they wont. I think she may have under cooked her eggs or didn't warm them enough. I grabbed one the other day and shook it (lightly) and there was definitely something in there. I wonder if she'll realise her babies are still born and leave the nest. She's been coming off her eggs every day for a swim in the pond so maybe soon. I miss seeing the six ducks walk around. Katcsa has been nesting since at least September now.

Monday

Here is Speedy and her two little chicks. Her babies are pretty chilled, I like that about them. They appear to be less needy than other chickens.

The baby girls are back to laying eggs so its duck pasta time again. Yum o.

Katcsa took a snap at my cheek the other day. I had my head in her nest listening for the chirping sound of freshly hatched chuckling. But instead all I heard was me saying "Ouch Katcsa that hurt, but I'll give you that I shouldn't have jammed my head into your space" or something like that. She bit someone nose the other day.

Those brown wood ducks appear to be hanging out permanently near our pond now. They are pretty cute, today they were hanging out with my ducks by the pond. Beaker is about 4 times the size as one of those ducks.

Ralphy the hunter

Just moments ago I saw Ralphy swoop Speedy for her babies. Speedy flew nearly as high as the shed trying to chase him. I think she got the shock of her life, as I did when I saw it unfold. I thought all of my 'pets' were meant to be friends. I told Ralphy to go after the hen with the ten babies. After that I ushered Speedy back into the chicken pen.

Ralphy must have the taste for chicken after I fed him all those scraps from the larder the other day. No more chicken caesar salad for him.

Saturday

This morning Speedy finally got down from her nest. The brown one jumped down and I picked up the black one and gave it to Speedy. Speedy's chicks are a lot more chilled than others, Speedy really trusts me as she didn't have a problem with me picking the chick up. Meanwhile the other black hen with the lots of babies attacked me as she though I was trying to pick up her babies. At first I thought it was Speedy as all I saw was a black hen against my arm, but then I realised it wasn't Speedy. Everyone else at the ranch is good, I've been taking a few more photos of Old Boy. He's well, I think he's been fighting with Young Boy a little as his crown is a little bruised. I'm also going to put some more lice powder on him as he's got that bald patch under his orange feathers. I seem to remember that was the start of his feathers falling out last time. It's been raining quite a lot the last few days. This photo below was taken about half an hour ago, not sure why Old Boy was standing in the rain, he must have been channeling his inner-duck. Not sure whose pooy bum is standing behind him I think its Beaker.

Speedy's other chick

This is Speedy's other chick. What a cutie, I think Speedy has already told them I could be trusted as it happily posed for the camera. Still no word from Katcsa and her eggs.

Easter

After much more Speedy watching yesterday we found that the second egg had hatched. It appears she was sitting on one of her eggs and then one from a brown hen. So she has one black chick and a brown one. She is still sitting up in her box, I'd imagine she'll probably jump down tomorrow.

Katcsa is yet to hatch any eggs and I really don't think she will. I was watching her on her nest this morning and there was an egg at the back of her nest that was completely cold. So much for the chuckling idea.

Baby girl is back to laying eggs and her food is starting to bother her again. I think it must be a re-occurring injury, I've watched her and I think he foot clicks when she walks.

Speedy's a mum

I'm a grandmother. Speedy had a baby. I'm so excited and it appears to be as photogenic as its mother. Have I mentioned that I'm excited?

Chicks

I tried to take some close-ups of the baby chicks this morning. They are so cute and very small. It's quite cold today and the babies were all huddled under their mother.

Still no babies from Katcsa or Speedy. I swear one of these days they are going to get tired of sitting. I mean don't they need to stretch their legs?

Egg watch day 3

While I don't want to say I'm tiring of the egg watch but I just want them to have babies. The other hen has about 8 baby chicks and Katcsa and Speedy have 0.
The black hen has lots of brown babies, some black ones and I'm sure some small Speedy babies. I'll take some photos tomorrow. I'm beginning to think that Katcsa's wont hatch. She doesn't sit on the eggs, she just puts them to the side of her. I think she must find the eggs uncomfortable.

baby watch

I'm not sure where that Not Chicken went to on Friday. When I went out to shut the chicken pen door it had fled from where it was sitting.
Yesterday we pumped out the water from the pond and refilled it with much nicer cleaner water. The ducks had stopped swimming in there as it was filled with so much poo.
I don't think it will take them long before they are swimming in it again.
So the countdown to the babies has begun. The chicken that is sitting next to Speedy on lots of Speedy eggs has hatched a few. I heard and saw one earlier this morning. So Katcsa should be next and then Speedy.

Not chicken

I went out to feed the chickens and I found this bird running around the duck pen. I really thought it was a chicken but a few weeks old. We then caught it and it ran off into the chicken pen. I saw another one of them outside the pen but when I tried to find it, it was gone.

Its definitely not a chicken though as it wasn't chirping. Maybe it fell out of a nest.

Birthday girl

I was thinking this morning that Speedy must be about one year old now. I remember the morning that I went out and found the two and a half chickens and found Speedy's mum dead. We had a few friends visiting from Brisbane and I was out showing off the ducks when we found this chick that couldn't walk and was quite damaged that was still cherping. Poor Chris, I made a guest of the rancho end this poor little chick's life. Sure I'm a farmer but I couldn't do that. This was in November. Speedy and the other chick were off hiding but I could hear them.
Then a few days later I rescued Speedy and the rest is history.
I'm so excited about her having babies. I got the other chicken off Speedy's eggs again last night. I really should do it earlier than dusk as its a bit hard for the chicken in the dark.

Speedy

Speedy nearly pecked me yesterday and it wasn't even for the above photo. Any other chicken would peck the camera, but not my little Speedy. What did annoy her was I was feeling under her wing, I was just checking for ticks and lice. But she didn't peck me she just made the motion to. I retreated and realised I may have bothered her a little.

However, I went back in the evening and noticed that Speedy was no longer in her box and was standing on a branch. Mongy foot and pushed her off her eggs and was sleeping there. Well I was having none of that and moved Mongy foot along. Then I picked Speedy back up and returned her to her nest. She was happy to be back on her eggs again. I'll be damned if another chicken is going to lay claim to Speedy's eggs... all two of them.