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.