Wednesday, August 16, 2006

My, how they grow!

Remember those babies that we had here not too long ago? Well, the chicks are almost too big to squeeze through the fence. They have to search around for a big enough hole, then push hard. Pretty soon, they'll be stuck in the pen (until they learn to fly out).



The ducks look like ducks now. The younger indian runner duck is now quacking, which means that she's a female (male ducks whisper). The rouen duck is still peeping, so we're not sure about that one. Alas, the older indian runner passed away. I noticed that she had a droopy wing and the elbow was a bit bruised. She looked fine, other than that, but Paul found her dead in the shelter the next day. We're having bad luck with ducks this year. Next year, things will be different.



The last batch of pies (meat chickens) are getting bigger. They'll be ready to process in a few weeks. They're already past the single-serving 'cornish hen' size.



The leghorns are definitely getting more mature. They like to roost on the top of the fence six feet up in the air. They still mostly stay in the pen, probably because it's home to them, and that there is food there. When the food runs out, they go wandering. They may well choose to be free range chickens soon.



2 Comments:

Blogger Melanie Rimmer said...

I love the way the boys look so comfortable handling those animals.

3:27 AM  
Blogger Nerd in the Country said...

Paul is our real animal lover. He can also run the ducks and some chickens down. I generally try to corner them, but Paul takes the direct approach. The ducks run away, but are still plenty calm once they get caught.

12:21 AM  

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