Make way for (more) ducklings!

Giselle decided to sit on another nest, after losing her other ducklings.  This time, she hatched 7, with 5 others that got about halfway out before dying.  Still, 7 is a big brood, and she is taking better care of them then she did her first babies.  I hope they make it!  I love watching them run and tumble all across the grass, and see them learning how to swim and eat.

Also, we've had 6 of these nasty guys so far this summer.  I bet there will be several more before the season is over.  Ick.

Chicken Pox

So, I'll tell you something you might not know.  Chickens can get an illness called 'avian pox'; literally, chicken pox!  About 2 years ago, a flock of young chicks we had here got it and we had 2 chicks die.  

Yesterday, I noticed a turkey of ours had a badly scabbed and bleeding beak and the others were really pecking at it, so I separated it out.  This morning, I saw that several other chicks had similar scabs around their faces, also

 getting pecked badly.  By this afternoon, all but 2 of the chicks had the scabby bleeding sores, and I knew it just wasn't a coincidence or bored bully chickens.  It looked too much like the pox I had dealt with previously.  

The turkeys were really bullying the smaller chickens so I separated them out so hopefully the chicks will be able to heal a bit.  One of the turkeys still looked fine last I checked, but two others were in sad shape; one was missing almost half of the top of his beak.  :(  It will grow back fine if he makes it, but it will really make it hard to eat until it does and so it will likely die.  

I am bummed; I hope we don't loose too many birds to this.  Last time the symptoms lasted almost a month so it will be a while before we know what the total damage will be.  I hope they pass it along to the pigeons that roost under my roof....

Why, hello, Peter!

So, I was out watering my little garden today and I saw a small hole under one of my raised boxes and there was something furry wiggling around, trying to hide.  Thinking it was a gopher, I took the hose and blasted a good long stream of water into the hole (inhumane?  maybe.....).  A minute later, I was surprised to see 3 baby bunnies pop out of that hole!  I have no idea how the mama got into the garden area in the first place, but it struck me as a little funny that she had made her home a foot away from my lettuce.  

I love where I live

....because I get to see this beautiful sight every morning when I drive down my street,

and because I get to see baby ducklings hatching (grand total of 9, by the way, but only 6 have survived so far, and those only because I keep rescuing them!).  

It's been really windy this last week.  When we first came here, it was so windy all the time, then it seemed to subside for a while.  Now, I remember what it was like!  Nice thing about it is, though, that it helps keep the flies away!  :)

Easter surprise!

Yesterday I found a little newly hatched duckling, barely alive, inside the 'peep-peep hotel' with the older chicks.  I'm not too sure how it got there, DH speculated that Giselle was showing it the food and it got stuck.  We tried to put it back with her but it didn't make it.  

This morning, we found another surprise!  This time, it was a very happy, healthy duckling.  Giselle seems to be doing ok showing it the ropes, but she still has about 17 eggs in her nest that haven't hatched.  I find it hard to belive they are all duds, so hopefully she won't mind sitting a few more days, just in case.  :) 

Darn dogs

So, this morning, I looked out to see our black duck, Quack, looking very lonely and lost.  It took a minute for me to realize why he looked so strange.....he was missing his best friend, Edward.  :(  I looked all over the yard and Edward was nowhere to be found.  Giselle was sitting on her nest still (thank goodness!), but Edward was for sure missing.  

A while back, some neighborhood dogs got a hold of an 'extra' rooster of ours and although I was a bit frustrated that they were roaming the neighborhood, I felt like it was my fault that the rooster was out of our fence at the time.  Sadly, though, they enjoyed the chase and kill and then just left it!  Didn't even eat it....what a waste of a life. 

I am pretty certain those same dogs are responsible for the disappearance of our gray and white crested duck, Edward.  A side gate was left open and so, again, I can't throw a fit about the roaming dogs since it was my fault they were able to get in.  I am just glad they didn't get our little mama duck....

I found Edward on a neighbor's lawn this afternoon, very dead,   and uneaten.  Just a mass of feathers and broken neck.  :(  Poor guy.  I really try not to get too attached to my farm animals, but some of them just have a personality and make me smile.  I'll admit to feeling a bit sad over Edward.... 

Sights that make me smile

Walking around this afternoon, I saw a few things that made me smile:

Delicate blossoms on my plum tree,

fragrant flowers on my orange tree,

a surprise purple iris,

adorable goat kids,

Giselle (our duck)'s nest,

and peaches growing on my brand new peach tree. (my Grandma reminded me the other day that I needed to thin my peaches. She was joking, of course, if I thin this little tree I would only have one peach on it. :) I'll let it do it's thing without thinning it this year. The other peach tree got a once-over with the 'rule of thumb' and I flicked off everything that was closer then my thumb knuckle together).