This-n-That

This is one of those no-real-purpose posts.

We've finally had consistent good weather.

Which means I have not finished my quilt.

I did actually quilt some on it.

I have one square done.

I just can't bring myself to quilt when it's so nice outside.

(Although I really want to finish it.)

This week we've relocated the duck pond to the cow run behind the house.

In the mornings we walk the ducks through the gate to spend the day inside the yard.

We have two reasons for moving them.

One, the duck mess is contained in an out of the way place.

No one is going to care if they make their mess there.

Two, the ducks have been bossing the chickens around.

This gives each of them their own space.

We're hoping it's a win-win.

The ducks grumbled at first but now they're warming up to the new area.

We've worked with Pepper on leaving our animals alone.

So far, she's behaved herself.

Truthfully, I don't think she cares.

Nolan preparing for a science activity that involved an exploding two liter bottle...

OK, it didn't explode, just shot a clay stopper off.

Still fun though.

Dwayne was home sick last week.

One morning I came to the living room to corral my missing students and found this.

It's our version of socializing the animals.

(I joined them after taking some pictures.)

Taming the wild beasts is hard work.

The ducklings so stinking cute.

We can't have a post without some silly Pepper pics.

She sits/stands/lounges all the time with her head between the spindles.

I would love to get a shot from the outside but can't seem to sneak up on her.

This is the best one I could get so far... by sticking my hand through the rails.

Silly dog.

Splish Splash!

I've been trying to take photos of bath time.

It's quite an adventure.

We use an old turtle shaped sandbox for their "pond".

They don't need it, it's a luxury.

Besides, it's fun to watch.

I dumped the old muddy water and started filling it again.

We don't do this every day.

The ducks are quite messy.

The water stays clean for about ten minutes.

This is one of the reasons we don't do fresh baths every day.

The duck digging.

A joint effort here.

This is what's left after they've dug with their bills.

They'll do this in mud puddles after it rains too.

I think we need a better place for them to bathe... one with less mud around.

This is one of our drakes.

He's splashin' water everywhere!

There have been times when all seven ducks are in the pond at one time.

It gets a little crowded!

The will dive and swim under the water too.

Preening time!

They're quite flexible.

Oh Look!

We got more ducks and chickens!

We're beginning to joke about our "weakness" for feathered friends.

This time, however, it was not my fault. :)

This adventure actually started a few weeks ago.

A friend of ours had too many roosters.

So we committed to getting one.

We got him Sunday.

On our way home we got to thinking (I know, that's dangerous) that this guy needs a companion.

We stopped at the farm store to get bedding and decided to get a couple of ducks.

I know, I know, we already have seven.

But they're so cute!!!!

Seriously, we (I'm talking about Dwayne here) wanted to get some Khaki Campbells.

We did actually research this so it wasn't a complete spontaneous purchase...

although the thought was to get them next year.

And while we were at the store with all those cute little chicks in bins

just waiting to be purchased, we let Connor get a Barred Rock pullet.

He's been begging for one, and like good parents we caved allowed him get one.

So now our flock stands at nine ducks and seven chickens.

That's at least nine hens.

We should start getting eggs in August from our older ducks.

The newest batch will start a couple of months later.

(FYI: Hens start laying eggs when they're six months old.)

Here's all four of our newest critters.

The yellow one is our Buff Orpington rooster.

The little black chick is Connor's Barred Rock.

And in the middle are the Khaki Campbell ducks.

These ducks are very fast.

You have to be quick to catch one!

Khaki Campbells are a mix of three duck breeds: Indian Runner, Mallard, and Rouen.

They are supposed to be great egg producers.

They have different markings on their bills.

We're hoping that means we have a hen and a drake.

Only time will tell.