Papa caught in the act!!!

Ha, I'm not the only one that spoils the chickens. Vince (known to the animals as Papa), went out to let the chickies peck around a bit and guess what I caught him doing. He was sitting and holding and scratching the chickies. That's not all he does. He lets the chickies out of their coop in the mornings. Well it started with a couple that would "wait" till he got there so he could take them off the roost and place them on the floor. Then it was a few more now the entire lot of them "wait" to be lifted off. One of them, we call her Ms. Henny, will climb back up the ladder and waddle all the way to the other end for a second ride. They are amazingly funny sometimes. We decided to buy an old camper and convert it into a "Mobile Chickie Town." There will be many pictures of that in the future as we customize it. They will be impressed with their new accommodations. And it will be very spacious. We plan to build a covered run that can be moved daily so they have new ground every day. That way I don't have to sit out for two hours a day and protect them from the hawks, which are constantly checking them out. They are getting pretty good at running for cover though. I scream really loud and they all run under the nearest tree. I'm thinking when they move into their new house would be a good time to introduce a rooster. Yes I said rooster. I think it's time to allow them to mingle with the opposite sex, however should he be too aggressive he might be sent packing.

Ducks at Bearpond

We spent this weekend working at one of the rentals Vince manages. We call it Bearpond cause that's the road name. The last tenant left in June of last year and it needed major renovations so it has been empty since. We noticed mama duck last June sitting on some eggs. A few weeks later we saw little fuzzies. Since the weather has been warmer we've started working there and now the babies are all grown up. They seemed to have done pretty good through the winter on their own. They all seem healthy. They aren't real tame but they don't run off until you get real close so I just watch from a distance. They are so much fun to watch too. They seem to have a routine. An early morning swim then looking for food, an afternoon nap time then an evening swim. They seem to enjoy the water so much. They wag their tails, dunk their heads and flap their wings. They chase each other and then just take it easy for awhile. From what I can tell they are a breed called Muscovy. I've read they eat lots of insects and mosquitoes which is very good. I'm looking forward to seeing more duck antics in the coming weeks.