Congratulations! The ducklings are adorable and I'm so pleased for you that so many hatched out.
Sorry, I haven't been on much the past few days. The reason being perhaps the most imortant reason for me to have been on - I had 3 quail hatch on Monday. One didn't hatch until Tuesday morning and only lived for about 14 hours outside the shell... it was quite sickly so it was probably for the best. The other three are quite healthy, very energetic and hard to keep track of when I'm holding them!
I'm a bit annoyed that BOTH cameras died while they were hatching! I have a couple of pictures with an egg with a pip and that's it! So peeved about that...
I took the three to homeschooling group yesterday and they were a big hit... except for the one kid who asked whether they were real or not. It was funny seeing a thirteen-year-old boy who I hang out with a lot since there are only a couple of teenagers (me who's 16, a 15-year-old girl who happens to be my violin teacher, this 13-year-old boy and another 13-year-old girl) at the Tuesday group (not many teenagers go since it's a little kid event), holding the quail chick. This is the kid who tries to be really buff and practical (he was thrilled to know that it takes 8 weeks from hatching to laying... which to his mind means 8 weeks from hatching to eating), who plans to begin raising quail for meat (apparently you can make quite a profit from this), hold the chick up to his face and start talking in high-pitched baby talk. I cracked up laughing and he wasn't impressed with that, but he thought the chicks were very cute.
Speaking of homeschooling group, it's amazing how many creatures end up coming. The Tuesday Group is basically our equivalent of 'Show and Tell', but usually we're showing and telling schoolwork. Anyway, in the past six months, we've had everything from snails, stick insicts, and silk worms, to frilled-neck lizards and snakes, to guinea pigs and rabbits, to chicks and chickens. I took a Frizzle rooster about a month ago. Yesterday we had 2 guinea pigs and 3 quail chicks. I'm actually amazed I got the rooster past the librarians, since Tuesday Group is held in a library...
Unfortunately, however, sick and dying quail chicks do not constitute an acceptable reason to not to schoolwork or to be distracted during contact lesson. I don't think this is fair as lots of other kids in my classes can get away with not during homework during shearing and mustering. So just because I'm not on a station I'm not allowed to not do homework do to livestock issues?
Okay. I've finished my random babbling now.
from Rachel.
Well done Ebony!! Look forward to seeing pics when you can get some. Tanks for the vote too- she made it into the top 100 so I am happy. Since she only went into the comp with 3 days to go, i didnt expect her to win - but at least wanted her to get 5 minutes of fame for the effort. 
I guess that sums it up... I am so happy for you Satay- so many gorgeous babies. 
which we don't do very often. We watched "The Hunter's Game". Very good movie, I would recommend it. I was wondering if any of you could help me. I'm not quite sure but as I was cleaning out the chicken coup this afternoon I noticed a very soft brown pooh on the ramp - the consistency of thickened cream from my one silkie. It wasn't runny however do you think that this could be a concern? I feed her grains with some shell grit in it and whatever she finds while she frolics around the garden and some kitchen scraps.
