Midwinter's Bath - Way too many pictures, don't click here if you don't want to see ducks.

[Miss Lydia]

I am so happy to hear that. And I know he wags his bird tail. I've seen it

He's a happy boy Julie come visit.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Casey sounds like such a great little duck! I love her (And that picture of Latte and Casey was so precious I love it too).
Casey beat up Kaine? What'd he have to say about that? Would that make Casey the leader duck?

We were thinking Casey might be the leader duck, then she finished puberty and discovered Kaine was a boy and she stopped beating him up and supported his rule of the flock... Darn!

If you start here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1085992/the-brooding-of-allie-casey-and-latte/350, the next couple pages cover Casey beating up Kaine and Tevye.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

He's a happy boy Julie come visit.

You can stop here on the way

 

[QuackSpeak]

We were thinking Casey might be the leader duck, then she finished puberty and discovered Kaine was a boy and she stopped beating him up and supported his rule of the flock... Darn!

If you start here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1085992/the-brooding-of-allie-casey-and-latte/350, the next couple pages cover Casey beating up Kaine and Tevye.

Oh that is too good! Interesting how Casey beat Kaine but not Tevye... How did the eventual pecking order turn out?

I love that thread, love how I can click back and see fluffy little duckling faces, go forward to see half-feathered dino ducks, and then go even more forward and see full on beautiful adults! It's a great reference thread, I think, and also very cute! Are there a lot of baby duckling threads on here come spring?

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Oh that is too good! Interesting how Casey beat Kaine but not Tevye... How did the eventual pecking order turn out?

I love that thread, love how I can click back and see fluffy little duckling faces, go forward to see half-feathered dino ducks, and then go even more forward and see full on beautiful adults! It's a great reference thread, I think, and also very cute! Are there a lot of baby duckling threads on here come spring?

Allie is a bruiser and no one messes with her, but she isn't really a leader. Kaine is still boss. Pocahontas is still #1 girl I believe but no one messes with Casey either (at least before we brought her inside, that may change when we reintroduce her.) Tevye, Allie, Latte and Casey are kind of a sub-flock much of the time. Tella and Ettie are usually off somewhere together. And 3 runners (compliment constantly changes but very rarely is it not 3) are usually doing something different while 1 runner stays with the main flock. Now of course, the last 3 months they have been mostly living in their secure kennel so "dynamics" is currently all the ducks sit cold on the straw when it is light and all the ducks sit in the house cold when it's dark. Once the deep snow melts and they get a chance to range a little more, we will see if those dynamics held from last fall.

 

[QuackSpeak]

Allie is a bruiser and no one messes with her, but she isn't really a leader. Kaine is still boss. Pocahontas is still #1 girl I believe but no one messes with Casey either (at least before we brought her inside, that may change when we reintroduce her.) Tevye, Allie, Latte and Casey are kind of a sub-flock much of the time. Tella and Ettie are usually off somewhere together. And 3 runners (compliment constantly changes but very rarely is it not 3) are usually doing something different while 1 runner stays with the main flock. Now of course, the last 3 months they have been mostly living in their secure kennel so "dynamics" is currently all the ducks sit cold on the straw when it is light and all the ducks sit in the house cold when it's dark. Once the deep snow melts and they get a chance to range a little more, we will see if those dynamics held from last fall.

Keep us posted! I'll be looking forward to see how your flock and pecking order changes. Is big bad Kaine still in Jail, or is he with the rest of the flock now (Excepting Casey)?

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Keep us posted! I'll be looking forward to see how your flock and pecking order changes. Is big bad Kaine still in Jail, or is he with the rest of the flock now (Excepting Casey)?

Kaine is with the rest of the flock and has been all winter. When his hormones are down, he's not too bad. As soon as we get a little warmth (it looks like Thursday, Friday, Saturday are supposed to have highs above freezing), we will set up the jail and Tevye and Kaine will share it for a week or two while we put Casey in with the flock. The week after next is forecast as having highs of 44F and lows of 15F so that should be warm enough for her to reacclimate well enough for the rest of the winter the current forecast low for the rest of the winter is 7F which is pretty warm compared to what these guys have dealt with this winter.

 

[Julie Birb]

He's a happy boy Julie come visit.

Oh, Miss Lydia, I'd totally love to!!

 

[QuackSpeak]

Kaine is with the rest of the flock and has been all winter. When his hormones are down, he's not too bad. As soon as we get a little warmth (it looks like Thursday, Friday, Saturday are supposed to have highs above freezing), we will set up the jail and Tevye and Kaine will share it for a week or two while we put Casey in with the flock. The week after next is forecast as having highs of 44F and lows of 15F so that should be warm enough for her to reacclimate well enough for the rest of the winter the current forecast low for the rest of the winter is 7F which is pretty warm compared to what these guys have dealt with this winter.

Our winter has been surprisingly warm... I miss snow. It has gotten to the point where I get yelled at every morning for leaving without my coat...
I have a question. How does the jail work? Is Kaine in it only when his hormones kick in, or when breeding season is about?

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Our winter has been surprisingly warm... I miss snow. It has gotten to the point where I get yelled at every morning for leaving without my coat...
I have a question. How does the jail work? Is Kaine in it only when his hormones kick in, or when breeding season is about?

For the most part it is one and the same. Look for Kaine to be jailed most of the time from mid-March through September (he gets paroled a lot when we can supervise) - Unless he mellows with age.