Gnomestead Farm Flock

[MarshyRooster]

It was not sunny, unfortunately- in fact, it was pouring. That would be too uncomfortable for the ducks and dangerous for the chicks, so, as it turns out, it was a day spent in the warm brooder. Actually, today is their last day in the brooder. Misty and Jumbo are ready to go to the coop! I hope Misty keeps her brother in check. I hope we have a female in there (we're getting quite full of drakes). I hope naughty Marshmallow is kind to them, and the other ducks, and Stormblade (bit of a biter) and especially Max- King Max, if you're being polite . But they're ready for the coop. They wouldn't be going in if they weren't. I think they'll love it there. And they'll have family there too- their unknown father. Monti would love having family in the coop with her. I'll visit her grave once they're in the coop. I'll tell her what great eggs she laid, and what wonderful birds they've become.

 

[MarshyRooster]

Okay, the ducks are in the coop. It was an eventful transition- we brought them to the pasture, let them romp for a bit and put them in. But the older ducks didn't immediately accept them the way I'd hoped they would. And then Rockett- who's usually really docile- jumped on top of one of the ducklings, and Max started to make these shrill wailing-rooster noises. I think he was scared for his hen. All the birds panicked, and then it settled down once Rockett got off, but then Jumbo fell into a hole and freaked out, and Misty fell on top of him and Jumbo got his beak stuck in the mesh and... well, it was crazy. But I'll keep an eye on them.

 

[MarshyRooster]

They're back in the brooder. They're almost two months old, they should have all their feathers. But apparently, they don't quite yet. I think the chicks aren't happy to move right back to their own, smaller brooder!

 

[MarshyRooster]

The chicks finally got their first romp outside. Moonwing surprised me by being pretty adventurous (normally she's calm and shy and a little skittish). She flew all over the place! The chicks do occasionally run back to my and my dad's feet though, which is a good socialization sign- at least, I think. They're doing great! And I have finally finished my quail research, so hopefully we'll be getting some soon.

And I have big news about Danni. Danni is apparently female, and laid an egg last night. Today, she laid two more. I mean, we THINK it was Danni. This was a surprise. This means Misty and Jumbo might not be Monti's. It's okay, though. Danni/Monti did a great job.

 

[MarshyRooster]

I haven't updated in a while, and I have some big news.
First things first, the Winglets are doing great. Moonwing is no longer skittish, but she does love to fly. I looked at her wings to see why she's such a great flyer. My theory is the thin, transparent layer on the bottom is helping her glide.
The ducklings are going back in the coop today. Hopefully they're ready this time. If not, well, I guess we'll try again!
And this is the big news:
We have three new eggs in the incubator! I was planning on getting quail soon, but I have to postpone that for these eggs. I already named them. I know I should wait, but Ivywing, Dovewing and Russetwing are such cute names! (Reasons for the names: Ivywing and Dovewing are from some of my favorite books, and they're sisters in them. Coincidentally, these eggs are almost identical, so I thought, "It fits, so why not?" And for Russetwing, her egg is kind of orange, so I thought, "Russet.")
And the huge news:
RUSSETWING IS DEVELOPING!
Yup! I hope the other two are doing okay. So far I see nothing but a yolk . I've got hope, though! (Although if they don't develop soon, by the next marked day on my chicken hatching calender- it's marked and labeled with specefic development points on certain days out of the usual 21 to hatch- I might start reading Russetwing's book more. She gets one chapter, the others normally get two or three.) Anyway, Russetwing has a few veins, and an eye, and the start of a body! No beak or talons yet, but it's there !
I'll update soon!

 

[MarshyRooster]

THE DUCKS ARE IN THE COOP !
The chicks are happy to move to the ducklings' brooder. They're chirping and flying around. The ducks, meanwhile, enjoyed a nice long romp, although they stayed in the shadows of the shop the whole time. But then, they moved to the coop! My dad and I gave the birds huge bunches of grass to distract them from the new arrivals. Aflack interacted with them, but I don't think he was attacking, because nobody panicked. I'll update about the ducklings (and the eggs, and the chicks) soon!

 

[MarshyRooster]

The ducks are, again, back in the brooder.
They had a really bad day. Jumbo came back to the brooder battered, and her sister wasn't much better. Apparently, the older ducks or chickens had bullied them. Dad and I must've misinterpreted the pecking when the ducklings went to the water for a drink, because that night when we came to shut the door to the duck house, we saw that a lot of Jumbo's back feathers had been pulled out to the flesh. There was a cut above his eye, and some feathers on the top of his head were gone. The chicks are, yet again, annoyed about returning to their small brooder. I feel really bad for the ducklings- one is wounded and they're both muddy, and I can't imagine how cold Jumbo must've been in the coop, since when the feathers were pulled out, his skin was exposed. My dad tried to clean them with some soapy water, but the ducklings would have nothing to do with them. I can't blame them. It was a stressful night. We're lucky we even saw the wounds in the dark.

Today is a bit better. Our Elder Hens, Samantha and Rebel Claire the Second, have gone to their favorite spot in the pasture. All the hens, especially Big Beatrice, loved it there. Samantha has returned to the coop, but Rebel Claire- who has been sitting on the eggs in the coop for almost two days straight now- wanted to stay outside. She was cooped up sitting on the eggs for a while. And I read to the ducklings, two chapters of Geronimo Stilton. I think it soothed them, and it was what I read to them when they were in the incubator. Although they need a few days of relaxation before we can try to clean them again. And lastly, the chicks got a romp. They loved it. We took them farther out in the backyard this time. So, that's how the past few days, and today, have been going.

 

[MarshyRooster]

Hopefully the ducklings will get a romp today. They might be too stressed, but with luck they will let me get them outside- sunlight will be good on Jumbo's cuts. They might even have calmed down enough for me to clean them a little, or get a better look at Jumbo's cuts. I think they might have been training me to be a mouse recently, because I've been creeping around them super quietly and giving them as much space as I can, so I really haven't gotten a great look at them. They got REALLY stressed. Traumatized, even. But they're doing better now. So: hopefully, I'll get my Duck Duties done, romp the chicks, check on Rebel Claire, and remember to mark my hatching calendar. Day nine! Wish Russetwing and her friends luck!

 

[MarshyRooster]

Rebel Claire finally left the coop! AND I got to try the ducklings in their mini-pool. They didn't like it though. I guess they prefer their water dish for swimming in . The ducks loved it outside, and my dog Zoey didn't bother them the way Sadie, my other dog, would. The pigs, Phobe and Monica, didn't either. They had a great time. They've recovered almost fully from the wounds they got in the coop. And the chicks moved to Marshy's coop! They're really too big for the brooder. The ducklings will soon join them in the garden, and once the chicks go to the coop, Marshy and the older ducks go in the garden while the ducklings go to the coop as well. The chicks finally managed to find the door to Marshy's coop and explored the garden. It's full of bugs, and they're loving it. And it's day ten! Candling the eggs tonight, and have high hopes!

 

[MarshyRooster]

I have good news and bad news-
the good news is, Russetwing is developing! The bad news is, we have a sole egg. Again. I'll ponder this more when she's closer to hatching. More good news is how happy the chicks are in the garden, and once we make the woodshed a duckhouse, the ducklings will be happy too! I'll update soon!