Hi all just wanted to say I love this forum it's so helpful and I haven't been on here much in past few months been really busy gardening and maintaining yard, flowers and ducks who btw love to assist in the uprooting of new plants lol. This week however has been exhausting it all started Sunday I killed huge snake headed for the run I guess after eggs I have 4 crested ladies who lay in late afternoon strange I think. Sunday evening my sweet hearted fawn and white runner Marsha turned ill out of the blue think she ate something bad. Brought her in house in what we call EB (emergency box) woke every few hours to check her needless to say not much sleep that night but she pulled threw and has fully recovered. Monday morn happily go out for duck duty which normally brings me inner peace and haha jokes on me let my flock of 20 different ages, and breeds out and everyone runs in different directions they always stay near runs while I clean and forage and swim when I'm done they will explore in yard but never near neighbor or the road. It was like they where little demons mainly my runners who do live up to their name. Mind you we live in country not much traffic but people use my road as a drag strip. As I was herding everyone up 2 or 3 would turn back and the flock would split again toward my 1 neighbor who tolerates no trespassing, the road, and woods I look and my 3 drakes have my black swed pinned on ground and they re injured her old sprain they are kept separate at all times but with the madness that morn weren't separate. That night checked everyone before bed and FeFe could hardly walk so I stayed up till 1 a.m. Doing es compresses on her leg. Wednesday my moody drake decided to take a plug out of me behind lord i didnt see that one coming. Thursday rescued baby bird that fell out of nest ended up being attacked by 1 irate blue bird and we stayed up till 12 a.m. Building a huge yard lot it's not pred proof just designed to contain the flock. Good note no hawks this week but they'll be back they never give up. It's Friday morn I have 1 less snake, millions of locust bugs, 1 happy mom and baby blue bird, 1recovered runner, 1 healing sprain, 1 bruised bite mark on behind (mine) a huge yard pen, 18 cranky hens myself included, 3 grumpy drakes, and temps that went from 60s to 90s this week. Millions of prayers later Im thankful thing s could always be worse but oh lord what will today have in store.