Ducking Hatching: First of 2015

With the kidding season behind us, it is time to turn our attention to hatching birds. We need to hatch some chicks, ducks, guineas, geese, and turkeys this year. We won't have many chicks for sale this season. We have so many requests for eggs from new Customers that we are increasing our flock. We will have ducklings for sale; these being Mallard, Black Swedish, or an occasional cross between the two. I have orders for 16 guinea keets to fill, and when those are completed, I would like to add a couple of each of the chocolate hens, violet hens, and pearl hens to our group here. With only two geese (and only one of them capable of laying) it would be lovely to add another couple of hens. And, I would like to have an additional couple of hens for both our slate blue and red-breasted bronze turkeys. Once we have cared for our needs, anything more than that will be available for purchase. That is a lot of hatching- especially when we don't own an incubator!

Like everything else on the homestead, we try to raise our birds as naturally as possible. This means working *with* our broody hens. At present, we have a Wyandotte sitting on a clutch of chicken eggs upstairs in the barn- those should hatch by the end of June. We have an Australorpe sitting on a nest of 20 Guinea eggs. Those should hatch in another 3 weeks. Two broody ducks are sitting on nests of duck eggs. And, our gosling is sitting on an assorted nest of duck and geese eggs- her choice. She kept stealing duck eggs and we let her keep them. We'll see what comes of that!

Over the past couple days, our first clutches have begun hatching. Our first nest of eggs only produced two chicks for us. Harley duck had been dutifully sitting on a nest of 5 eggs. One duckling hatched, but did not survive the night. A second hatched the following day, but Harley flew the coop, taking with her two eggs. (I spotted her in the goat's field. I suspect she was moving her eggs to a safer location, in her mind.) Sean found a second duckling wandering around in the coop unattended and brought it inside to keep company with the first. Harley has been spotted, but she was once more missing-in-action and a third little duckling was wandering around inside the main coop. We are three for five with this clutch of ducklings. We are hopeful that tomorrow, Momma Harley comes home with the last duckling in tow. If that is the case, we'll offer her these back and let her raise and care for them until they go to their new home. If she is disinclined, they will stay in the house for a bit and then get introduced to the main coop a bit later. It is never boring!

Tomorrow, we are going to be at the Belfast Art Market in Belfast with the Farmer's Market at Waterfall Arts on High St. from 9am-1pm. I am so excited for our first market... and a little nervous. But, I am looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and making some new ones this season. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by to say, "Hi." to Sean and I.

Thanks for popping in tonight, friends.
~Sean & Sonja ♥

How to Help Hatch a Chick

It is our opinion that nature knows best. In our experience, allowing the hens to incubate and hatch their eggs gives us a better hatch rate and usually one that requires no assistance from us. (I'm not against using an incubator, we just have not had as good results from them.) Sometimes, interference is necessary and can be life saving. When it's a choice between certain death by suffocation or a slim chance at life, we make that call on a case by case basis and hope that we make the right one.

Last year, we chose to assist 2 ducklings in hatching and happily, they both survived and are still thriving here on the homestead. On the other hand, on two separate occasions, we felt the need to assist a couple chicks to hatch and only one of them lived. What about the chicks that died in their shells and never pipped or pipped and never progressed? Early on, we made the decision to not interfere with a hatching chick and it died in its shell. Could we have saved it? Was there something fatally wrong with that chick, something that helping it to hatch would not fix?

If you plan on hatching chicks (using an incubator or a broody hen), it is prudent to have a basic understanding of how it is supposed to work; what is "normal", what is not. With time and experience, you may be able to help when things don't go as they should. I wrote a post last year titled, "Marvelous Creation" that explains a bit about the changes that must take place within an egg for a chick to hatch.

A Buff Cochin newborn chick peeking out from
under Niecy's wing. Niecy is not the bio-hen, but adopted
10 eggs without complaint. Good lass. ♥

This topic came up in my mind because we had a bit of worry over the weekend. Two clutches of eggs, incubating in nesting boxes, were due to hatch on June 1st. Right on schedule, we saw some pips in the eggs of one nest. The other nest had none. Because we knew that the hen sitting on the second clutch was new to hatching and had been on and off the nest frequently, we were prepared to find that few or none of those eggs would hatch any chicks. We were excited to see the pips and anticipated the arrival of some new chicks.

We watched the progress through the day. Two feather-footed cochins hatched first. We were surprised, while checking the eggs at mid-morning, to find a third egg sitting in the nest with its outer shell almost completely gone and the membranes still intact. The membrane was noticeably dry, so Sean and I made the decision to carefully mist it with water to see if that would help the chick to be able to hatch. We returned the membrane clad chick to the nest box and its broody hen.

When evening came and the chick had still made no further progress, we decided to intervene.



I am the first to admit that I am not an expert on hatching chicks. Last year was our first year hatching our own. The 40 or so chicks we hatched gave us some experience, but we are always learning. This post is not to tell you what to do, but to share what we are doing- what has worked for us and what hasn't.

I hope you found it useful. Thanks for visiting with us this evening, friends. We hope you enjoy your night.

Sean & Sonja ♥

Update: 8 of the 10 eggs hatched under Niecy. The other nest has begun to pip and so far, we have welcomed 3 new chicks from it. Also, remember the nest box full of duck eggs a chicken was sitting on? Well, 2 of them have hatched, too! (And, also, required some help! In their case, we think their shell was too dry because there was no wet Momma duck sitting on them, but rather a very dry hen. We're keeping an eye on the others for signs of hatching. If there are no more pips in a couple days, we'll candle them and discard any that are not living.



Shared with The Backyard Farming Connection #35 & The HomeAcre Hop #22

New Additions and More to Come~

When Sean and I gave the coop a good clean out a few days ago, several things came to light. One of them being that a couple of our ducklings have gone broody. This is good news since we want to hatch some ducklings to sell at this year's farm swap at the Tractor Supply Company (TSC) in Bangor, Maine. Another revelation was that the fencing was due for some repairs; winter had taken a toll on the chain panels we use. Most surprisingly, was the discovery of an additional 3 roosters in with the hens- no spurs yet, small, and previously crow-less, we had hoped that we'd separated all the lads that needed re-homing about a month ago. If their "interest" in the hens was not a clear give-away, the new ability to crow was. Ugggh. Did we hatch out nearly entire clutches of roos??? Shouldn't it, at least statistically, be a 50/50 ratio??? Adding to the insult, these roosters were ALL Cochins; 2 partridge colored and the gorgeous little copper one I was so pleased with hatching. Let's do the math. That makes a total of 11 roosters living in separate quarters awaiting sale, re-homing, or a soup pot plus our 4 breeding boys; Aloysius, Ruffeo, Sebastian, and Cooper, AND 3 more Cochin roos! 18 Roosters!!! Which means, considering the hens that are "retired" and the gang of 14 roosters all NOT laying eggs, we are down to only 30 or so hens a laying. We did not like those numbers.

Though I prefer to purchase chicks from local farms, I wanted chicks immediately; I was "jonesing" for a chick fix- STAT! Which is why I started to call around to our local TSC to see if their chicks were in yet. Being in Maine, local is relative. I checked Ellsworth, Bangor and when neither of these had chicks, I also called our local feed stores. Chicks are expected, but no one had them in-store. I planned to head into Belfast for some other errands, so I popped into Yknot Farms on Route 3. where we purchased our Wyandottes a couple years ago. I was in business, not only did they have chicks, but they had some 10 day old, Rhode Island Red, pullets. I bought 5 for $20 and happily brought them home.

I want to breed some black and white speckled Cochins this year. I plan on breeding Cooper with our 4 Lacey Wyandotte hens and 3 Barred Rock hens to see what comes of that. I ordered 6 Black Copper Marans chicks from Muddy Hoof Farm and will get those at the first chicken swap in April. The new Copper Marans and our Americauna hens will be bred with Sebastian to create more Americaunas and "Olive Eggers" for next year. Aloysius will cover our Cochin hens. And, that leaves Rufeo to remain in the main yard with the Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, and Australorpe hens- which we will use exclusively for collecting eating eggs.

So, with all these plans in the back of my mind, we purchased our first chicks of the year. We will need to purchase some additional Cochin pullets, too- because we have 3 less than we thought!

Since the ducks and geese have obliged us with eggs at a steady rate, we borrowed an incubator and set some eggs. We are trying a little experiment. We set 24 duck eggs in the incubator along with 8 geese eggs. The remainder of the eggs collected over the last week were placed back into the duck nest in the coop- 10 in all. Our experiment is two-fold. First, we want to compare the hatch rate between the incubator and what the ducks hatch out. Last year, we let a duck go broody, but her eggs disappeared from her nest until we rescued the final 2 and finished hatching them inside. We are hoping for better results this time around. Secondly, it is cold still. Today was only in the 30's outside with a steady wind. I am curious to see if the eggs are viable so early in the season or if the cold impedes them from developing. We'll candle the eggs in the incubator next weekend to see if any have developed. If broody duck cooperates and sits on the clutch we gave her, we'll attempt to candle some of those, too, to compare. I am interested and hopeful. It would be great to have a couple dozen ducklings to bring to the TSC "Chicken Swap".

Our goats are still pregnant and growing those kids! Ruby has gotten HUGE in size and ungainly with it. Her greatly enlarged udder is producing milk in anticipation of kidding, but when that will happen is any one's guess. Sean felt the kid(s) moving this morning, but there are no clear signs of impending kidding. Leah and Rachel are both smaller in girth than Ruby. We think they are several weeks behind her and won't kid until next month. But, who are we kidding? We do NOT have this down yet. I am just happy they are showing all the sign of radiant, impending motherhood; fat bellies, shiny coats, enlarging udders and good appetites. And, that I have my kidding supplies ready to hand, just in case.

An unexpected and pleasant addition to our homestead is Jane. We heard through a friend about a 3 year old, French Alpine doe in need of a permanent home. Sean called the owner to discuss the situation and then drove to check her out after work on Monday. She is lovely. Jane looks very much like our Oberhausli, except her coat is longer, her head is slightly different in shape and she has a wicked set of horns! Sean checked her eyelids for color, nose and tail end for discharge(s), her stance, hooves, and overall appearance among other things. Jane was a pet doe and thus is wonderfully friendly. She walks on a leash better than our dogs! She birthed a single kid last year and was milked a little. All in all, she was a great find. Sometimes "free" is code for a "very costly vet bill in the making". This did not seem to be the case with Jane and we decided to take her. She is in isolation for a little while until we make certain that she is not carrying anything nasty that could impact our herd, but I have every expectation of her being a great addition for us.

That is what is going on in our corner of the world this week. In addition to animal gains, we got started with planting some 6 packs of tomatoes. I worked on creating additional mosaic eggshell jewelry pieces and I tried my hand at sewing some grain bag totes. I prefer making our jewelry, soaps, and scents, to be honest, but the totes came out decently and will certainly be more useful in this form than taking up space in the "milk room". And, if I can sell them, all the better!

Thanks for visiting with us today, friends. We're glad for the company.
Sean and Sonja ♥

7-9 Days to Go...

I candled the chicken eggs, as promised, on Friday. I did not snap pictures, though because I wanted to do it quickly so the eggs would not cool too much and also there was only my set of hands to work with.  (Sean and Dale are currently occupied installing a new water heater to live in the basement. I am sure Sean would have helped, but I thought his project more pressing for his time and attention.) Add to that, my camping girls absconded with my good flashlight, so it was harder than usual to see through the shell. Is that enough excuses for my lack of photos?

I think the news is mostly good. With just over a week to go, I only removed 2 eggs that were definitely NOT developing. There are another 10 or so that are questionable, but all the rest seem to be growing and developing from dark, Chickie "globs" into the fluffy peeps we are hoping for.

On Thursday, we decided it was time to move the 2 month old chicks into the main coop where they belong. We had never really intended on them living in the chicken tractor for a long period of time, but it became a necessity while they were small enough to walk through the coop fencing. Having grown sufficiently that this was no longer a problem, we made the move. This freed the tractor for Rufeo (our Rhode Island Red Rooster) and his hens. With the hopes of being able to breed sex link chicks from him, we rehomed 2 Wyandottes and 1 Barred Rock. This arrangement was problematic in that 3 hens would not be suitable in numbers to avoid their being balded by Rufeo's romantic attentions. The 2 Australorp hens in the main coop were being exceptionally territorial to the new chicks; plucking feathers and chasing them mercilessly. So... we added them into the chicken tractor population, which worked out quite nicely for everyone. (The broody hens will also join Rufeo- once they are done sitting on their nests- bringing the ratio of hens to roosters to 7:1, a much better situation for them.)

The new additions to the main coop are settling in just fine. There are still some issues deciding who gets to eat first among the group, but by and large, they have at least been accepted, if not enthusiastically welcomed. They are developing lovely individual coloring traits, which means these will get their own names. In this photo you can see in the fore, a couple of (what we think are) pullets with interesting feathered crests. They are the black facing forward and the white with speckled feathers to the right of her.

Added to the list of unique traits, we hatched a gorgeous pure Americauna with ear tufts (that we suspect is a rooster- No!), a couple of blacks with gold markings and two blacks that resemble nothing so much as mutant crows! Check out the one pictured on the left. What do you think?

In addition to the eggs in the incubator, one of the Wyandotte hens and one of the Barred Rock hens have gone all broody on us and are each sitting on clutches of 10 eggs in separate nest boxes out in the main coop. We have never allowed our hens to hatch out their own chicks, but we thought to give it a try. We were remiss in informing Miss Meaghan of our intentions before she very helpfully collected the eggs for us Thursday afternoon. Sean returned them to some very annoyed hens who were not shy about pecking his hands and squawking their displeasure as he sought to return their treasured orbs. Unbeknownst to the ladies, they are sitting on a variety of eggs from the coops. It will be interesting to see what kind of assortment these hatch to be... if they hatch, that is.

Broody Wyandotte has since become confused about her nest and has moved herself three times. The first time I caught her in the wrong box, I put her into the correct one and she settled in nicely. Later Saturday afternoon, she was back in the wrong box sans eggs. So, thinking she just preferred that box more, I candled the eggs in her first box for evidence of life and put the viable ones under her in her new box. Broody hen moved them into the position she wanted them in and settled herself. When I visited the chickens on Sunday morning, she had moved once again- to a completely different box. The eggs in the nest were stone cold and it was pretty clear she hadn't been sitting on them at all during the night. Since the chicks had already started to develop inside the eggs, I think it is a pretty safe bet that they are no longer viable after many hours of 50 degree temps. This is sad, but sometimes, what happens. I suspect that in Broody Wyandotte's case, the idea of sitting on eggs was -and seems still to be- more interesting than the work actually involved in sitting on eggs. At least, Broody Barred Rock seems to be vigilant in her efforts to hatch a clutch. And, Wyandotte can move to the tractor, instead.

Broody duck(s) are sitting single-mindedly, too. This broodiness seems to be contagious. What started with one, quickly turned into two ducks sharing sitting duties. A third invited herself to the party under the guise that it takes a village. But, when a fourth hen and a drake tried to join the mix, one of the geese stepped in to moderate the debate and get everyone sorted. I captured this exchange on video. No musical soundtrack, though-


For those who cannot see this on a Kindle, try THIS LINK, instead:

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

Thanks for visiting with us today!
Sean & Sonja ♥

How Many Eggs?: Video (April 2012)

I found this footage on my computer. I hadn't uploaded it previously, but when I came across it today it made me smile, remembering back to how excited we were to get 7 eggs in one day.



Now, we collect between 15 and 20 eggs each day from our flock as it stands now. We hope that at least 8 of the new chicks we hatched and kept are hens. I have a strong suspicion that the chick in this photo is a rooster. There is no way to tell at this point, until they fledge out, grow, and eventually crow one morning, but 3 of the chicks do not panic and run away as the others instinctively do when you reach your hand into their cage. Instead, they stand taller and turn to face you. All of them are inclined to try a peck at your fingers when you handle them (after all, they do slightly resemble good sized worms), but these same chicks seem both more of a mind to peck a hand and more intent on you feeling it. Again, this proves NOTHING, but it does make me go hmmmmmm.

Angelus's wing has not fully healed by the change in diet. Nor, has his moulting cycle helped to align his wing, so the next step is to attempt to splint it into place with some medical tape. In my research I found a video on how to do this, so when Sean returns from work tonight, this is one more matter to be added to our "To Do" list. I am glad it does not seem to bother Angelus in terms of either movement or pain, but if we can help it to heal and be aligned properly, that would be best.

Both Angelus and the female mallard's eye infections are getting better. We have been using Bacitracin antibiotic cream on it and flushing them with a saline solution. The warning label on the tube of Bacitracin does say not to use in eyes, but the list of ingredients and dose was exactly the same as the other, so we tried it. If it had seemed to sting or if there had been no improvement, we would have consulted our vet. I do not suggest or recommend this to any readers, but it seems to be working for us. The ducks vision has returned now and though the eyes are still a little cloudy, I expect full recovery for both by the end of the month. Triple Antibiotic Ophthalmic Ointment is what is generally used to fight an eye infection, but it was going to take longer than a week to get here from ordering online and our local pet stores/ livestock stores were out of stock. It is a combination of three antibiotics: Neomycin, Polymyxin B, and Bacitracin. It is used to treat bacterial infections of the eyes and eyelids.

The ducks and goslings must be moved to a new home outside SOON if only for the sake of my tender olfactory sense. I walked into our home today to all the windows closed, and both chicks and duckling/gosling pens needing an immediate changing! I know I have posted about this before, but I CANNOT emphasize what this combination smells like. It was bad enough that I considered leaving home to find somewhere better smelling to visit until Sean came home from work to help me with it- like "The Bog of Eternal Stench." Instead, I pulled on my work gloves and tackled the mess. It only took moments to do and after opening all the windows to air any residual offensive odor, I felt much more inclined to continue living here. I love the little babies, but I am going to have to love them outside and hope they continue to love me in return.

The sun is shining bright and no rain in the forecast for a while. Enjoy it while you can!
Sonja♥

The Real Game...

Duck.

 Duck.

 Duck.

Goose!

Kristen thought of these captions. I thought she was brilliant and since I could not improve upon them, I leave them this way.

Enjoy!

Kristen Sanders & Sonja Twombly



Another Milestone for the Ducklings...

After bathing in the kitchen sink for the past few weeks, the ducklings have graduated to having a swim with water deeper than they are tall. They had a blast!




I love this video of the ducks learning to swim under water! When one gets going, they all start it.



Have a great night! Sonja ♥

Chicken Tractor #2 is Infested!

With Cats. Just lousy with the little furry beasts!

No sooner had Sean stopped his work for the evening, Tasmanian and Machias decided to check it out for themselves. If you look closely, that would be Machias's tail dangling from the inside of one of the new nest boxes. Silly boys!

Our cats don't bother the chickens, since the hens proved that they were perfectly capable of running the cats off in order to steal their cat food! With visions of being bested still fresh in mind, they probably thought a little "recon" was due before its feathered inhabitants took possession.

During the early evening, while Sean worked on the 2nd chicken tractor, we brought the ducklings and goslings out for their bath time. We kept a close eye on the bathers in case the cats decided to take advantage of their relatively small and helpless state. I was supposed to be helping Sean with finishing the 2nd coop, but I had a migraine which began in the morning and didn't subside until last afternoon. I spent most of the afternoon medicated and resting, which left Sean with the lion's share of the work to complete. I was glad my head ache subsided by evening and I was able to spend some time on the grass with the babies, watching Sean. Happily, everyone survived both bath time and nap time in the clear early-evening air.

My favorite part of the day, was napping in the sun with the babies all sleeping beside me. I love how tame and friendly they are. We are probably going to keep these particular birds separate from the other ducks in their own pond. We raised several mallards last year from chicks, but they act like "normal" ducks; they are friendly enough, but they certainly don't choose to follow us around or settle to nap in the grass with us. I hope that keeping them apart will continue this behavior, especially if we continue spending time with them and love them. For that reason, I do hope that we have one male and one female or alternately two females of each breed. I think these will be allowed to live in the larger pond in the front yard when it gets created. I can picture so perfectly returning home, driving up the driveway, to the happy "welcome home" of a duck and geese chorus.

Have a great day, friends.

Sonja

Gardens and Goslings

I am of two minds. On the one hand, the idea of going away from the farm for the weekend, especially to a Christian Convention with over 5,000 of my dear brothers and sisters from the New England area is exciting, soothing, and just plain wonderful. No stalls to muck, no llamas to tame, nothing to build. On the other hand, we will be away. And, though we have a capable friend caring for our homestead in our absence, we will be... away. No pigs to love, no goats to greet us, no goslings snuggled in my shirt. And, I am completely sure that in the 60 hours of our being away, all the fencing will fail, the basement will flood, the bunny will escape, the chickens will revolt and stop laying their eggs, the ducks will make off into the wild... you get the picture. I am not a pessimist by nature, but I have some little experience in these things. It is almost guaranteed. Things will grind along just fine, as long as we have nothing else on the agenda. But, the second we have plans... that is just asking for trouble.



A sampling of the 36 sweet and hot peppers started and living on our porch.

I was planning on updating you all to our gardening and how the water fowl residing in my living room are faring in great detail, but I still have to pack and get this show on the road. So, for now, I will leave you with some pictures with the hope that each of them speaks the 1,000 words they are rumored to and hope you all have a bright and sunny weekend.

See you soon!
Sonja

Last years onions wintered over in a garden bed. We'll eat the greens, since we have never had any success in growing the onions themselves to full size after a winter's rest. They will be delicious, though! And, I might count this as our first harvest of 2012.

I was playing Momma duck/goose with the babies. They all snuggle into my arms and settle to sleep.

Ducklings Take Their First Bath...

... and meet some new friends.

What else can you expect? You drive an hour to buy a llama and you come home with not only the llama in question, but also, two- day old Brown Chinese/Buff goslings. They are adorable fluff balls, but LOUD. Though they are younger than our ducklings by several days, they are slightly larger. We are hoping for both a male and a female. Or two females. The only combination that would be really inconvenient is two males, but the odds are in our favor. As I am attempting to update, they are snuggled in the top of my shirt, pecking at my necklace, hair, and earrings with their curious little bills. It is distracting, but they are warm and bonding with me... I hope. The alternative of sitting on them seemed chancy.

Yesterday afternoon, the ducklings took their first bath in the kitchen sink. Ducklings do not float like adult ducks can and must be watched very carefully. Ducklings produce a natural oil from a gland in their tail region which coats their feathers as they preen. Without that protection, they can drown. Another danger is catching a chill and getting sick. With these dangers in mind, we added just a few inches of water to the sink to get them used to the water and watched them intently- while filming video, of course. In no time at all, they will be swimming pros!

Tonight, we introduced the ducklings to their new neighbors. The ducklings were not sure about this turn of events and tried to establish some kind of pecking order with the ducklings sitting on top, but the goslings were having none of that! A few dabbles with their bills and everyone was sorted. That settled, the ducklings settled under their lamp for the night. As it is also long past time for this girl to be in her bed, too, the goslings must be returned to their nest box.

I intended to write about the new llama and our amazing adventure in getting him today, but I am zonked! So, tune in tomorrow for pictures and video of our new pal, Dilly!

Good night, friends!
Sonja ♥

Adult Buff Goose

P.S. Thse pictures are similar to what these new little guys are going to grow to look like.

Adult Brown Chinese Goose

May 22 Update on ducklings

I will update this post later in the day with video and pictures.

Both ducklings are fine and thriving. They are alert, active, preening, sleeping, peeping, and doing all the normal things baby ducks do. Comfort zone, Oh! How I welcome thee back! There was even signs of two droppings on the towel near the water dish! I know, kind of strange to get excited about that, but it is a great sign that these little ones will thrive so long as we continue with the right conditions!

My other job beckons me this morning, but I will be back later tonight with more updates on all things farm related. For now, have a good day for yourselves!

Sonja ♥

More pictures and video, as promised.

He's not looking! I could be held now?

The one in the back is the one that hatched solo. The striped one in the front was assisted by us.

And the new feather weight wrestling champion is...

Vigorous signs of life!

And, Then There Were Two...

The 2nd duckling had a lot harder time being born. It tried and tried with an open hole, almost the size of a half dollar piece, to free itself; with its membranes drying out more and more as time passed. Finally, at 5:30 tonight, Sean and I made the decision to help it along carefully. I started to peel away the hard outer shell bit by bit until it was open (video above). There was no trace of any fresh blood- which is a good sign. When we got to this point, little ducky decided to meet us after all. (video below).



I helped dry and warm new little ducky by wrapping the new duckling into this warmed towel and slipped it into my shirt. It peeped for a few minutes and settled to sleep while I petted it's head and neck.



A couple hours later, both duckies are in the brooder, alternately sleeping and peeping. The older duckling has eaten a little and had a taste of water. I introduced the younger duckling to the water by slowly dipping the tip of its bill into the waterer, but it did not seem interested in drinking, yet. That's normal. They may not eat or drink anything for a day or even two after hatching.

I was excited to see the older duck preening itself  only 4 hours after hatching and both ducklings have gotten to their feet to creep about a little. I am still worried for the younger duckling and will keep a very close eye on it, but for now, we have 2 of the sweetest little ducklings that I have ever seen.

And, now, I can finally get some sleep.

Good night, friends.
Sonja ♥

One Duckling Arrives: Video

Meaghan was eager to show me when I arrived home from work just after 1:30 pm today, to see this! One duckling, (not the one that was further along last night, mind) had worked its way already out and was very nearly dry! The other duckling is peeping away, but seemed uninterested in finishing the business at hand.

I grabbed a clean, warm towel and cuddled the duckling to help warm it- sure wish I knew if it was a drake or a hen!- before placing it in the 10 gallon tank we are using as a brooder. Meg and I added the water dish and I dipped its tiny beak in the water, to show where it was located. Then, I left it alone, meaning, I did not touch it, but I took lots of video and pictures!

"Little hatched duck" was peeping up a storm one second and taking a siesta, the next. The tank is set to 98 degrees at duck level at the warmest side. "LHD" stumbled around the tank, peeping as it went . I felt so badly, that it has no Momma to cuddle up under or bond with and no brother or sister to snuggle with, at the moment. Eventually, I gave in to its insistent, little peeps, wrapped it in a cloth and tucked it gently into the top of my shirt. It settled down almost immediately, after attempting to taste my neck a time or two, that tickled!

As I write this it is 3 pm. Other duckling has made slightly more progress, but is not budging outside that egg, yet! It is so hard not to just go over and peel it out! But, I am controlling myself and bonding with "little shirt duckling" instead, who is napping right now contentedly warmed by my body heat, listening to the sound of my heart beating. Time enough to cuddle "new duckling" tonight.

We've got to get these "peeps" some names! Any thoughts?
Sonja ♥

As a side note: You may notice in the pictures and video that the incubator has some unhatched chicken eggs in the automatic turner. When the ducklings began to hatch, we turned off the automatic engine, and began turning the chicks by hand. Once the other duckling hatches and is dry, we will remove it to the safety of the brood tank. I do not recommend hatching in this manner. We were in a bind when the duck eggs began disappearing, so we used our incubator very cautiously in a tandem hatch for a few days. As an additional precaution, we removed 2 rows of egg turning yellow brackets, so the ducks would have more room to hatch in safety. Again, it worked this time, for the ducks, (any success remains to be seen for the chicks) but I would not recommend doing this, if you have any other option open to you.

Ducks Enoying a Bath: Video May 20, 2012

I should be in bed, but I can't sleep until I have some kind of resolution for the ducklings to be. I suppose I should also be concerned about Sean, who has bravely disassembled the drain to the kitchen sink and is currently persevering trying to unclog the pipe amidst water dripping on his head, in the basement. I would lend him a hand, but other than passing him a bucket, he does not need me and has requested I not assist with this mess. I was not about to argue the point! It looked nasty when I peeked down there a few minutes ago.

At 9:58 pm, we have a few pips in the eggs, some white membrane showing through, but no ducklings, yet! This is almost as bad as being in actual labor with the waiting and pacing and watching for progress. My biggest fear is that they will tire, won't be able to break through the inner membrane and die so close to the end, suffocating inside their eggs. This waiting is just awful!



10:50 pm, No progress on the sink, but both ducklings  pecked several cracks in the outer shell of their eggs, but had not gotten through either the outer of the inner membranes. We were now past 24 hours from the pips. I had to help. I was just sick with worry. Carefully, I candled the egg, to see where the duckling was. I could see the outline clearly, so I cautiously and gently just poked the membrane with a tiny sewing needle. No blood. I slowly and very, very tentatively edged it open, just wide enough so the duckling could breathe. I could see the tine beak! At this point, Sean joined me and we assisted the other duckling in the same manner and replaced them into the incubator to keep them warm. Now that I know they have air and can hear them peeping, I feel much better.

Now...  more waiting! This is going to be a lengthy night.

12:31 am, no hatching yet, plenty of peeping and a trace of blood on the inner membrane where the ducklings beak is moving about. We are sleeping in the living room upstairs tonight. Me, on the couch and Sean, on the floor, so we can check them frequently. The brooder (This being currently a 10 gallon aquarium, which will be easy to regulate the temperature and stay free from drafts, until they graduate into the wire cage we've used for chicks with good results) is all set up and waiting complete with light and soft towel to receive any babies. I am knackered! I can barely type. I have to get some rest. Sean is playing his game boy. I don't know how he can do that, but right now, I am glad for it.

5 am, no ducklings, still, but we are up an extra horse, courtesy of our across the street neighbors. Their lovely lady, Cowgirl wants to be friends with Jasmine in the worst way. This is the third day in a row that she has jumped her fence to visit us. We don't mind, since our animals have sporadically decided to forsake their intended homes to explore the vicinity. It happens. I do feel badly for them. I know what it is like to try, in vain, to constrain the sometimes wanton beasts of our field. Sean kindly, walked Cowgirl home and then, got up to start the wood fired furnace, so our girls could have hot showers before school.

I feel like the walking dead. Early to bed tonight, I think.

Sonja ♥

The Ducks Are Chirping Inside Their Eggs!

After a long day of work around the farm today, we came in to enjoy dinner of chicken on the grill and some rice our daughter, Meaghan prepared. It was delicious and I thought it a fitting end to our day, but the evening had more excitement in store for us. The ducks began chirping inside their eggs. The process of them exiting their eggs and entering our world has begun. So exciting! This can take a day or two before the ducklings completely emerge or as little as a few hours! I can't help but check them every few minutes to see if they have begun pipping through the eggs hard shell with their egg teeth yet. Thus far, they are rocking, but that is all.

I raised the humidity to 70 percent by adding more warm water to the basin below them. This will help the shell membranes to remain soft enough for the little guys to free themselves. It is difficult to just watch and wait, but that is all I can do for now.

Our delight at the thought that we might have our ducklings before morning overshadows all the work accomplished today. But since, I need something to do to occupy my hands and mind, I will tell you about our day, anyway. Or, at least of our achievements:

1. Sean was able to finish the roof for the chicken coop and it looks wonderful! Just perfect! I am so proud and happy that this was able to get done today. I know our girls appreciate it, too. Bring on the rain now, the chickens are ready!

2. Sean and Aidan emptied boxes of superfluous items taking up valuable room in the wood shed and consigned them to the bonfire we had crackling and ready. Meaghan, Kristen, and I, with help from our friends, Aidan and Cherie, loaded and stacked five wagons full of wood in the newly acquired space in the wood shed.

3. I wrote up the information and forms for our Egg Share CSA. I couldn't help but candle the duck eggs to show Cherie and Aidan the progress of the ducks. We heard them tapping inside the eggs. Then, Cherie and I heard the ducks chirp inside the eggs!

4. Sean built a new milking stand. It looks wonderful. We couldn't help take it for a "test drive." I sanitized all the milking equipment, made a cleaning solution to sanitize Ellie's teats. Sean lead Ellie to the stand and she jumped up all on her own! She knew what was what. At least one of us did! I washed her udder with a warm cloth, dried it with a clean cloth, then dipped each teat into the solution and let it dry, while Sean washed and sanitized his hands. Careful, not to touch anything but Ellie, Sean set to work milking. Before we collected milk for our own usage, Sean squirted 5 streams of milk into a waste bowl for the cats to clear the teat of any bacteria or clots in the milk. Then, he started collecting the milk for us in a stainless steel bowl. While Sean was busy milking, I stood with Ellie at her head, talking to her, petting her and watching her enjoy an additional treat of grain today. We did not collect much tonight, but with practice, we'll do better in the days to come! I strained the milk through a clean cloth into a sanitized mason jar and washed the milking equipment. The jar was immediately placed into the refrigerator. We'll add to it in the days to come. I can't wait to begin making cheese!

We did not get to work on the new pig pen today, but there will be time for that tomorrow. I consider this day a success.

Good night, friends!

Sonja ♥

There's Never Any Shortage of Things To Do!

Unlike Saturday's LONG day of accomplishing very little, today has been a whirl wind of industriousness!

The day started with candling the duck eggs living in our incubator. We also checked three random chicken eggs in the incubator and we saw tell tale "spiders" inside all three eggs! (These resembled #3 in the illustration to the right.) We will candle all the eggs on Sunday and remove any that are not growing by then. Sean headed out the door to his work. That accomplished, I started the 2nd load of laundry and then, settled into the morning's animal chores. I fed the chickens and ducks, goats, & horse. Sean watered all the critters. 

In my egg collection round, I got 12 eggs this morning before 10am! When I checked later in the day, I found 4 more chicken eggs and several duck eggs. The duck egg production seems to have suffered since several of our ducks decided to live with the pigs instead of the chickens last week. I am worried that our porcine residents are enjoying an addition to their diets as a result. This means, that since the weather has truly broken here in Maine, our piggies are just about ready to move to their Spring/Summer/Fall home, down over the hill in the back yard. I am sure they will enjoy their new neighbor "Backyard Bunny" very much. Mental note to add that to our chore list for this weekend, if we get the other chores finished.

My long path to the wood stack.

After I washed the eggs and refrigerated them, I headed back outside to start mowing the front lawn. In an effort to be more efficient, I mowed in a very large pattern. My trail allowed me to load the lawn mower trailer full of cut fire wood from the front of the house and mow all the way to the back yard. I stopped briefly to unload the trailer cargo of wood near its new home before mowing down through the rows of grapes beginning to come alive for the season at the far side of the house and around to the front wood pile again. I took 3 trips total this morning before I cut the lawn far enough that getting wood was out of my mowing path. It is not much, but I added another 100 pieces of wood to the wood shed in this manner. Then, I finished mowing the front yard and returned to finish the back forty. The front lawn is looking very nice, with the exception of the bits needing the weed-whackers attention around the edges. The back lawn is looking a bit ragged, since this is the first time through with the mower. After my next round in a couple of days, it will start to green up more and look much better. The black flies were not biting while I was mowing; I was very pleased with that.

Pig pen partially fenced. Bunny yard in background.
Lawn NEEDING to be mowed!

When Sean returned from work today, he checked the fresh water for the animals, adjusted a fence in the goat pasture, moved Jasmine to a new fenced in area to help with my mowing responsibilities around the pond, and then, started working on the chicken coop roof. It looks hopeful that the roof will be finished by tomorrow morning at this rate, which is good news for everyone. The hens will enjoy their water-tight home and we will enjoy not needing to change muddy, soggy litter after each small shower that passes through.

Since Sean did not require my help with the roof, I decided to make myself busy by attempting to mow the fruit tree area. I may start calling it our orchard in future writings. In truth, we planted a variety of seven fruit trees 2 years ago in a nice area near the horse paddock, but as the largest of these is only 5 feet tall, having a real orchard is still very much in the dreaming phase. I was able to get about half way through this task before I was reprieved with the untimely breaking of the lawn mower drive belt (again!). Even mowing slowly and carefully, cutting grass that is already growing a foot tall is hard on the equipment. Once, we initially tame the areas, though, we should have no trouble keeping them to a manageable height.

It is my hope that we will be able to add to our fruit trees this year. At present we have 2 pear trees, 2 plum trees, 2 cherry trees, and 1 peach tree planted. I would like to add another peach tree and 2 apple trees to the mix. It is nice to think of the future day when we will be able to pick and eat the fruits of our plantings. I can easily picture the making of various pies, jams, and other goodies future Sonja will bake. If that dream is to become a reality, we are going to need to replant 2 of our existing trees to a higher level and add a top coat of compost to each tree base. More work for another day.

For today, it is enough. What this tired couple needs is food, snuggle time, and a good night's rest. Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to sign in on our member page or drop us a note; we love hearing from you!

Goodnight friends,

Sonja ♥

Hurry Up... And Wait!

Hurry Up and Wait seems to be the name of the game for us today. The rain (finally!) cleared out to give us beautiful sunny skies. Even with the wind picking up, which disallowed us the possibility of the small bonfire I was hoping for, it promised to be a good day for working. We had an orderly list for this Saturday's work, with (maybe) some odds and ends to finish up on Sunday afternoon. It looked like this: 1) feed and water the animals. 2) feed ourselves. 3) pick up some peppers and new soil for the raised garden beds. 4) get the riding mower started. 5) Sonja mow and Sean roof the chicken coop 6) burn the things in the burn pile while these activities are taking place. 7) build some "A" frames for our peas 8) get the peppers, peas, onions, & carrots planted. Somewhere around item number 4, things fell apart. It is now 3:00 pm and so far, we have done a lot, but accomplished nearly nothing!

While Sean switched out tires to the "new" old riding lawn mower in the hopes that I could mow, at least, the back yard today, I cleared out the dead foliage from one of the large planters by the deck steps and replanted some pretty flowers in it. That accomplished, I walked the back yard for any items that needed moving before I could attempt to mow; among these were several 12 foot 2x6 lengths of wood, a few 12x12 landscaping tile pieces, and some metal clips which belong to the chain link fencing. These I put away in their respective homes. Once the tires were finished, we next needed to start the mower, which... did... not... work. Sean tried his battery charger and also to jump start the battery, but no success. It looks like we may need a new battery.

While Sean was valiantly trying his best to get the mower started to the taunting sound of one of our neighbors out mowing his lawn, I checked the incubator temperature and moisture content. I researched the logistics of moving the duckling eggs inside to finish our their hatching. I also brought the containers of patio tomatoes to our deck, along with six 6-packs of sweet and hot peppers and watered all of the tomatoes we are growing. We have ten 6-packs of these, all needing to be replanted, already! Visions of delicious homemade salsa, marinara sauce, and boursin stuffed grape tomatoes make me excited for  the day when the fruits of our labors are realized and the cooking and preserving begin! But, that will be a story for another day.

One of the things on our mind for this weekend, was to try to solve the problem of the duckling egg nest living inside the pig enclosure. We've been debating the "pros" and "cons" of waiting for the eggs to hatch to take the baby ducklings inside with us until they fledge versus leaving them in the nest to be cared for by their Momma. We are concerned about the possibility of the ducklings hatching and getting promptly eaten by Patches, Ebony, a field rat, or some other predator. Another problem of letting the eggs remain as they are, is that the baby ducklings will be small enough to roam outside the chain fencing, but Momma duck, isn't. Naturally raised ducklings will also, by nature, be less friendly to human contact and more difficult to catch, ducks being a rather skittish sort. We also discovered at least one egg that may have a dead duckling inside, already. (It strongly resembles one of the pictures posted online of an egg that began developing, and then, died. This particular egg is also slightly cracked on the surface.) In the "Pro" column of leaving the eggs with Momma Duck, we won't run the risk of the incubator malfunctioning and all the eggs not hatching properly. It would be just terrible for the baby ducklings to die inside their eggs, unable to hatch and that sad outcome IS a real possibility. Many people online seemed to agree that keeping ducks with the pigs would be disastrous to the ducklings. So, we are going to move them to the incubator, watch them, and HOPE we did the right thing!

As I write this, Sean has gone to Bucksport to bring the bags of soil we need to top off the raised beds in the front of the house. I declined to go along. I am watching the empty incubator's temperature and humidity level... and writing this. When Sean returns, we MUST pause on the lawn mower and START the roof for the chickens. Right now, it looks like planting will be saved for Sunday, after all.

It is now 6 pm. The lawn mower has a new battery living in it and has had it's belts checked, engine compartment opened, spark plug sanded, gas and oil levels checked, and various other things done to it. It wants to turn over, but the diagnosis is that the spark plug is bad and needs replacing. This late, the local store is closed, though. So, maybe tomorrow after the meeting and before our volunteer work begins. Sean is putting the machine back together and picking up his scattered tools from the ground around it.

Kristen and Meaghan just returned home from their Dad's house. Meaghan and I went to retrieve the duck eggs from Momma Duck to inspect the eggs and place any that seemed viable into the incubator. I guesss whether we are doing the right thing or not, is moot at this point. We discovered that since this morning, when we counted the eggs while Momma Duck was eating, something stole 5 eggs from the nest; 2 chicken eggs and 3 duck eggs! The only viable suspects to this horrible deed are the pigs or a rat. We left the lone chicken egg and the cracked duck egg in the nest. Momma seemed to appreciate it and settled back into sitting on them. We'll still watch the duck egg for any sign of hatching, but it seems unlikely.

I did get 2 of the 7 front raised garden beds weeded and fresh compost added and mixed into the beds in anticipation for some peppers to be planted therein. And, Sean is now ready for my help with his roofing of the chicken coop. Kristen and Meaghan ate at their father's house, but, at some point, lunch or dinner must be gotten for Sean and I, I think.

I hope you have all taken advantage of the day and its sunshine!
Sonja ♥

Candling the Duck Eggs with Meaghan: Video, May 5, 2012

Hello, friends. This is Meaghan, again. This time I am reporting about our duck's eggs.

Today, we candled one of the eggs in the Mallard nest. In the video, you see the outline of the duckling (or hatchling, as some people like to call it.)  It is the dark area inside the egg. The light area is the air sac. We think the eggs are about 18 days old as you can compare to the picture on the right.

Like before, my Mom and I took the egg into the bathroom, where it is the darkest. We shut off the lights and used a strong flashlight to see inside the egg. It was hard to take a video that you can see. It is hard to hold the camera still and hold the egg safely, too. I used the camera and Mom held the egg. We could definitely see lots of development compared to the last time we checked the eggs. (You can compare this video with our last pictures HERE.) Because the hatching should happen soon, between days 22-28, we will check the nest often so we can bring the duckling inside with us.

I think we are going to keep at least 3 of the new ducks, all females. The others will be sold to other people who want to raise ducks, too. I wish we could keep them all!

Thank you for reading my blog and watching my video!
Goodnight,
Meaghan Sanders

Also shared with The HomeAcre Hop! & Farm Girl Blog Fest #15 & Farm Girl Friday #91

It takes a village... whether you want help or not...

Sean had returned the two eggs we borrowed to the nest, slipping them under Reddi Hen with no difficulties, while Momma duck was off eating. I had already finished feeding the critters and had my camera ready in case anything interesting happened. I planned on snapping some photographs of Reddi Hen sitting on the nest of eggs. The nest now contains 8 duck eggs and 3 chicken eggs; the birds seem to be a little confused about who owns this particular nest. I worried that Momma Duck might decide to abandon her nest if Reddi Hen were to continue to set. I had nothing to worry about!

I captured this video of Momma Duck approaching her nest. I imagine her politely quacking, "Okay, I'm home. You may go." To which Reddi Hen replies, "Step off. This is my nest!" I stayed to watch, ready to intervene should that become necessary. It wasn't. Reddi Hen stood to adjust her feathers and just like that, Momma Duck slid her bill under the hen and neatly settled on the nest under a bewildered hen. Reddi Hen seemed to take the change in circumstances well. She fluffed up her feathers and squeezed back through the chain fencing to a dish of cracked corn without a backward glance.

We had more duck eggs in the nest. I don't know where they went. It may be that some of the eggs were "bad" and they might have been rejected by Momma Duck. They may have been consumed by the Piggies, stolen by a rat, or eaten by a chicken. I hope the rest of the eggs hatch out. It will be interesting to see if the 3 chicken eggs in the nest hatch, too. (I candled them this week and could not tell if they were fertilized eggs. I put them back just in case and will check them again later.)

I wanted to get a picture of the developing duck eggs yesterday, but I could not figure out how to snap the photo without my light getting in the way. With my naked eye, I could see some definite developments within the eggs, but trying to get it to show well with my camera one handed was just impossible for me. There were just no good shots!

 I tried again today with the help of Sean. He held the egg and light and I snapped some pictures. This system worked much better! We candled two of the Mallard eggs from the nest. You can really see the veining and developing embryo. One egg looks slightly more developed than the other did.

It is hard to date the beginning of growth. On April 20th, we couldn't tell if any of the eggs were developing. On April 28th, we could see defined veining. By May 5th, we could see the embryo growing. This is our first attempt, but we think the ducklings are about 14 days old, which means we could be reporting the nest hatching in as little as 2 more weeks! 

I will keep posting pictures and some video when and if the little ones emerge. In the meantime, I found this chart that I thought was very helpful to see the changes taking place.

Have a great night, folks!

Sonja ♥