The mystery of the missing duck... SOLVED!

Frankie the Duck- she thought she was a chicken

A few weeks back we lost my favorite duck. Well, we didn't lose her. She vanished!

Now this isn't uncommon when you have outdoor critters. There are various reasons for missing animals such as, predators or they wandered off to pass away if they were sick or maybe someone swiped them. It's sad but these happen.

Mr. Awesome and Peanut looked all over the yard and even investigated a pile of white something that turned out to be a plastic bag up close.

A few days later, Mr. Awesome and me had a trip to pick up a table and chairs from a nearby town late in the evening. We arrived home to find the flock put away. This was unusual. Why? Peanut puts them away and it's usually a lot later though we have reminded her to please put them away sooner especially after Frankie went missing.

She stuck her head out the door to help light my way down the path. I'm still healing from the "Great knee incident". I applauded her for getting them in without me having to bark at her. She said, "Come in I've got a story to tell you!"

I hobbled in faster.

She said the dog started barking madly so she let the dog out only to watch a Fox happily trotting down the yard with a duck in it's mouth!

The dog went tearing after the fox, which decided to let go of the duck and run away.

After getting the petrified duck back in the Abbey, she closed up the rest of the crew and went back in the house with the dog. Not even 5 minutes later the dog started barking again! Apparently, this fox was super hungry. She let the dog out a second time. This time the dog chased the fox about a few acres down the road.The next day she appeared to be just fine.

Now we know what happened to Frankie. 😢

Raccoon at base of tree.
I didn't want to show gore so I pulled back a bit

Next 3 days ago, Mr. Awesome noticed movement on top of the barn. He believed it was a Raccoon. These guys mean business when it comes to snagging out animals as well. We were monitoring the situation when I saw something big and fuzzy hanging out of the tree in our front yard.

Guess what, it was the raccoon! If you are squeamish please stop here. We are mini-homesteaders and our farm animals are not pets. They provide food for us so we do not take kindly to predators.

Mr. Awesome put the raccoon down. There was no nest and we believe it is the same one we saw prior to this a week ago in a yard about a mile down. There is an abandoned silo there and I was pretty sure that was it's home. Now just to clarify, we do live trap animals if needed. Also, there are protected animals, check your local area for information.

Enter in a new flock soon or hens or chicks we want to be sure everyone is safe and sound as best possible. This means we protect our flock by whatever means necessary. We are out in the country so we do have coyotes, hawks, raccoons, foxes, cats and even other dogs to keep away from our critters.

Prior to having farm animals, I thought it was cruel to take a life of a majestic and cute animal. That stopped the day our flock of 20 was decimated by a family of foxes 7 years ago. Don't get me wrong I still believe they are beautiful but from afar.

As for the fox? We are unsure what happened to it. Now either the dog was enough to scare it off or after the situation Peanut witnessed I was in the yard the next day when I heard a few gun shots. Again, we are out in the country so that isn't unusual but it was only a few and silence. We have a neighbor about 5 miles down the road that also has chickens between our house and their home the fox may have been having a buffet.

I'm crossing my fingers that this will be all for now...

God bless! I hope your day is awesome!

Coming up tomorrow, "Homeschool game day" and I finally started my seeds for the garden! Did you know I have 2 books out soon? I am setting up book signings in the area and I'm excited but this is another post.😊

BIG HUGS!
Mel

Is Winter over yet?

I would wager to say this has to be the coldest Winter in a very LONG time!

Being homebound has given me a bit of a cabin fever. I did get out over the past two weekends. Short trips into the nearby town. I got pretty pooped pretty fast. I'll find out later this week what is the story about my knee. (If I need surgery) The results show ligament tears, cartilage damage and my MCL has a tear. I'm still hobbling around on my crutches. This is week 7 and I was hoping for more mobility. I think I'm pushing myself too hard.

The rest of this Winter has not been uneventful!

Sadly, we have lost 3 hens due to the cold and 1 hen from an Owl. Right now we have 5 Ducks and 8 Chickens, including our Roo.  Our hope is to make or buy an incubator to hatch more. Or hit the farm auction in a few months for wee ones.

Our neighbor was wonderful to plow us out a few times! The pipes in the bathroom froze on two occasions. We were without propane twice, once due to running out, the company didn't come out in time to fill us and the other was due to the blower going out.

I've been pounding away on my second book. YAY me!

Homeschooling has been fun, but yet challenging. Mini Man is more of  Kinesthetic learner- meaning he learns much better through physical actions then me yammering on about different subjects.

My wonderful Sister came out for a visit a few weeks back. It was a lovely time! I twisted her arm to do a Vision Board. She brought Zucchini that was super yummy. Mini Man and my adorable Nephew played Nerf guns and ran around like mad men.

We're still doing garden planning and other house projects. I say, "We" but I really mean Mr. Awesome. I kind of just supervise from the couch. But I did treat myself to some nifty photo boxes that I am using for my seed storage. SWOON! I love how they look in them! Most of the seeds are ones I have collected from the previous years harvest. I do have a bit older and plan to test them to see if they are still viable before planting.




So, we burn our paper out in a burn barrel. Peanut is in charge of this task. Well... It was a bit breezy on Saturday when she tackled this project. Sure enough a ember flew out and WHOOSH! She came running in the house yelling for Mr. Awesome that the field was on fire. YIKES!






He ran outside and I hobbled to the back door to catch a few pictures. The event took about a half hour. Both of them were pretty tired when they got back in. We had planned on doing a bit of a small burn to hit the Thistles that are crazy in the meadow. So in a way it works out?






It was so nice outside yesterday we went to church! It's been ages and I missed going. The weather was also nice enough that Mr. Awesome grabbed chairs and I was able to ground myself.

I also got a chance to see some bee's flying and our other critters having a run around the yard.

Besides my knee, the Lyme has been flaring fierce. The upcoming supermoon is definitely making my body wonky. Creepy crawly, migraine, body pains and just all around feeling crappy.

I am putting in paperwork for Disability. It's my 4th round of doing so. This time I received a notice in the mail that my health provider considers my health medically frail and that I should consider filing for disability. I'm torn. I want to beat this. The flip side is that Lyme will never completely go away. It will hide (remission) until something causes it to rear its ugly head again. I don't wish to call myself disabled. That makes me feel defeated. Does that make sense? I do need to jump back on the fitness wagon by cutting out the sugar, carbs and other inflammatory things. I know I'll feel better. On the flipside I hate to burden my family with added special foods for groceries. I haven't cooked too much since the great knee incident. Convenience prepacked foods have been in the house. Where is Spring? Maybe that will help my mood.

So how is your Winter looking?

Hope your day is great!

BIG HUGS!
Mel

Tales from the farm

Where has the time gone?! I can not believe it has gone by so fast! I remember not too long ago just moving into this dusty, airy, rambling home that I have come to love.

Home improvement projects have taken a bit of a slow down. Mr. Awesome found a job! That job was a second shift job of picking orders. He and I felt like "Strangers in the night" due to our hours.
I would go to my gig as a Breakfast Attendant at a local hotel from 5 am to 10 am or so. We would spend a few hours together and than he would be off until the wee hours of the morning. I felt blessed to have this time, some couples don't have that luxury.

In his 3rd week there, a posting for and IT position was available, so he applied. He interviewed and did get the position. I feel there was a higher purpose involved as no one else put in an application. Seriously! He is getting his bearings and enjoying the work.

Where did that put me in flinging coffee and eggs? I was able to quit that position to take care of Mini Man and get rest for myself. My Lyme cooties is still having a party in my body. I remain optimistic that I will be healed and this means I still need to make peace with my past. A major blessing has been to reunite with my eldest Son! This has been a big prayer since I left my ex- See my story here- Hope when there was none He has grown into a handsome man. We are catching up and trying to mend what was lost. His Fiance is beautiful Woman that is strong and he needs that.

Our baby Duck has kicked the awkward teen years to the curb and is female. So, Frank is now Frankie. She is adorable but still not allowed to mingle with the other 4 Ducks. I'm hoping they will give her an in. She looks at them longingly to belong to the group.

Yes, even in the barnyard there are cliques. It can be rather alarming when you first see this in action. Feathers flying everywhere, as a Chicken or Duck literally show who's the boss. This is where "The pecking order" comes from.

How long does this last? A few weeks to months. There are times of danger that brings the flock together.

That beautiful Hawk, adorable Raccoon, majestic Fox, Coyote, Skunk, Cat or Possum can spell trouble for our flock. It doesn't take long for one of these to whittle down our group in a matter or a day or days.

This year we kicked the flock out of the hen house into the Abbey and the Bat brooder. In doing so, many of our Hens went rogue, opting instead to find a spot randomly here and there. We found a bunch in the Yucca plants by our cars! But, once we found this spot, it was as though they banded together to find another hiding spot that we have yet to find.

The Ducks will just randomly squeeze out an egg and if we don't cut the grass for awhile you may hear or feel the crush of it under foot. Of course our Dog has found a majority of these eggs, though her coat now looks marvelous, this isn't what she was supposed to do.

There seems to be a romanticized view of a farm or having animals. Though, the charm has not been lost to me.

The Hen house is dusty, smelly and buggy. I don't care how many glamorous looking pictures you see on Pinterest or other social media. I does not stay pristine. I do look on these with great "Oh's and Ah's".

They do take some work.

Which brings me to the Bees! I enjoy looking at the beehive. I open the top and stare in awe at these
busy bees. They are so fascinating to watch. To see their back legs with multi-colored pants of pollen. Blue, Purple, Orange, Yellow and Red. It is amazing to see the change in the honey through the year. From light color, scent, and taste of Clovers to a richer color this Fall and a much hardier taste.

I admit I didn't check the whole hive as much as I should have. Perhaps it was nerves. Mind you, I wanted to get over my fear of Bees by raising Bees. My two lower Super boxes remained untouched this year. YIKES! I know! Bad Beekeeper! I also had a hard time lifting them. Oh, I recently attempted to wrangle and wiggle them apart to check to make sure all was well but, I couldn't get them apart. I did manage to lift bother of them simultaneously, with dismay to the Bees. A good group of them started to attack my suit. I felt horrible and tried to sing to them. As though this would calm them down. I tried to talk gently to them that I was doing these for their own good.

Nope didn't work. I didn't want my 7 year old to laugh at me if I ran away, flailing my body every which way to get the angry bees runaway screaming hysterically. I maintained my composure, rambling to try to calm the Bees down. I managed to check what I could and closed it back up. I called a few Beekeepers in the area that came highly recommended to mentor or help me out for tips but I didn't get calls back. YouTube has become a great friend to me but it would be nicer to have a buddy in person.

Our view from the top has improved! The barn that was next door was burnt down. It was sad and a big relief. Many of our troubles from varmints came from them shacking up there. We can see a lot further down the road.

The Butterflies were beautiful! I don't recall so many last year. Monarchs, Swallow tails and more, danced and fluttered all around us. It was so beautiful! I can not wait until next year.

We do have to hit the Thistles and Prickly lettuce around the house. The farmer that plants in the fields around us mentioned this is not good. He offered to give us something to help. I'm not sure abut that. I want to be as organic or natural as possible. Of course, after you get "bit" by one of these spiny green plants, your mind does have second thoughts.

There is so much more I need to catch up on but it is almost time for church. Later, Peanut and I will be heading to volunteer at a local farm for harvesting wild flower seeds. She has to volunteer for so many hours but I really am loving this so though she may decline on attending, I may continue to.

I have decided to take a break from my small business. I don't know exactly what direction to go. I posted on my page on FB Legacy Antiques & Estate Sales that I was unsure. I have so many ideas! My main thought is that I do need to just rest. Let my body heal and pray for wisdom. Now, if I wasn't so impatient this would be fine.

I hope your day and upcoming week are wonderful! Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel. I do need to throw on some newer videos. And learn how to edit them. Someday...


BIG HUGS!
Mel

Ultimate fails on a Homestead

I don't always show the failures of this sustainable lifestyle. I admit I am still learning bunches about this.

Here's a bit of my garden experience:

I was trained as a Master Gardener what seems like years ago. I had a small grass cutting company I managed and ran. I wanted customers to have a better experience so I took the class out of U of I and loved it!

I was able to provide weed identification, applied fertilizers, potted plants and gave a few basic ideas for landscaping. But I didn't focus at that time on how valuable it was to feed the earth.

Fast forward to present, I can truly see how much more I could have given to my clients if I had seen the Permaculture/Sustainable/Biodiverse community at that time. I always had a heart for homesteading but didn't really know what it was until I met my 2nd Husband, Terry too had a interest in learning to live off the land someday.

We made the leap into homesteading after being apartment dwellers in 2011. We were blessed to rent a HUGE old hunt lodge that was off the Kankakee river- see some of those goings on here-Redrum hotel .

Now to get off track a little here is some info on Terry (A.K.A- Mr. Awesome) has a background with Radio/TV and as recent as a few year ago as an IT Specialist for FEMA. He was gone at least 8 months out of the year and I missed him. At the time of the change from the apartment to the hunt lodge he was gone. I did as much as I could by myself and when he could come home on the weekends, he would become a weekend warrior. But that was really heard on him and our relationship.

I missed him and made a deal that I would work so he could stay home. They money was definitely not anywhere what he was making but he was home.

During this time we started to make plans to open a B n B with antique shop inside. We were already hosting Barn sales that were building steam! We had people knocking on our door to ask when the next one would be.

We also toyed with the idea to have a small cafe that would serve tea, coffee, soups, sandwiches, and desserts. We were approached by the park service to host "Wild game dinners" this would be held a few times a year and cooked by the employees.

I wanted to host classes that covered: Hunting, Fishing, Cast iron cooking, Foraging in the backyard, Canning, Survival skills and First aid in emergency situations. Of course crafty type of classes featuring old and new skills. I had asked a small group of friends that are amazing with these skills to help us learn, connect us with others so we could make almost a fest out of it.

We were so EXCITED!  These plans came to a screeching halt when there were some changes to our handshake agreement with our rental company. Everything fell through.

We managed to be blessed a second time to find our forever home. Here we could raise the animals, garden as much we want, run naked if we wanted to. (Scary thought I know!)

So what does all this have to do with our fails and why share them?

This is kind of a "Do as I say not as I do" type of thing.

I don't think I was as prepared as I thought I would be to start raising animals, the garden took more time then I hoped, and I was battling exhaustion. (My teen helpers weren't always very helpful)

Canning had several mishaps. We lost dozens of jars due to someone who shall remain nameless
popping the caps on my jars before they were done. This person liked the sound it made while cooling. Some of my canning was mushy despite following directions. I have learned some things about that since then!

There are the bugs that infested our tomatoes so I lost almost the whole lot. The chickens that flew in and ate my herbs to nubs after being in the garden the whole day. Or the rows and rows of veggies that didn't come up or were damaged due to the weather. My water person didn't water for long enough or often enough and many plants died.

Living in old homes has it's charm but when it rains it could pour literally! There were some mold issues in our old place so bad the kids and I were miserable. Also that is the 2nd time I was infected with Lyme. Deer are pretty normal to see in the country, since living off the river it was a water source for Deer so ticks were all over. So were mosquitoes! We couldn't go out at times when they were too thick to make a run just to go to the car. And by the way it was either a mosquito or spider that infected me with Lyme.

We did fogging, DIY fan units, sprays, essential oils, keeping the lawn short, cutting down any old wood, dumping standing water and bug zappers. They were too intense.

Our new home also has some water issues, not as bad as our rental thank goodness. I have pots and containers strategically placed in our attic to collect water. The roof is a job that is not readily affordable at this time.

We knew the house was a challenge when we purchased it! We hope to barter, trade and work out some sort of agreement to help with repairs that may be a bit too large or not in Mr. Awesome expertise.

There are always cooking fails! The old joke when the smoke detector goes off food is done. I am notorious at forgetting (Brain fog darn you Lyme!) to put things in my recipes. Eggs or Butter are on my forgetful list. So you may have a brick for banana bread or the cookies just are a bit off. And we did splurge for a new oven that we realized later has to be leveled. Cakes usually come out lopsided.

We had the animal fails. I embarrassed and sad to say it was our error in many cases.

As an example, a friend had sexed a rabbit we had gotten from a animal auction. Our friend said it wasa Doe.

We should have double checked. But several weeks later much to our sad dismay Fluffy (an Angora rabbit) had babies. Unbeknownst to us at a time when we were taking apart the rabbit hutch so they were in a dog crate for temporary use on the ground.

Needless to say some of the babies wiggled out and ended up being food for hungry chickens. I felt awful! I heard a wee voice screaming and didn't know until too late what it was. We tried to save a remaining injured baby but it succumbed a few days later. 2 others did survive! They stayed by Momma and were safe and sound. (Pictured above) We no longer have them. We had planned to go across the country in a renovated School bus but ended up finding our forever home as well as becoming Grandparents for the first time. A few months later we found out we were going to be Grandparents a second time too!

There was time we ran an errand into town and left our dogs outside, chained to a in ground stake, while our chickens were ranging. Now I did ask Mr. Awesome to put the dogs in. But he figured we wouldn't be gone that long.

We came home quickly to a view of white puffy looking clouds on the grass. It looked like snow piles here and there in the grass. We jumped out of the car, quickly realizing the dogs were gone and something was horribly wrong with those piles!

Up bounded one of the dogs, Blue, with a white hen mustache in her mouth.

We had a flock of 12. Key word there is "had".

It appeared the Rooster, Combs, put up quite a fight. He seemed to die doing exactly what Roosters are supposed to do. Protect the Hens.

We were angry, sad and upset with each other and the dog. It took a lot of restraint for Terry not to take care of the dog with his pistol.

Of course the dog was just doing what part of her breed does. Hunt. They are part Lab/Australian Shepard.

We did find a good home for Blue as soon as we could and kept Vi. 

Vi has more of a Shepard in her and seems to herd our animals. Not that given the chance she won't eat wee one We closely monitor her whereabouts and never leave her alone with chicks or ducklings.

There is the great beehive disaster! Mr. Awesome built a really cool hive for our first set of bees. We made it through the Spring, Summer and Fall without injury. Buttoned up the hive for the winter and thought all was well. We had some freezing, warm and then freezing again with a sprinkle of icy rain. This lead to the wood on the hive expanding and cold rain getting into the hive. Which ultimately caused them to die. In case your wondering Mr. Awesome didn't think the hive needed the dovetails, which would have been more secure, maybe there would have been no lose of the hive. We did have about 5 lbs of wax and several jars of honey. 

We lost our Mason bees the placement was not the best at our new digs. They area had too much rain and wind. They re homed themselves.

We have lost Chickens, Ducks, Guinea Fowl, Quail, and Rabbits to:

Coyotes

Owls

Den of Foxes

Some large fish that devoured one of our 2 year old Ducks at our old house while she was swimming a week after a flood near the house.

Hawks

We have also lost these to other Chickens, Guinea Fowl, and Rabbits.How?!

Remember the pecking order? It is not uncommon for a flock to peck at a younger group brought in. They seem to know the weaker ones even if we don't. Chicks may climb all over a chick that is down, eventually killing it.

They may keep the odd one away from food and water. They may fight to the death. A momma Rabbit may not feed her litter. She may eat them, step on them, push them out of the nest and they freeze if they get too cold (if it's the Fall or Winter). Finding a half eaten baby is not something you will see me post on social media. But it's nature, it happens.

Even with our efforts to rescue these babies, it isn't always pretty or a happy ending.

A chick can end up with Splayed legs, notice down below. Even after binding this wee one up after this picture was taken. It was weak and died. I thought for a few days it was on the mend but I was wrong.

Then there were deaths that happened and we had no idea why they died. We found them in the cage/coop in the morning.

Now many of these things we could have prevented. Some things you can't. I have heard stories from other homesteaders/farmers that have dealt with larger animals deaths.

Sows that rolled on their babies, killing them.
Mother animals that walk away from their babies leaving them to fend for themselves.
Animals that die during birthing.
A group of people  bought a pregnant cow and though the cow was considered healthy she and the baby died overnight.
Animals that chocked on something too big for it.
Whole crops gone in an instant due to flood, tornado or fire.
Crops gone to severe insect infestations

While we have those moments of stupidity, anger or sadness; it is still beautiful to celebrate life, something green that we grew, and feeling grateful for a job well done. 

We have learned many valuable lessons that comes for caring for our animals. We have a roof over our head, food in the fridge, cars that run, love and support from friends and family.

So you want to raise Ducklings?

There is something that just gets my heart going when it comes to Chickens and especially Ducks!

I had purchased our first set of ducklings without learning a few special things.

The 2 most important things-
Ducks and Ducklings are MESSY! You can clean up there area and literally within minutes you will have a mess again.

Like my chick post they will need similar items to start:

Brooder- Check out Pinterest
Heat lamp- Please remember to keep away from cardboard, plastic, anything flammable and too close to the chicks.
Thermometer- Temps need to be at 90 degrees and lowered down 5 to 7 degrees each week.
Food/Water dish
Rubber backed shelf liner- They need a non-slip surface or they could have splay legs.
Brewers Yeast or Niacin
Un-medicated feed- Chick starter 20% Protein or Gamebird starter 20%
Pine shavings or whatever your choice. No cedar or long straw.

Health- 

When you are looking at chicks at your feed store or have them shipped to you make sure you check to make sure they have:

Clear eyes
Curious
Energetic
Good legs
Bill has no discharge

We also make sure to wash our hands after handling our chicks, ducklings and grown flock.

Food and water-

Let me define into greater detail; you will food, poop and especially water. As for poop, they really stink. Worse then chicken poop, seriously. We have raised chicks and ducklings together. The issue with that is ducklings need a higher protein starter feed at least 20%, I used game bird feed for about 10 weeks and then I was able to put them on chick starter.

With my first ducklings I also used Brewers yeast and Niacin to help with bone development. Otherwise you could end up with pigeon toed ducks or they may look bow legged.

If you get day old from the mail, like chicks they don't need to eat right away, 3 days should be fine You will have to teach them how to drink, by dipping their bill into the water dish.

Make sure your using a chick sized water dish! Ducks are curious and will try to get in your dish if it's too big. 2 things on this:

1) Waterproofing doesn't come into play for 4 weeks. In the wild Momma helps with this.

2) Wee ducklings can catch a chill or tire easily if paddling in the water and could drown. Or if the water dish is too big they could also drown.

Ducks do need to have water available to drink along with their food. Ducklings can drink more water then chicks. Be forewarned they can drink up to a 1/2 gallon a day by the time they are 6 to 8 weeks old. Brewers yeast can be added to feed, 3 cups to 10 lbs of food.

Ducks do need to keep their nostrils moist so a small flat bottom bowl as they grow will be great! Water helps get rid of food and bits they have in them. Did I say already they make a mess with water? If I hadn't said it enough, here I go again reminding you.

Treats-

We give our ducks herbs, weeds, cut up fruit (though they love watermelon!), scrambled eggs, and spaghetti. These are sparingly. We treat our ducks to herbs in water, greens in their water dish and our chickens love this too!

Coops-

Like chickens a decision about coops and free ranging needs to be made. When the ducklings get better they don't "Need" a pond or kids pool but they will love you for it!

You will need to do the "Math" on how much space you need in your coop. I found this great blog and almost feel silly writing this with so much great stuff in it! Find it here-Raising Ducklings to ducks

We also don't use artificial lighting or heating in our Abbey for the ducks. They will adjust to the climate. They seem to run hotter then the chickens and withstand the colder temps more so.

Will you be free ranging, closed run, or mobile run?

Which ever you choose except for free ranging, think about space for these guys. They can go out sooner then chicks as they're feathers come in about 7 weeks and they love to stay outside as long as it doesn't get colder then 50 degrees out.

You do have to worry about predators! Despite being bigger then chicks, these babies can still make a tasty meal for Raccoons, Owls, Hawks, Coyotes, and so on.

In the run make sure you use a good hardcloth for run/coop. Raccoons and some other animals can reach through the holes in the wire and grab the neck of the bird. It's a pretty gruesome sight to see the wee one after the massacre.

Also a reminder ducks don't need to roost like chickens do! So that space isn't needed. But hardcloth or some sort of floor is needed in order to keep them safe.

How can I tell if I have a male duck?

In our experience, we have noticed males have a softer voice that seems like someone is holding a hand across their mouth to muffle them. They may also have a curl on their tail!

Do I need a male to get duck eggs?

No male is needed in order to get eggs!







When will my ducks start laying?


She will start laying starting around 16 weeks or so. Depending on the breed, stress, weather conditions and health.

Duck eggs are considerably larger then chicken eggs. I'll be sharing a YouTube on the differences soon so you can get a visual.

Duck eggs have a harder smoother shell and the white is a lot thicker then chicken eggs. If used for eating, it is better to bake with them. It is said they do make loftier baked goods.

Pond or pool-

We have been using a kiddie pool for years for our ducks. Depending on your pool or pond size you may have to consider how many are in your flock. Water in pools are needed every couple days. Stagnant water can lead to sickness, mosquito infected water and just plain yucky stuff. We have 4 and hope to add more but our kiddie pool is a mess after 10 mins after changing it.

A few other things-

Ducks can live for 10 years! Depending on what your needs are of course!

Consider the breed of duck before you buy. Muscovies are supposed to have class which could be worrisome with those with kids. Mallards will migrate and may not come back next year.

This was a crash course in Ducklings and Ducks! I hope that helps. If you have any suggestions or comments please leave them below.

Duck poop is great for your garden! Like chicken poop it has to be composted for severl months before putting it on and around your plants. We have our flock in the garden right now, tilling leftover weeds and plants. We will be taking them out soon. The weather is handling the neutralization of the poop so we can plant in May.

If this helped you please share!

You got your Chicks now what?!

Those cutie pies are either ready to be delivered or in a box next to you from your local farm store.

Now what do you do?

If you read my previous post, So you want to raise Chickens? that will get you up and running!

Chicks are playful and mischievous buggers. They are messy! Be prepared to change their brooder/cage often. How often?

I go at least once an day to scoop out poop, change water, give food and make sure they are comfortable. I totally clean out the brooder at least once a week if not more. Your nose will definitely tell you when it needs to be changed.

Now for water and food I definitely check that more often at least 3 times a day. These wee ones get HUNGRY and THIRSTY!

Don't be surprised if you find one that is a being "Hen pecked" this can happen with animals that are noticeably weaker to the other chicks.You may find a few losses even after that chick seemed to be chipper and happy. This happens, if you fed, watered, kept them warm there is a chance of loss. Don't beat yourself up! We may lose 1 or 2 out of 6 to 12. 

We have lost some chicks to other chicks that literally were bullies or days older and they pecked the younger bunch. We learned to separate those that are 3 days a part. I didn't realize how even that small number can make such a difference. It's like throwing a infant in with a toddler. One 3 day old pecked the top beak off a day old chick. That wee one lasted a week despite our efforts to help it. 

Some folks save the babies to make Maggot feeders. Can keep in freezer until your ready to do so. Or if your like me, I give  proper burial and plant flowers above them.

Over the next 3 to 18 weeks you will see a HUGE change! Feathers will start coming in, Combs and Wattles, Roosters may find their voice as young as 3 weeks old and they will eat gobs of food.
I found this great chart here- When to switch from Starter to Grower

Remember to raise or lower your bulb by 5 degrees weekly in your brooder. When to let them outside is decided on 2 factors. The temperature outdoors in the day and night. 

If it's too cold the chick uses so much energy keeping warm it may die. In other words if it's too cold out don't leave them out! 65-70 once they are big enough is great! Sunshine is good for them!

Watch out for predators! Make sure your Coop/Chicken Run have hard clothe/Rabbit wire that is small enough that little arm or big beak can't get in to grab your chick. 


Food, Treats and Water

Make sure food and water are readily available if you let these wee ones loose. Check out my Pinterest board for ideas. Those are just a little bit of the ideas out there so search for more there or Google. 

 You can give them Meal worms from the store or that you breed yourself. I would give mine various herbs, Blackstrap Molasses and small veggies/fruit. Flock block for chicks ( I have made my own that worked well!) I'll dig up and post the recipe soon. 

If it's too chilly I have made oatmeal for the flock. They love it! I throw in dried herbs, meal worms, seed or any type of greens I have. 

Yogurt? Circulating on the web is a story about boosting your egg production by giving yogurt. We have been doing this for years but have not noticed an increase. Probiotics are not only good for people for pets and farm animals. I haven't made my own yet but that's on my list of things to learn.

I haven't made any sort of cabbage pinata or garland of veggies or fruit. Ours are out ranging so they have a lot to do so they are not bored. But I have seen some interesting ideas!

I have given 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar in a gallon of water. I use a ceramic or plastic container. Metal will corrode and perhaps altering the taste. 

I use this to help give them a boost for health, raise PH levels, reduce algae growth in waterers. ACV has many great benefits for our flock and for people too!

I have given Garlic to boost immune system, wormer, help with respiratory health, it is also said to ward off ticks, mites and other bugs. I usually crush ours for chicks, they need to develop a taste for it. It can be done every day, week or once a month. I have used powered Garlic if I don't have fresh. I use one clove between 6+. If you have a smaller flock I would cut that in quarters or half. 

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)- Use food grade. Natural Fossilized Silica crushed fossils that can sprinkled in coop, nesting boxes, around run area, food and water bowls to help with Fleas, Ants, Ticks, Crickets, Aphids, Millipedes, Digestive worms and other creepy crawlies that be around while being safe for your flock!

I have added a sprinkle to their food to help with intestinal worms.
While DE is great for your flock, garden and home. It can cause lung irritation. So wear a protective mask. I have used a old herb shaker bottle. Also take care when sprinkling by your birds as it can have the same effect on their lungs!

Free range?

Remember if you are able to keep them outside to keep checking on them. I wouldn't free range any babies that aren't under a watchful eye. 10 weeks and older seemed to work well for us. But there are still chances you may lose some to predators even if your watching.

Partially free range- which is to free range for morning or evening. Or whatever works for you. This could also be ranging in a mobile chick saw or chicken coop. Works great if you need to till up a part of your old garden beds or yard. You also get to keep a watchful eye on your flock.

Confined- For whatever the reason some folks just can't free range and that's ok! They will love to be able to get moving however they can. Use the space recommendations, give treats, fruit, or worms if they are unable to have regular access to them. 

BRR! It's Cold!

Now we are in the Midwest. So winters can be brutal here for us and our flock. Mr. Awesome did make a huddle box for the chicks and later the chickens. They never used them but they had access. They usually perch together so a box wasn't needed in our experience.

We never use a heat lamp for our older chickens. I've heard too many stories from reliable friends that mentioned the experience of chickens leaving the warmth of the coop to go out and end up dying from just a bit of the cold. I'm guessing a shock to their system? They usually stay together if they are too cold. 

We do not use a heater for our water dishes either. We have found using a old frying pan without the lid works well for dropping or hitting it on the ground or hard surface to get the ice out. 

Check your birds to make sure no one is standing in the water bowl! It's not unheard of to have a chicken do this and end up with frostbite.

Baby it's HOT outside!

So I mentioned we don't use a heat lamp, and we don't use a fan for our birds when it's too hot. 

We make sure there is plenty of water. I have given ice in water bowls. My ice can have herbs, fruit, or meal worms in it. Watermelon is a favorite! The rind is usually the only thing left. 

You may see your birds kind of hanging their feathers out funny. They are cooling themselves. They also may dig deep when taking a Dirt Bath to cool off. 

Dirt Baths


As silly as it seems, taking a dirt bath is beneficial for chickens for prevention of Mites and Lice that are happy to take up residence on your chicken. If your chickens are confined without access to dirt, please consider a artificial bath. This can be made in a tote without the lid of course. Some sand and dirt will make them happy. You can even do this in the winter time. 

Chickens will find any patch of dirt that seem groovy to them. If you have a carefully manicured landscape please consider keeping your chickens out of that area. 

When will my Hens lay?

Chickens can start laying about 6 months. Some breeds sooner and some later. 
Keep in mind if they are stressed out, children running after them, loud noises, family pets, new surroundings, and weather are a handful of factors that may factor in laying.

Will I need a Rooster to have my Hens lay eggs?

No Rooster is needed to have your chickens lay. If you would like fertilized eggs you will need a Rooster.

Health

I keep my eyes open for chickens that look lethargic or don't look like themselves. 

Some things to look for:
Low egg production
Impacted Crop
Bumble foot
Lice
Mites
Pale Combs/Wattles/legs
Unusual poop
Not eating/drinking
Drinking too much
Losing weight
Oh and there's more! I do reference here-The Chicken Chick for ideas. She has got a bunch of great articles and information. 

Dealing with your Rooster

We had to cull (Ended up in the pot and went to animal auction) several of our Roosters. 

First and foremost is safety of our children. On several occasions a Rooster has went after Mini Man. 

We tried holding the Rooster(s), swatted him with a broom/stick but ended up choosing an alternative choice to handle the Rooster attacking our Son. This may seem wrong to some but Roosters have been known to make a child blind, peck horribly and chase a child. 

We love the idea of having the Hens protected and fertilized eggs but not at the expense of getting harmed. 

For some reason several of the Roosters would chase after other family members, myself included. Do you know they can fly just like a football if kicked right. 

If you have never seen a Rooster hellbent on coming out of nowhere to do Gladiator type of moves on you I'm glad you haven't. It can be scary as an Adult let alone being a child. 

Broody Hens

Some Hens just seem to have a maternal instinct. But they may not stay on the eggs so please check them regularly if you are planning on having her together with her chicks. You may consider having a special box or cage for her away from the other chickens. There is nothing more heartbreaking then seeing fertilized eggs almost ready to hatch when another Hen decides to peck at them. 

Broody Hens will stop laying eggs and lay on what's called a clutch of eggs for the next 21 days. She will turn the eggs so you don't have to. 

Of course if you don't have a Rooster you don't want her to stay on your eggs. There are various tips for breaking a Broody Hen. Separating her from the eggs, frozen veggies under her, wetting her in a tub, or blocking off the nesting box.

A few other tips

Keep eggshells! After you are done using them, rinse them off and leave them somewhere to dry. I leave mine on a paper towel for a few days. I make sure they are thoroughly dry as not to have them turn moldy. 

Once dry, I break them up as small as I can or blend them in a coffee grinder and use back in chicken feed or in the garden!

Speaking of gardens, chicken poop is awesome for your garden. It does have to compost for a bit. Right now our flock has been in and about our garden, tilling, turning, eating weeds and leftovers from last years garden. They are also fertilizing our garden. We aren't composting but using the weather to cut the burn factor. 

Placing fresh chicken manure can burn your plants so either compost in early Spring, late Fall or make sure you leave plenty of time in between before you start planting. 

Keep your chickens locked in at night. It's quite easy for a passerby (predator) to grab a snack! Oh and don't worry they will learn quickly where "home" is. 

You may consider clipping wings to keep them where you would like them to stay. 

I stopped naming our chickens. I was getting too attached to our first flock. We lost them to our dog. I'll be blogging about that in the next day or so.  This saddened us. I was reminded these are not pets. They are helping us grow food, giving yummy eggs and on occasion could fill our bellies. 

I hope this helps you in your journey. They are fun, silly and can be a comfort. We have enjoyed hearing the Rooster crow and the cluck of the Hens as they get ready to lay an egg. Well, it's not really a cluck, more of a loud singing off key. 

I'll be posting a new post about Ducks soon. Ducklings aren't too different then Chicks stay tuned for more in the next day or so. 

Thank you for stopping! If you have any suggestions or comments please leave them in the comment section, I'd love to hear from you. 

Guess whose not Hen!? Help us name our Rooster!

I'm big enough to admit that there was a mistake thinking Henny Penny was a Hen. We never noticed her laying, but this isn't unheard of. Our feathered flock is well-known for laying eggs in some random spot they take a hankering for or just popping them out in the middle of the yard only to be stepped on, found until they are very ripe or eaten by our dogs. 

We have been handling our feathered flocks for about 6 years or so give or take. We thought we nailed down noticing whose a Rooster or a Hen. 

OOPPSS! It's not the first time we had sexing go wrong. When we first had Rabbits a friend of ours, that had rabbits before advised after looking over the ball of fuzz that we had 2 Girls. Well 1 of those "Girls" had a litter of adorable bunnies! 

So getting the right sex of an animal, unless it is darned noticeable as in a bigger animal can go wrong. 

We didn't notice the Sickle feathers around his neck, see spurs

since he is a fancy Banty he has feathers around his feet or did we ever really hear him crow! 

He is about  year old. I purchase him and the ducks right before we moved. I swear if I was the only 1 that heard him the family may not have believed me; luckily everyone heard the crow. I have to admit I was hoping it wasn't a zombie Rooster back from the grave. Our other Banty Roo passed away a month or so ago. Kind of freaked me out to hear the crow. I peeked around the corner of the coop half expecting to see something creepy or gross and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it was Henny Penny. 

Of course we were all standing around with our mouths open in disbelief. Then everything clicked into place and made sense why we found no eggs, why some of the other hens kept hanging out with him and the big one was answered! Why we never saw our other Roo have relations. DUH!

I admit I felt really dumb. But it's a wee mistake. These things happen on a homestead. 

 This sparked an idea! I'll be shooting a few vlogs about Chickens/Ducks soon. With many farm stores offering chicks now it seems like a great time to vlog about subjects such as:

* Definitions of some of the terms used in raising your flock before you buy them you may need to know

* How to get started raising your flock

* Difference between Chicken and Duck eggs


This and more! 

Well, I hope this made you giggle! I am still shaking my head. Oh! We need a name for our Rooster! Can you help us pick one out?

If yours is chosen you will get bragging rights and a honorable mention on my social media, vlog and blog! I'll also send you a surprise via snail mail for you! 

I hope your day is wonderful!

Almost blown away, Antique store outing and other random stuff!

It is windy here at God's Breath Farm and today is no exception! Here in the Midwest we are experiencing winds at 55+! 

We are on a small incline (hill) so we don't have too many outdoor things that we don't want to fly away. Kind of stinks because I would love to have a bunch of cute stuff, but that means I need to get more creative! Challenge accepted!







The animals are bravely holding on tight when they ventured out today. Ms.Henny Penny of course decided she is staying put in the coop. Can't say that I blame her.

After the billing fiasco with our propane company we did get a fill-up yesterday. Mr. Awesome went out to speak with the driver and ask for the invoice. Last fill-up the invoice blew away! More about the propane adventure on our YouTube channel. Our YouTube channel

We haven't been out to tour an antique shop in a while! Mr. Awesome suggested lunch out, visit to the local True Value and later he said how about we check to see if those shops are open?

What was my response?  That's a no-brainer!YES! 

Hope you like the pictures. I took a bunch! If you are ever in Remington, IN drop into Mini Measures and Junque shop which is across the street.  

Ohio Street, Remington, Indiana,  219.261.3665

Call ahead just in case! Both shops are owned by a Husband and Wife team. Sometimes things happen and they don't open or open later.

 Seeing this dress form makes me miss Samantha! She was the form I had for 10+ years. We downsized for our school bus tour.

No trip complete without creepy doll!  

Now pictures from Junque shop! It's a great "Man store" or should I say great for "Mantiques"! 

  

Of course I did have to come home with something! I have always wanted a Mudman! The Cats paw cow bell has also called to me. The little boy figure seems to match another I found last year. I was excited! 

      

What do you think?

Mr. Awesome in his usual fashion took care of my crowded starter plant issue. YEA! He will be able to have 4 shelves on 3 windows! They hold a bunch of plants for now. Of course they will get bigger and he has since made a support bar for the sagging. 

My dream Greenhouse will have to wait a bit more. Maybe next year... 

I love this Guy! He is keeps me laughing. He is also my memory when my Lyme fog sets in. I have a habit of leaving things half done. You ever have those times when you walk in a room with a clear intention of doing 1 thing and you totally forget and do something entirely different? Or walk into a store with things that you didn't need and forget to get what you meant to buy? 

Did you get a chance to see our Birthday cake song for my eldest Daughter? If not check out My FB page to find this super silly post. It can be found on March 6th 2017. 

I hope your day has been a blessing! More soon!