Poultry

114 articles

Defective

We purchased a defective incubator and I am so heartbroken about it. Two days ago I shared my excitement around the two incubation processes happening on the farm and how the conversations around these processes with Ember have evolved. Two nights ago our incubator started losing temp rapidly. We googled what could be happening and reread the manual and finally…
February 15, 2017

Don’t Count Your Chickens…

We all know the old saying, right? Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. And so, we've got 43 eggs cooking in our brand new incubator (as of last night) and are super curious to see how many actually hatch :-) Twenty days and counting! Also, if they all hatch (or even if most of them hatch) and you're local…
February 6, 2017

Kitty’s Clutch of Twelve

I finally got some good photos of Kitty's clutch of 12 eggs and wanted to share them with you here! Such a good, protective mama she is, and all settled into Ricky's shelter where she'll wait patiently for her ducklings to grow and hatch. Because last weekend was so warm, she spent a good amount of time off the clutch,…
February 2, 2017

Shown, Unshown – January 2017

Shown I do believe Mama is officially pregnant!  How do I know without a blood test or an ultrasound? She's asking for love and letting me pet her again, with a passion :-)  She is usually very aloof, but we learned last year that this changes dramatically when she's pregnant. So, YAY! (Pretty sure Lucy & Ethel are pregnant, too,…
January 30, 2017

Loss & Hope – A Duck’s Tale

Two days ago, while doing the morning chores, it was discovered that we'd lost a duck to a predator. Feathers everywhere under The Grandmother Tree, a limp body in the acequia, scared siblings, and a missing momma. We were in a rush to leave the property with a sick toddler in tow, a day of juggling said, sick toddler and mandatory work…
January 20, 2017

Muscovy Duck Cuddles

Who knew that Muscovy Ducks would become some of my very favorite critters on the farm?! Don't get me wrong, I have a deep affinity for the chickens and goats and turkeys and barn kitties and dogs, too!  But the ducks just have me feeling all warm and fuzzy these days :-) From their quiet nature (no squawking from these…
January 10, 2017