Ducks Week 6- Out in the pen

Today the ducks get to experience a different type of freedom in the pen. We had open up the fence again and insert the chicken coop into the pen. The busybody chooks quickly went to inspect and made themselves at home. After all, it is their old home. Without any invitation, they have start eating the duck food and drinking from their water bowl.

And of cos, how can any inspection be carried out without the elder Nasty Pasty and Feisty.

Caught on camera so we know who is the one causing all the mess!

The ducks were immediately shown the big open space and they are not shy at all, walking around the pen athough they quickly found a safe haven in the corner.

Did Mandy see something she disapprove?

Geeze...Little need to cover up his beak when he yawn. Yes.. we think it might be a "he" for it has been making funny crooking sound, almost like he's having asthma.

Watch out ducks, Inspector Feisty is here!

And Stripy wants to have a go too! the ducks did not get much chance to warm their bottoms.

Ducks enjoying their new bath area.

And eating from the chook's feeder as well!
































First Stripy flew up to the top of the coop while the rest watch (didn't managed to get a picture of this). Next Mandy wants to be high too.

The the rooster decided it wants to be a man too and show off. (after a few unsuccessful attempts, witness by the hens and ducks )

So, I believe the ducks are happy with this new arrangement, they are always wagging their tails. Being a duck is great (except when you are being eaten), just spend the day slacking, grooming and eating. Of cos, our ducks always put on their best (timid) behavior when Inspector Feisty is always just around the corner.

Duckling Week 4

Week 4 and these ducklings are getting big. I can see their adult feathers growing. Their legs and wings are getting bigger and they are still very timid. We've got 6 now after giving 6 to Craig's mum last week.

There was rain last night and this morning, the duck pen is wet and muddy. I'm sure the ducklings will love the wet mud but i'm concerned about hygiene. So I've decide to give their pen a little revamp. I filled the sand ground with straws and place weeds (sponsored by Sandy yesterday )above the straw. Filled up a tub with water and added some bricks as little steps for the ducklings to get in. Replace their water container with a heavy mixer bowl so they can have more space in the pen. It's also to see if this might be cleaner option. Sit their food container  on 2 bricks so stop them from spilling food everywhere. This is later confirmed a failed attempt.:(

The ducklings decided to come out of their "bed" and I think they are quite surprise and happy with the greens. They started eating the weeds and soon figured it's not as easy as they think. It looks like they are drooling weeds. In an attempt to bond with them, I sat beside them reading for some time. They seem calm but decided not to do anything else but rest. Seems like they like their grass bedding and sunlight alot because they pretty much just lay there the bulk of their day.

and the occasional stretches....

and grooming..

I also chopped up some tomatoes for them and they (or some) seem to like it. It's meant to be good for them.

The chooks sure know where to get a bird's eye view of the ducklings ;)

Duckling Big Day Out & Chooks Big Day In

The ducklings are on the way to destroy their lovely paper home with their messy eating and drinking. So Craig had decided out they go. There a little bit of poultry movement required. We had to move all the younger chooks into the pen and move the ducklings into the coop.

so in went the chooks, ready to brave Feisty, Timid and Sickie(not so timid and sick anymore.....we have renamed them to Nasty Pasty 1 and 2 ). They will have to learn to share the food, water and sleep together in the new home Craig had built.

And in went the ducklings! they seem to love the open air and sunlight. I have them a small bath and yes, messy as usual. Some ducklings were eventually falling into the bath and having a mini splash.

drinking from their bath

oh, did I mentioned we have 12 ducklings???

and only one brave one to start using the bath??

 Overall, They seems happy with their new home :)

Moving to a bigger home

Today I got the chickies a brand new home. It's bigger and more spacious.

The chickies were unsure when they first move into their palace..but it didn't take them long to figure things out. Soon they were jumping and flying around in their new palace!

Craig even made a temporary perch for them!

Potato Egg!

Today, there is a shocking discovery when I went to collect the eggs. There is a huge egg and I mean HUGE! It is like a potato!! We measured the egg against the other one in the nest and it is a difference of 3cm!

we were guess there must be 3-4 yolks in the egg, and guess what when we crack it open!!

There is another egg in the big potato egg!!  This is seriously cool! Poor chook though........

My guess is still right, I still get 3 egg yolks! :))

Week 16 and still growing..

Took some great pictures of the chooks today. They love to rest outside the house. Perhapes it is the carpet, perhapes it is the view into the house, perhapes they like the human company. Who knows!

I caught Feisty sleeping! It was "awwwwww............"

You can see Feisty's eyes open because she heard the camera's focus sound.

That's when they are not noisy...

My chooks love sunflowers seeds, but they are not intelligent enough to realise they have to flip it over sometimes to get the seeds

and yes, they are confused where the seeds have gone to....

Yep, it doesn't take long to finish the whole sunflower.

Week 15!! And a shocking discovery!

Shocking Discovery : My chooks doesn't like to eat black hairy caterpillas!!


This is terrible because one of the reasons to get chooks is to eat up all the hairy caterpillas that will always come in summer time. I had collected some for the chooks yesterday and thinking "Here's your feast!" and one took a bite and spit it out again!!! poof goes my heart.....another chicken came along and have a taste and go "Nup...." and they walked away....



This is so upsetting!!!

A Close Shave!

The 3 chooks went to the back of the house this morning and only 2 came back. After an investigation, we found Sickie! She had went under the fence and got into the neighbour's garden. Craig tried to get the chook back but it made the dog mad. It came charging and poor Sickie was hiding in a corner. The dog kept barking and the neighbour came out to see what's going on. He then drag his dog away but did not help us to get our chook back. So I had to try to lure Sickie with a piece of bread. I think frozen bread has no smell because the chook missed seeing the bread and continued roaming happily(now that the dog is gone).

Craig had to jump the fence to get Sickie back and the neighbour came charging out again. He probably thinks we are trying to steal his "pot plant".

I didn't see any of the above because I was too short to see anything. :) Craig is the story teller.

Sickie could have been the dog's yummy lunch today.

We still have to fix up the gaps at the fences. So for the time being, we've blocked the passage way to the back for the silly birds to roam around freely.

Chickens 9 weeks old

Feisty. She has a dark brown beak. She doesn't stand still so Craig has to hold on to her to get a snap shot.

Sickie. She still has some little down feather on her neck. Lately she has been gaping and when she does that, her throat shiver as well. We went to get some poulty dust and poulty dewormer from the pet store for them. Not sure if their head shaking is caused by mites and lice but it is a suspected cause.

 Timid. She is the smallest among the three of them. And she doesn't have a brown beak or down feathers on her neck, so that is how we identify her. Timid, as her name says is always the following the crowd and whenever there's treat, like bread given to them, she will have her food snatched from her beak. Poor girl bullied by her sisters.

We are almost done with the chook pen. I have painted the exterior of the pen and Craig had finish one side of the pen's door. It will be hinged on the top and it will be a "lift-out" door. The section further away in the picture will be the chicks roaming area and on the rear end will be their nesting area. Spot the little square door which acts as the opening way.

Trust me, it's very hard work builting your own chook pen but its very satisifying as well. We are left with the one door to built, put in the wheels for mobility and stick in the perch, close it up with wire and we are all done (I think!). Hopefully you will get to see the end result in next week's post.