This Thursday up at the farm was moving day, finally a dry and not so chilly day to move the chickens and ducks outdoors into their new homes
The ducks and meat chickens had been in at least a week too long, but the weather was prohibiting us from moving them, so we took the window last Thursday and moved 12 ducks and 70 (1 chicken had to remain indoors, he wasn't doing so well) out onto the farm.
The ducks were so much fun to watch, as they got acclimated to their new home, Laura had a large fenced off area for them inside the chicken yard, and it was quite the spectator sport for all the chickens and older ducks to watch the new inhabitants move in and get settled.
I set up a kiddie pool for them and filled and it and they all had a few drinks, and then I just stood super still, with my camera ready and continued filling the pool, it was sweet to see as they slowly started dipping more of their bodies in and then the few brave ones started jumping in and swimming around, ducking and diving under the waterfall I created. This picture was my favorite as they all seem to be discussing who should try the water out first.
It didn't take them long to muddy the waters and start swimming and bathing.
The chickens loved their new room in the chicken tractors and spent no time pecking at the grass and starting to forage.
They got all settled in, but sadly the next couple days we had storms and too much rain come through once again, and Laura told me today we lost two of the meat chickens, but thankfully the storm did usher in some warmer and drier temps for a few days, so the rest can recover and get used to their new home for the next month. Laura said she was amazed at how much poop they put out and instead of once a day she is having to move them twice a day, but thankfully she has lots of space and ease with the tractor to move them.
We then moved the egg layers (we lost 5 this week) so now are down to 75
We moved the egg layers from the two small brooders in to the larger one we had had the meat chickens in - I must say chicken and duck poop is not for the faint of heart, and I will be seeking other options or raising them in smaller batches if I do this long term.
The egg layers seemed so small in the large brooders after the meat chickens, and they took a little adjusting to all the space and newness of their new home.
The rest of our day was spent feeding animals, getting fresh water out after the cold night, so they had water to drink and not ice to eat. I was fascinated watching the sheep drink water, and how they suck it up, its been so great to get first hand experience tending to them each week, and getting to know them and their habits and how they react to different situations.
The goats were quite entertaining today, and are always so eager to steal feed out of the bucket before you have a chance to get it to their trough.
They are also hilarious and so bossy with each other, this guy was having a good old time eating hay on the wrong side, but not fazed non the less, about a minute after this was taken another male goat came and butted him on through and out the other side, then proceeded to eat the hay from the same spot.
This is sweet Nala, Laura had suspected she may be pregnant, and had it confirmed this week, she is expecting hopefully this week or next with at least 9 possibly 12 puppies. Laura was happy she had such a large litter as she said it makes for smaller puppies and less risk of puppies that are too big and possibly necessitating a c-section.
Abby and I had fun counting all the little spines to try see how many pups there are going to be.
Laura is still bottle feeding baby goats, which can be a lot of work on her own most days, so she came up with this wonderful feeder to put up to 5 bottles in and feed them, they're so sweet and I love watching their wagging tails as they get so much enjoyment out of the milk.
I also got some sweet baby goat snuggles with this little guy, he was just like a baby and so happy to curl up on my lap and nuzzle my face.
Last exciting bit of news from the farm today, was the birth of this baby lamb, Laura had hoped the mamma was pregnant, but wasn't sure as she is fairly young, but lo and behold she posted this picture today and I cannot wait till Thursday to love on this baby and hopefully see Nalas pups.
