Chicks and Ducklings. In the mail!
John and the Matriarch want duck for Christmas dinner. But I bought a few extra so I could breed them too. Sadly two of the extra were dead on arrival. So we have four Orpington ducks. The chickens are a selection of cold-hardy layers. Next week the meat chickens come. By then the glass house will be empty and the chicks will be raised in there. These ones are on the verandah, in the meantime, in an enormous horse trough with a heating lamp, so they can take advantage of the lovely warm sunny days.
My friend and I shifted the old chooks and their ark over to the the Barn Across the Way. The lady who rents the house close to the barn is keeping an eye on them for me. She had a number of visiting children and they streamed out of the house like bright giggling ribbons caught in a summer breeze and proceeded to name all the chooks. 
When children become involved with the process of their food I feel a deep sense of rightness. One little girl looked at the chooks and then looked back up. Can I have Spoiled eggs for lunch? She said.
I put the feeder pigs together yesterday, perfumed and coiffed and initially they were just fine, but later it all fell apart. The fighting was terrible. Blood was shed. Just between the Red and Number Three. (see! even when they have No names they have names). This big red fella would not give up, so after a number of hours, I gave up and shut the gates again. They were heaving, ill, exhausted. Hanging on each other like old boxers. So now Number Three has company. And The Big Red bad tempered one, who is growing at an astronomical rate, is on the other side of the gate by himself in his room thinking about how he could have Done Better.
So all is quiet again. I have room enough to raise them side by side. If they do not settle down that is what I will do. No problem really.
It was hot yesterday, in the high 80’s. And we basked in it. Sheila and Poppy were basking a little too much so I put the hose in the wallow so they could get out the suntan lotion. Mud. So clever. Sheila was straight in there, oh she was so relieved to find the mud again. Poppy is still in the discovery stage.
Good morning. Look at these little ducklings. Sitting at the bar.
Life is good. I am worn out already. But good. I have also successfully integrated Mama and her flock with Queenie’s flerd. So now all the stock is in the good paddock and will stay out of the barn from now on. Deeply satisfying!
Have a lovely day.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
59 responses to “Look what came in the Mail”
What a hectic time you are having. That big red pig seems a nasty piece of work, but I bet he’d taste good roasted with lovely crisp crackling! I hope you’re able to keep all those little birds safe from murderous minks!
Love,
ViV
I love ducklings – they can be very entertaining. It’s a great same about the Plonkers. I feel sorry for Red – I’m sure he’s only acting on his instincts and can’t help being territorial 😦
He is actually more than happy to get the bowl to himself, he is not alone, but has a divider between him and the others. They really are only here a short time so we may as well have a peaceful time. And our Number Three is such a delicate flower!.. Not! c
Ha ha – I was just reading Jeffrey Steingarten on judging the Tennessee Barbecue competition – don’t show it to the plonkers 😉
I feel like taking a breath of relief with you after all the happenings on the farmy. Your description of the visiting children like “bright giggling ribbons” was precious. Such a poet you are, Miss Celi!
Good old warm sun, ther’s nothing like a bit o sun to cheer everything up..Good to see all is going well , piggies are happy again, even after a falling out. Ducklings are chirruping, and all is right with the world…well sort of!
Your spring time table is very close to ours Kris showed me the swallows were back on Friday! I just love Tima. And I think she looks better than a puff fish. Not nearly so prickly looking. Lol.
Red (aka Brutus) (google images of brutus from popeye) is a bully it seems……
Uh oh, sorry the fragrance thing did not work out for you, I have not tried it myself but I read about it after I had two lots of two pigs who were separated but who tried to kill each other through the pig panels. There was still a lot of blood shed despite there being a substantial deviding fence. They wore each other out eventuallly but it was very tense to be around. Glad to see the problem child to his room. Perhaps he will learn to play nice after a long hard think about it. Or send scary Auntie Sheila over in her warpaint to scare the bejeezus out of him.
Osca de la Renta too! It might have worked for a while, i think, but once they were all muddy I guess it wore off. As Mad said it is just instinct. And really they don’t HAVE to live together. They will fatten up better without the friction. They can take turns outside.. c
Red heads are notorious for having bad tempers. I remember, but thankfully I mellowed with the grey. I want to come over and be like a bright giggling ribbon, with spoiled eggs for lunch!
Sheila in her beauty mask! She’s charming! I love the last photo. All as it should be!
Hard to imagine cute piggies fighting, until you remember the ferocity of wild boars. It sounds like hormones and instinct taking over, so probably separating them is for the best. And ducklings are very gorgeous, and unlike many other birds, they stay pretty cute and endearing when they grow up!
I just cannot believe that with freezing weather but days ago I am now looking at a bunch of gorgeous kids in lollipop colours and short sleeves learning sustainable farming! [Love the ‘spoiled eggs’ request! ] And knowing I am about to learn about Orpington ducks who look so precious [you lost two chickens last year too: sad!] and new layers . . . . and am so glad Sheila can have mudbaths again! Big bad Red . . . well, feel sorry for #3 barely over his chesty problems . . . . is there ever a quiet day on the Farmy . . . nah . . .
I’m trying to find Runner ducks and just loved your new baby ducks sitting at the bar…too cute! This entire post was marvelously written and made me laugh several times.
Fighting pigs can be quite scary! I loved your description of the children. 🙂 Have a good day.
Spoiled eggs. Now that’s just the sweetest darned thing I’ve heard in ages. Bless her little heart. Good morning to you, c, and to the farmy!
I just met the COO of Hoover Hatchery yesterday which is a hatchery real close to us. I wonder if your sweet chicks came from him! They ship all over the place and he is a really nice guy. hope yours grow up to be big and strong!!!
Mine came from the Sandhill people, they preserve old varieties of fowl and seeds. They are on a mission. c