NERVE
Yesterday cleared into a beautiful calm sunny day. And we got everything done from that days list. The asparagus is all mulched, the duck house has two new windows covered in strong screen, I collected all the feeds and we stowed them in the shed out of the coming rain. 
My weekend guests loved the chicks. 
The ducks went into the Quack Den at bedtime without any argument. I set up the ramp in exactly the same formation and they seemed to recognize it and wandered straight up. They balked when they saw the unfamiliar interior but by then I had shut the door.
We will see how they react. Two days running they were laying twelve eggs too. Hopefully they adjust fast and keep up the good work. I am way pleased with their new accommodations and even though Boo and I had our usual hunting walk I slept long and hard not having to listen for the mink.
Molly knocked her water container over twice yesterday. I wondered whether she was hot or being naughty but then I saw her babies out playing in the puddles I wondered if she was somehow giving them water too.
I got John to stand watch while I went in and swapped out the water barrels for one she cannot tip over but still did not hang about to clean up.
Molly was totally calm and just ignored me. But I was like a hunting cat. Totally alert and talking calmly the whole time so she knew where I was. But as far up on my springing toes as I could get.
Later I enlarged the creep and added the baby water and first feed. Most of it is just for amusement at this age but by week two the majority of piglets will be munching on a little grain and drinking water. 
It is great to see the little ones out being adventurous. Today I will reset their backyard so she can take them down into the dirt. For the record all newborns get a daily clod of iron rich dirt laid in their creep doorway. They eat it up too! 
I need Molly to go out the gate so I can lock her out and clean her spaces up. When she is recovering from a farrowing she does not care where she poos. That is fairly normal for Molly. But I care and it has been a few days since I went in so today is the day.
Also today the chicks will be shifted into the bigger brooder. And I will start John on the fencing. Whereas I have fixed things in a hurry with string and wire for years. He will make the fences properly. So you can imagine how long that list is.
Okay! It is overcast and a bit wet but warm. We will have grass growing today!
Talk soon.
Celi
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It is good that John is getting lots of tasks done. I am so appreciative when Forrest has time to help me with these kinds of projects. I know that animals need to eat dirt – it’s very necessary. Recently I read an article about harvesting homegrown vegetables and leaving a bit of dirt clinging – not cleaning it off in food preparation. I hadn’t thought about that before, but why wouldn’t we need a bit of dirt too?
When I was a child in Kentucky now & then we heard of country children eating dirt. We were shocked & sad for them to be so desperately hungry. Maybe – probably – they needed iron & found it that way intuitively. It’s possible. As little kids will though, we all tasted dirt at least once or twice.
I don’t know how to reply to stories of country children eating dirt. Sounds awful – but I have to wonder if the poor country children were eating dirt what were the poor city children eating.
It is true. There is such a thing as too much sanitized cleanliness.
I agree, it seems this country is awfully germaphobic. For the record, my grandma always said you have to eat a peck of dirt before you die.
Before you ‘bite the dust ‘!
I’m really enjoying reading your posts! It’s a busy life with always something to do but rewarding, I imagine.
It is very rewarding and never the same day twice
I thought for a minute that a chook rooster had managed to infiltrate the Quack Den, but then figured it must be corner of tarp. Cold wet 21deg C here, winter is moving in here. Hope you reach your warmer Temperature today. Laura
It is a sandbag holding down the tarp.
What cute little pigs!
On the topic of pork and eggs, I just had a fantastic sausage for lunch – butifarra de huevos. Butifarra comes in many varieties – normal spicy pork, black pudding, white pudding and pork with egg (…and possibly some others too). The egg one is like a white pudding, but made with egg and has a yellow colour. Sliced and fried it tastes fantastic.
That sounds great! It thrills me the sheer variety of ways that different cultures find to prepare and preserve pork.
They have it down to an art form here!
Gorgeous pictures of my favourites, piglets! Thank you so much. Hope your healing is continuing a pace.
Yup! I am a fast healer.
I’m glad the little piglets are getting on well. They are very cute. The duck house is great! Lucky ducks. I hope your hand is healing and not too painful now.
We have had such a week with our chickens. I lost all 5 of the Australops that we raised from chicks last June. Last night we lost one of our older blacks hens and 2 others on Thursday. I think we may have to take shifts and stay by the coop to scare off the attackers–nothing else seems to be working.
Oh no – that is awful. What kind of predator is it?
http://icwdm.org/inspection/Livestock.aspx
This is the site I use to help identify the predator
That’s one luxury duck house!
I know! Hope I can fit twenty more in there.
I like your new weather app. What is it?
Weather Live. I have to admit to having three weather apps. Sigh
I do as well! I think in farming it pays to at least try to be prepared!
I hope Molly shifts for you so that you can get in and give the house a good cleaning. Her piglets are looking more vigorous today, now that they’re on their feet and out of the barn. Wishing you warmer, slightly drier weather!
I just keep throwing in fresh straw to cover the nasty bits up. But yes, I hope she is feeling strong enough for a walk. This farrowing hit her hard I think
No wonder the guests were entranced with the chicks. SO cute!
Perhaps city kids would benefit from a weekly dose of good farm dirt.
I think it should be called the Quack House, since it’s full of quackheads. 😉
It might be warmer there than here. We got to about 80 degrees yesterday, which seems warm. It always seems warm when it happens for the first time in a while. It is cooler today. I should be outside!
Congratulations on the new duck house!! I plan to get one of those, too, for the same purpose. I want to put a barrier along the sides of the walls, some kind of plastic liner, because they like to sleep along the sides and the poo really piles up along the walls.
Glad you are recovering from the bite. That must have been quite a shock!
Good thinking! I was so eager to get them in there that I have not got it quite lined yet- just an old tarp! Maybe i can work on that with one of my Airbnb guests!!