Some weeks ago, we found this little pocket of bluebells while on a day trip...

Last week we let the chicks and ducklings into the yard for the first time. They stayed pretty close to where we put them, with the chicks being much more explorative. (The ducklings, on the other hand, wouldn't stop trying to eat the fallen cherries from the cherry tree we put them under...)



To be continued...

Over the past 3 or so weeks we have lost two chickens (first time in almost a year since we first got them). In both cases, it happened between about 2pm and 6pm---there was a pile of feathers left, and a short trail of feathers back into the woods. For the first instance (two weeks earlier than the second) we were able to find a print.....and it looks an awful lot like a coyote print. Here's hoping it goes away or rears its head for us to shoot it....because now we're down to 4 laying hens. The chicks should start laying in august or september though. Only thing is, now it takes us 3 or more (laying has decreased very slightly) days to get a dozen eggs. Arg.

Dorian is finally just about finished molting.


This was him about 2 weeks ago. (and the pile below has grown exponentially since then)

Our duckling order arrived today!! We went down to the post office this morning to pick them up.


Two female Cayugas, and two female blue Indian Runner ducks. All to keep Dorian company, and hopefully to sell some duck eggs too. Runners and Cayugas are supposedly much more homebodies of the duck world, so cross your fingers that they don"t wander off.

Right now they're in a brooder next to the (rapidly-growing) chicks.