I spent an hour outside this morning following Quackers around to make sure nobody was being a bully and that she wasn't being harassed or chased around. She tended to stay close to the embden geese and their ducks, Happy Feet, Sexy Duck, and Nanny. At one point the geese and two ducks went further down the shore, but Happy Feet stayed behind to observe Quackers as she played in the lake.
Throughout the day I peeked outside and kept an eye on Quackers. She was almost always near the geese, and the one time she wasn't, she was near the other ducks. Never really with them, but nearby. I think she will make friends over the next few days and become part of Sexy Duck's micro-flock and hang out with Ryan and the other embden geese.
One of the chicks in the brooder died today. It was the one that sang more like a songbird. No idea what happened. As of 10:30am they had food and water, the heat lamp is keeping it nice in there, he looked good. Tonight I heard the alarm call from the brooder and found one surviving chick screaming it's fool feathers off and the little song chicken passed away in it's sleep under the light. Talk about heartbreaking.
Tomorrow we are going to go and pick up our new Saint Bernard puppy. Since we have to go to another town to meet the breeder, we're going to stop by the Tractor Supply in that town (we don't have one here) and see if they have any turkey poults. I'd also take magpie ducklings, Toulouse goslings, or maybe even something else... but I have the sneaking suspicion they'll only have things like sex links, production reds, and meat chickens. Regardless, as of when we leave the house tomorrow if the remaining chick in the brooder is still alive and well, I'll have to go buy whatever the minimum is there to keep him company. What a turn around, since I'm trying to sell our hatches, not keep them and add more...
Today we collected 19 chicken eggs and 2 duck eggs. One of the chicken eggs was what we refer to as a fairy egg. Much smaller than the rest, often what a hen produces the first time she lays. I think this one may be from Betty White. She's assumed to be a Polish cross because she has a crest, and she's small, still thin, clearly not producing big eggs yet.
I did have to cull the one, but the other two I sprayed with BluKote and now have in a food bowl on the table. They may not make it, but I wanted to give them a chance. If they're still alive in the morning I will move them out to the colony nest box and hope they will be accepted by that momma. I will not attempt to give them back to Snowflake and the two other does.
Tomorrow the kittens have another vet appointment. This time for their rabies vaccinations. I'm not sure if the vet will want to do a third round of distemper or not. I will ask while I'm there. Otherwise, this may be the last appointment before their big spay and neuter appointment in June.