THREE DUCK EGGS!!  One chicken egg, and it belongs to Lucky Red.  When I went to check for eggs today, Lucky Red was sitting on a few flakes of straw that I stored under the roosting poles/poop deck.  No eggs in box 10, peculiar.  So, when I went back later, sure enough, I could see from the door an egg over there.  But when I got closer, and picked up Lucky's egg, there were three Indian Duck eggs with it!  YAY!!!  Am I crazy to be excited about finding three duck eggs?  Probably so.  It's the simple things.  I just thought maybe she had stopped laying them.  Nope, she started hiding them!

I fed the flock left over soup tonight.  I could watch chickens eat and play with their food for quite some time.  They steal from each other and take off running with it.  It's a free for all food fight!  The left over soup was my aunt Edith's Cabbage Soup recipe.  Very good and a little peppery.  They must not mind the pepper.  Chester watches his hens get their fill, then he'll have his turn.  Old fashioned kind of guy.

Today Sam shucked some corn while I was gone getting my hair cut, and he threw it to the chickens.  The ducks absolutely love the silks!   There's still a few butternut squash out there to pick up.  I'm thinking squash pie.

The girls are back in the cage tonight.  They are still too curious and rug hungry to leave that many hours at a time, yet.  Our neighbor, Gail, noticed tonight when we went for an out front yard spin how fast they are growing.  They sure are, and trying new things everyday!  Maezee found her grown up voice today and so she tried it out on everything that moved or made a sound, like the 6pm train running through Schutz Mill.  Surely she's heard that before, but with her new found bark, three times fast, she had to alert everyone about that train.  Jewel is still just barking the one bark at a time, but probably not for long now.

2 chicken eggs 0 duck eggs.  The little red door was super busy today with hens running, literally, in and out of the coop.  I thought surely I'd find more than the usual 2 eggs.  Nope. One egg in box ten and one egg half way between the gate and the coop on the ground!  I guess she just couldn't make it there in time.  Closing time was a breeze.  This sun setting sooner thing is doing me some good!

More fun in the front yard today with Merlin and the girls.  They definitely know what, "Wanna go out FRONT?" means now.  They race for the front door or the outside gate that leads to the front yard.  It's rough out front.  You have to run faster and turn shorter and roll harder out front.  I don't know why.

Today they all took their naps on the porch.  Someone took a butternut squash from the table and someone took a pair of Sam's sunglasses and had them on the floor, but no harm done.  No names will be mentioned, Jewel or Maezee.  Everyone, including Merlin, looked guilty when I opened the door.

Before we went for closing time I sneaked out to see who was napping where.  Maezee was under the table on Merlin's blanket, Merlin was on the rug, and Jewel was in the cage with her deer antler.  SO, tonight is a trial run of how well they do on the porch out of their cage.  As long as there are no accidents, then it's probably a go.  I've puppy proofed it best as I can.  I'm hoping they can't get the frig open.  My wine is in there and Sam's beer, otherwise everything is safe.  Maezee likes her beer.

2 chicken eggs. 0 duck eggs.

Sometimes it's about how these events in the yard make me feel.  Watching a Leghorn run wickyjawed across the yard, only to do a 180 and head right back to where she was, for no apparent reason, makes me laugh. If you've never seen a Leghorn run, you're missing out.  Add it to your bucket list.  The ducks hear me laugh at the Leghorns, and they do their version.  The geese won't be out done and they honk their song.

Sometimes it's about watching the rainbows in the water hose spray while the ducks and geese drink from the wind.  Sometimes it's about watching them paddle across the yard so graceful and sweet, with their necks stretched out to guard their younger friends.

Sometimes it's about the way Maezee gently puts her foot on Merlin's Frisbee and gives him a kiss.  Sometimes it's about Merlin giving that Frisbee up to Jewel during their tug of war, when he knows he could keep it.

Sometimes it's just that swing.  Those flowers.  The sound of the tractor coming in.  The Owl hoot.

Sweet easy closing time tonight.  1 chicken egg 1 duck egg.  Seriously?  I'm getting eggs from a friend, Judy, thank you so much, because of this molt stuff?  And they don't even look like they're in full molt yet!  I better have eggs by Thanksgiving for chicken and noodles, or else!  (I'm sure that'll scare them back into laying.)

I took Jewel and Maezee on their first 4 wheeler ride today.  Jewel was a natural.  However, when we got back to the yard and came close to the fence and she could see Merlin and Maezee she went WILD!  I drove on over to the barn to get her away from them.  And on our way, on the lead, to the house she was acting like a maniac, going to eat those two dogs up!  Then...then she gets to the gate and nose to nose, could smell and see that it was Merlin and Maezee.  She was a little embarrassed, to say the least, and tried to make up for her ferociousness by giving them both kisses.

Maezee was a little more nervous out of the yard and on her lead, but on the 4 wheeler she almost fell asleep on the way back, and I was in 3rd gear, unlike Jewel's ride in 2nd.  I need a basket for them to fit in, it was a little hard for me to hold them on in front of me.

Today we also showed them the front yard for the first time, again, since I brought them home.  They are still too small to go out there and leave them, they can get through the fence.  But I bet in another 2 months they'll be big enough to let 'em run.  I'm pretty sure Jewel will be, she's quite a bit bigger than Maezee.

Another bushel of cucumbers today and no end in sight.

One duck egg, zero chicken eggs.  However, there was some action in the yard today...maybe there are eggs coming around the bend!  Lucky was all over the yard today, strutting her purple and bright red feathers.  She seems to be doing just fine, and even did the rooster dance with Chester before closing time.

One of the California Chicks, I'll call her rogue CA, had to fly out of the yard to the bin yard today to check out Sam's haul in of fresh hay.  I'da bet money she was going to fly to the top of those bales, craning her neck to get a better look,  but she didn't.  Just looked them over really good, just like the poo pile in the garden.  She's so nosy and truly free range!

Pete, the Indian Runner, is still after one of the mallards. I'm not worried about it like I was when Mr Mallard was after Elta aka Elmer.  The mallard ducklings are twice as big as the Indian's, so I don't think she/he will come up lame, she/he just stands up and the Indian falls off.  Oh my.....I'll try to keep this rated PG.

Lazy day in the Dog Pen.  They are really enjoying the breeze and cooler weather.  At bedtime Maezee wants to sleep under the table instead of in the cage.  Well....not quite yet, missy.  Maybe if I puppy proof the porch in the next few days, we'll try it.

Picking more cucumbers in the morning.  I'm almost afraid of what I'll find.

1 chicken egg, 0 duck eggs.  Everyone was happy staying on their own side of the fence today.  Not naming any names, Lucky Rogue Red.  She was cautious about staying away from the fence all together.  Even at feeding time she stayed far north.

Closing time must have went well.  I was at a birthday party for my bff Jaime when Sam called to let me know the flock was put up, so I stayed for cake and brought him home a piece.  Thanks, Sam!  Great food and great people.  It's so nice getting out on a Friday night and getting home in time to relax before bed.  All those years with the bands, they were fun, but now that we're in our 'fall' years....well, it's just so  nice not getting in at 4am.

I stopped for 2 very nice, very young doe's on the way home.  Right in front of Amanda Rhoades house on the prairie!  They just meandered pretty as you please, no hurry at all, right into my path.  I thanked them and headed west.

I was greeted at the door by Merlin, happy to see me, then he smelled Lily and Moses on my hands.  WHAT?  More dogs?  Sorry, Merlin, I couldn't help myself.   Jaime and Casey's black labs.  Such beautiful dogs!!!  I let the girls and Merlin out, then in, so Jewel could run through the house like her ass is on fire to steal a shoe or a kleenix.  What a character!  Maezee was all wiggles and actin' shy.  Merlin with Frisbee will travel.

2 chicken eggs and 1 duck egg today.  There was a little bit of excitement in the yard today when a Rogue Red went rogue to the dog side of the yard.  She goes to the garden every day, but I think her flight pattern got screwed up somehow today and she landed on the west instead of the east, kind of like Aunt Clara on Bewitched.  So, if she's going to be like Aunt Clara, and can't control herself, it may not end well someday.  I tried to patch her up best that I could with purple and red wound spray.  She probably could have used some stitches....  Her new name is Lucky!

Just when I thought molting would be coming to an end, the yard is full of feathers again.  A lot of fluffy white ones.  I'll be very happy when the Leghorns start to lay again because they have nice big eggs.

Sam hauled some cow poo to the garden from the pasture today, so it'll be another good year next year, fingers crossed.  Maybe that's why Lucky Red got confused!  Hummm.... ya never know.

Easy closing time, most everyone but the ducks were in already. I threw the Frisbee for Merlin for a bit while the girls ate what Sam dropped today.

2 nice chicken eggs and 2 nice cream colored duck eggs today.  I suspect that I missed the one duck egg yesterday because she had it buried deep in the straw.  I Googled what color eggs that Indian Runner's have and what color Mallard's have.  Both have cream colored and also 2 other colors.  That being said, I still think it's the Indian Runner hen, Hailey Sue, because she's at least 2 months older than my Mallard ducklings.

At closing time Merlin was a huge help as always.  He ran circles around 2 Rogue Red's until they got the hint.  Welsh's went in last, as usual.  When I stuck my head in to say "goodnight" I saw a mouse run across the back wall.  The Welsh's saw it, too, but didn't chase it.  I wish a hen would have seen it, mostly likely she would have chased after it for a bedtime snack.  I'd rather see them in the coop than in the house.  But this is a farm, and if wishes were horses.....

I picked about a bushel more cucumbers today.  I looked at the butternut squash, too.  The vines are still alive and there's new growth, so I'm going to wait.  Some look ready, some don't.  I have green tomatoes galore on the old plants and the new.  Waiting for red.

No eggs today, but there was some frisky business going on in the yard today.  The Indian Runner drake, Pete, decided to get wiggy with one of the young mallard hens.  I can't tell them apart anymore, so not naming names.  And actually, I wouldn't want any loose woman rumors starting about one of the sweet mallards anyway.  

While Pete was trying his best, along came Elmer for a ménage à trois.  This is when the geese became interested and started pinching Elmer.  I couldn't stand it any longer with that poor hen trapped, so they all got the garden hose.  The geese had a good laugh over it and all was soon forgotten.

The rest of the day was unremarkable, of course.  

Good news today, we got 2 chicken eggs in box 10, and I'm pretty sure a duck egg from the Indian Runner hen.  I found one yesterday in a nice neat little round bed of straw on the floor next to the nesting boxes.  Mrs Mallard used that spot sometimes, too.  It's a little more secluded.  SO, this is so exciting!  It wasn't any bigger than my chicken eggs, but it's cream colored and oblong.  No one else before the new ducklings or chicks have laid eggs this color or shape.  As she gets older, I imagine her eggs will get a little bigger.  They aren't very big ducks, not like the mallards.

A friend of mine gave me 2 ladders that she had made and suggested I put them in the coop.  Sure enough, one of the California chicks jumped up there the first night.  So cute.  Those girls will try anything first!  They're the ones that like the swing, too.  And the garden.

Mrs Owl made an appearance this morning.  I let the pups out at 6am and Owl was over in the west lot past the barn hooting to her hearts content.  About 7am I was standing at the kitchen window when I saw her fly east to those woods to bed down.  I'm glad she didn't decide to swoop in on the flock and have a late dinner.  I'm hoping she nabbed a mouse or rat from the storage bins or barn through the night and was good enough.

Nothing of great value happened at closing time.  Everyone was ready for bed, including the pups and Merlin.

1 chicken egg.  As I was walking the yard this evening before closing time, as I often do, to look over the flock, I noticed a black sexlink hen that has grown spurs!  I had to come inside just to Google that.  I thought only roosters grew spurs.  Nope, come to find out, some hens do, too.  I picked her up to take pictures but she was camera shy and I'm not good at holding a hen under one arm while I'm trying to hold the camera in the other hand.  I did get pictures of her while she was still on the ground, but those aren't as fun.  It always amazes me how soft their feathers are, and she didn't mind being petted.

Merlin, Maezee, and Jewel love to come inside to get held, scout out what's in Merlin's food bowl, and run through the house as fast as they can, a few times, today was no different.  Jewel always has to grab and run.  Today she wasn't coming back to the kitchen in her normal time, so I came looking, to find her trying to get up on the bed.  I see what's in store for the cold winter nights.  3 dog nights.

I skipped the garden today.  I'm sure there's more cucumbers waiting.  However, I picked 2 black krim tomatoes from a volunteer that came up in the nasturtiums.  BLT's for breakfast.

Good night owl.

This is my first attempt at this blogging thing.  I've been posting my Chicken Coop Duck House Dog Pen Garden News on Facebook for the last few months.  A few friends have suggested a book or a Facebook page in addition, and now a blog page suggestion from my cousin Martha.  Oh...my...the pressure is on now!

I was a slacker today.  I didn't check my egg count, but with the molt happening I'm sure it was par for the course, Zero!  I have 22 chickens, but not all of them are old enough to molt or lay eggs.  18 of them were laying in the spring and early summer. In the last month, nothing.  Nadda.  Zip.  Well, an occasional 1 or 2 in box 10, but that's pretty much it.  I was getting anywhere from 12-16 eggs a day before molt set in.

One of the California Chicks jumped up in the swing under the maple tree today, but I wasn't fast enough with the camera.

The whole flock seemed to enjoy the rain today, but especially the ducks.  They were still out past time to close the little red door.  But as soon as they saw Merlin headed their way, they went in nicely.

I took pictures of the flock and the puppies today.  The puppies are growing so fast!!!  And Jewel is gonna be a big girl.  Although Maezee, she's the alpha.  Merlin?  He just loves his life, and he should.

That's it for my first attempt at blogging.  This might be too much like work, but we'll see how it goes.