Friday, March 18, 2011

Special Annoucement!

We are deviating from our normal Sunday night posting schedule to bring you a special announcement! A new addition has been made to the basement farm- ducks!

Ironically, it started at the "birthday party" when my mom mentioned that, when she was picking up her present of freeze dried worms, the local farm supply store had ducklings. This of course interested me and a few google searches later, I was set on getting ducks. Jeff wasn't so sure about this idea. He does have a good point about having more animals to clean up after and the noise but it was Jeff's idea to get the chickens so once that flood gate opened there is no stopping it. Regardless, after promising that I would take care of the new "livestock", he reluctantly agreed. Not wanting to miss my opportunity, the very next day on lunch I stormed off to the store. The second you walk in you could hear the chorus of peeping. There were about fifty of the ducklings in a bin together under a hot brooding light, just a big yellow fuzzball of cuteness. The store supplied me with a little cardboard box that reminded my of a Happy Meal box to bring them home in. I was totally overwhelmed by which two birds to bring home. Luckily a little boy of about seven and his mom walked up to look at the ducklings. The boy asked if I was getting ducks and I told him yes and asked if he would help me pick out two. His sticky chubby hands grabbed onto one unsuspecting bird and he squeezed a little tight before putting it in the box. Then he grabbed another. I was grateful to have the decision made for me. Eight dollars later, and I was on my way. The girls did not appreciate the car ride back to the house. Every time I stepped on the gas or break, I could hear them fall down onto the wood shavings.

Upon arriving home, I put their little box on the kitchen table and began collecting items for their new home. Well all their peeping could be heard by the chickens in the basement who went crazy squawking! I got them all settled in and had to go back to work.

After work, my parents came over to see the new little guys. We decided on names. One will be  Quack (in the same vein as Cluck is named) and the other Louie (per a coworkers suggestion, after the ducks from the cartoon Duck Tails). Yet again, we can't tell either of them apart but that worked itself out last time so I am not going to worry about it. We decided to, under a careful eye, introduce them to the chickens. We put them in the chicken coop right by the door just in case we needed to get them out quickly. The chickens slowing came towards the ducklings to investigate the loud little fluffy creatures. Out of the blue, one of the ducklings charged at the chickens. Scabby of course ran away but the other girls didn't seem to much mind. Generally the chickens are disinterested in the ducks.

It is interesting to have babies in the house again. They are much more cuddly than the chicks were at the same age. For example, one of them crawled up my shirt and got on the back of my neck where she moved around so much that she got tangled in my hair and Jeff ended up having to rescue her.

It will be exciting to see all the new adventures this new addition to the farm brings.