Lovely Spring days

We have been blessed with some gorgeous weather this week and Fiddle knows how to enjoy it

 Ducks and Geese have been outside for a couple of weeks now and are enjoying roaming over the property, they graze on the grass (haven't had to mow anything in the farmyard area this year) grub around for bugs, mess up all the water bowls, generally annoy the hell out of the chickens and make me laugh every day.  I call them...'the collective' this is truly a flock, they move as one unit, if a duck or goose is accidentally separated they all work themselves into a tizzy until they are all together again.  Very different from the chickens who are much more independent of each other, choosing one or two friends that they hang out with and only getting together when I feed them and at night to go to roost.  This bird thing is all very interesting.

Goosey goosey gander

Hello Toulouse Goose

 I have been wanting to add geese and duck to our little 'farm' for the longest time.  A week and a half ago they arrived.  Three noisy funny little Toulouse goslings, two handsome Embden goslings, three Khaki Campbell ducklings and three Cayuga ducklings.  They are incredibly cute, the goslings especially are way more outgoing and interactive than the chickens ever were.
They are also incredibly MESSY, oh my goodness, they want to play in their drinking water and with that comes endless scooping up of wet shavings.  They have doubled themselves in size in 9 days and we have moved them to this big pen, about 12 feet by 4 feet which is a little easier to keep dry.  I am looking forward to the weather warming up and being able to get them out on the grass, even if only during a few hours each day.
Look out for lots of photos over the coming weeks, I think I may have to fill up the tub in my grooming room and let them have a 'real' swim soon.  I will be sure to share video of that!

Khaki Campbell Ducklings

A group shot, the black duckings are the Cayugas'

One of our Embden goslings