Phoebe’s 8 eggs began hatching on Sunday. Our first clue was an empty eggshell sitting in the main section of the small coop we use for brooding: it had the “freshly hatched from” look, with the dried membrane and reddish tint inside. We tried to peek into the nest box section, but she was having none of that and puffed up so we couldn’t see beneath her.
When we were finally able to really look at the brood, we saw that 7 had hatched. We figured the last was a dud based on what had happened with Coraline’s hatch in April – she eventually just abandoned one unhatched egg after waiting an extra couple of days. When Phoebe emerged from the broody house with her brood, we knew the last egg wasn’t going to hatch. Continue reading “Welcome Phoebe’s Ducklings”
As the pullets begin to lay, we keep finding oddities in the nest boxes. Today’s find is one we haven’t seen before – not a rubber egg, a giant egg, a fart egg, or eggs with seams, wrinkles, or striations – this one looks like it has a stem.
The adult Muscovies have been lodging in the chicken coop for the past couple of weeks. It’s amazing that they knew it was time to leave the small coop to Phoebe, who only has a week to go until hatch day; one evening, we went to round everyone up and we discovered that the adults had all just moved into the chicken coop. Clever creatures. Phoebe’s in the “grumpy broody” phase, and they must have known it was coming.
Is broodiness really contagious? Coraline’s ducklings are now seven weeks old, and another Muscovy duck has gone broody. This time, it’s Coraline’s pal Phoebe. Phoebe looks a lot like Coraline, minus the white neck band, and has a gentle, low-key personality.
We’re in the midst of a heat wave here, and that means sunny days, perfect for making sun tea. Why not harness the sun’s energy (if only a tiny bit) to make what will become refreshing iced tea? Plus, sun tea jars look cool.