The Ducks Have To Go!

Well, I've lasted almost a month with 2 ducklings in a crate in the house, but not another day.  









For the last 3 Springs, I have had 3 - 4 chicks in a crate in the house for about 6 weeks and was very glad when I could move them out.  

But this year I went all out and got 5 chicks and 2 ducklings. All of them were in one crate for a week and I  realized that the ducks were growing a lot faster and hogging all the water.  Also ducks are very messy.  I felt so sorry for the chicks, that I borrowed a crate from my neighbor and moved the ducks. 
 
 But the Donald and Daisy are getting smellier and throwing the straw and shavings all over the place. And they want to have water in which  they can splash.  MESSY.

So yesterday I decided the 2 hens, Gracie and Stayed At Home must go into the coop with the others.  Now there will be 6 hens with one large rooster in that coop.  That's really too many, but I let the hens out as soon as I get up everyday, so they spend the day running the yard until dark.


I spent most of yesterday clean up the coop and spread new sand for the ducks.

Dottie Belle checking out the new bigger tub.

 I bought a bigger tub for the goats and put their tub in the coop for the ducks. 










 I had a meeting last night, so it was dark when I got home. 


 I went to see if all the chicken went into one coop and found that Gracie and Stayed At Home were sleeping on top of the coop.  I grabbed them and kind of tossed them into the coop with the others as they were screaming as loudly as they could and the rooster came charging after me.


Then today, I needed to train the hens to lay in a new place since the ducks now claimed the nests in that coop.  I set up a nesting box under the old coop where all the hens now live and even put one of yesterday's eggs in it.  

But after several hours of  running free, none had laid in the new box and in fact the egg I put in there was broken.  

Gracie was determined to lay her egg in the coop.

Gracie flew up in my arms because she so badly wanted in her coop to lay. So I opened the outside door of the hutch and closed the door to the run where the ducklings were.  She laid her egg there and jumped out.  That was a good idea.

  Stayed At Home laid her egg in the "garage barn."  So I set up a nesting box using a crate and straw in there.  

Little Ace laid her egg in some tall Monkey Grass.  So I got 3 out of a possible 6 eggs today. 


Maybe that was all the eggs laid.  

Omelet, number one hen,  spent most of the day circling the coop. She was not very nice to any hen that came close to her. She spent a couple nights a week in the coop when she didn't want to be in the other coop with Big Foot. 

Hopefully, the girls will get used to the new set up.

I know Donald and Daisy are thrilled with their home.