The ducks are mating and some of the young ones are beginning to lay eggs. One poor girl got an egg stuck and was running around with a prolapsed vent and the egg stuck in it. I caught her with the net, carefully broke a bit of the shell I could grasp, removed the contents and then I was able to grasp the shell and remove it from the vent. The prolapse corrected itself, thank goodness. I did not relish the idea of tucking it back in. Poor duck.
But the thing is, the ducks are mating. The chickens have week old young ones and there is one hen still to hatch her clutch. This has not happened on the farm previously. Usually, after July, the duck egg production has dropped off to nothing by the end of August and only started again in the spring. The ducks did not mate after July either. No hens had babies after July either, so this year is very unusual. Do the animals know something we do not? Will the summer extend for some time yet, time enough for the chicks to grow their feathers so they can be protected in the winter cold? I believe the summer will go on for a while yet and although it is cooler, it will not be winter, at least not for a while.
This is good, as there are projects that require completing before the snow flies and more time helps the farmer not feel too rushed. Let's hope the animals know what is to come and that is a pleasant long fall.
But the thing is, the ducks are mating. The chickens have week old young ones and there is one hen still to hatch her clutch. This has not happened on the farm previously. Usually, after July, the duck egg production has dropped off to nothing by the end of August and only started again in the spring. The ducks did not mate after July either. No hens had babies after July either, so this year is very unusual. Do the animals know something we do not? Will the summer extend for some time yet, time enough for the chicks to grow their feathers so they can be protected in the winter cold? I believe the summer will go on for a while yet and although it is cooler, it will not be winter, at least not for a while.
This is good, as there are projects that require completing before the snow flies and more time helps the farmer not feel too rushed. Let's hope the animals know what is to come and that is a pleasant long fall.
RSS Feed