Friday, August 21, 2009

Broody Buffy

A lot has happened since our first egg. We're getting over a dozen eggs a day now and having a hard time keeping up with the supply. I bake with them often, and Dad has started selling dozens of them at his work. Something else exciting has happened though, one of our "Buffingtons" has decided she wants to be a mother =) She just made up her little birdy mind to hatch some chicks. Staying in her favorite box even while the others went outside to forage and up to roost for the night. Since our eggs seem to be fertile we're letting her have a go at hatching a clutch of hybrid chicks. She's separated from the others sitting on 8 eggs in an old moving box. She seems very determined and has been sitting for four days straight now sixteen more to go. Because this is everyones first time, chances are high that the eggs will not develop or something will go wrong, like the hen reconsidering her committment to motherhood, getting off the nest, and leaving the eggs to die. Even if everything goes according to plan we are going on vacation the day before the "due date" =( Tonight we're going to candle the eggs, that is shine a bright light through the shell to see if there's development. Here are pics of a few of our male ducks who are now sporting their shiny green feathers.
--Anna

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