Annette, you say such cute things, smiling.
I have lost 8 polish chicks. My chicken friend who I got the eggs from told me that the polish are a really slow to get going chick, almost like they are a weak breed. I agree. They just simply didn't take off. Maybe I made the mistake thinking that they could get going themselves. When you get baby chicks in the mail, for example, you must teach them to drink water by dipping their beaks. I have never done this with incubated chicks, but maybe I should have. They have always watched each other and have learned very quickly to eat and drink. I think because they were a smaller chick, they just didn't have a chance. Oh well, I have four left. I don't think I want anything to do with this breed because they are obviously not strong and hardy, don't want that bother. I may keep these four though, until a little older, they are expensive birds, $25 each as grown. But I will probably sell them as month olds, time will tell, just not sure if I want them as mine, I actually don't think so. The other chicks are doing GREAT!!!
Ken and I put the cochin family, barred rocks, etc. (the three month old chicks) in with the other chickens last night. What a process to get them all into a new home. Felt kind of bad, they wanted to go in their old house, but that is where we have the month old chicks and the week old chicks. THey need their own little baby space. We had built a new roost especially for them. When all was said and done, they all roosted on their new roost, but they just didn't quite get that they had to move, it was quite an ordeal. We also moved Sissy (the Muscovy duck) and her 9 new babies into the end coop, where Micky is brooding on 10 araucana eggs (blue egg layers). That way she does not contend with all the chickens running over her babies. Yesterday morning (thank my lucky stars Ken came out to help me) we went to let the chickens out and the couple-of-day-old Muscovy babies ran out first, with Sissy (the mother) in the lead, we had to keep the other chickens from running them over. As it was Ivan stepped on one and booted one rolling away, in his hurry to get out, they have no patience when the door opens, smiling. I think they are so soft that no damage was done, so that was good. But a worry that I don't want also to bother with. So they went into there, Micky’s brood pen. It will be their home until the babies are large and can join the older duckling clans. BUT....Sissy was very annoyed and didn't want to be caged in there last night. I couldn't believe what I saw her do. She grabbed on with her Muscovy hooks that are on the end of her feet and climbed right up the wire outside wall all the way to the ceiling, then fell off onto the ground, she almost squished one of her babies. JP, watch out!!! THey can be nasty with those hooks, trust me, been there, done that, got some good gashes one time.....smiling that evil smile....She did this twice before she finally settled down. I know the hooks are strong and sharp, but I never would have believed, if I hadn't seen it with my eyes, that she could climb 8 feet straight up a wire (poultry wire) wall, unfrickin' believable!!! The babies have little hooks on the end of their feet, and can glomb onto anything. I have seen that too, and have bore witness to that when picking them up, very sharp. The babies can jump about 8 inches at birth and can grab onto stuff to pull themselves up, Mother Nature is very amazing. She took them outside yesterday for the first time. And they went EVERYWHERE, in the pond, up the driveway, in the field, infront of the apiary, everywhere, eating, and eating and eating. I was watching them in the pond and they were eating stuff in there too. Who knows what, but stuff, probably bugs that were so small I couldn't see them. You know I have read that people "employ" Muscovy ducks for fly control (probably other type of bug controls too) around barnyards. Weird eh? It was funny, she was showing the babies how to eat the baby food that they have in their baby pen. She would pretend to eat the stuff with her mouth very wide open and do this over and over, they got the knack of it pretty quickly. The first time that I knew of that they actually ate the starter crumbles, and they were hungry. Guess bugs just aren't enough for them, smiling.
A little country farmland story, to tell how things are, smiling. Have that wonderful and most awesome day, to love and live, share, and great health. Cindi