They're leaving home (bye bye)

Sunday was a banner day here at Mean Rooster Farm. The ducks were finally evicted from the dining room! They have about half of their feathers, and normally we wouldn't make them live outside until they had all of them, but eight ducks who are almost full sized can make a stinky mess in about fifteen minutes, so out they went.

We set up the heat lamp outside with a cover on it so the bulb won't shatter if it ever rains again. They have a small yard to run around in, including a kiddie pool.

All day Sunday they seemed a little anxious and overwhelmed by all the new sights and sounds, and didn't really explore much. They are slowly getting more comfortable and did finally discover the pool.

We'll leave them sequestered away from the other poultry until they feather out all the way and have become accustomed to the fact that a lot of other birds live here too. I think they thought they were the only birds on earth, having never been outside before.

It is wonderful to have the dining room back! A 250 gallon stock tank takes up a lot of room. All the chaos in the background of this photo was caused by the puppies.

Eventually the little poopers will adjust to being outside and will integrate with the rest of the flock and we won't have to tend to their every need. Hopefully they won't do like the youth of today do and ask to move back in because the outside world is just too difficult. Go get a job, little ducks!