Cortunix Quail

Introducing the Ducks

Marshmallow

Luigi

I firstly want to mention that I am a firm believer in never giving chicks, ducks, or other animals as a present, especially baby animals for Easter. So many of them end up turned loose to go feral and they cannot live a good life that way-- they are domesticated animals!

So the fact that we got ducks the week before Easter was actually more a coincidence then that the ducks were for Easter. They actually have never been connected to Easter for our boys, which is good, because I don't want them to grow up to be irresponsible duck-and-chick Easter present givers.

That being said, we did get the boys their own ducks. For all I know they're both girls, but I could be mistaken, especially as I'm not positive what breeds they are. I think Luigi (Noway's) is a Cayuga. Marshmallow(Boy's) is turning Buff.

The ducks have been adopted by Sunlight and the turkeys. It's hilarious to see them follow one Tom in particular around the yard all day long.

Stranger and Stranger...

We seem to be specializing in the odd and mysterious in our backyard. For example-- that strange, garbled sound this morning? That was a newly crowing rooster. It has taken all morning to catch him in the act-- Gram(p)y chicken! I can't have a rooster, so this does not make me happy.

And, what's up with the cat? And the silkies? Have they formed some kind of Mob?

 

And then we have our strange family... headed by young roo, Sunlight, and including the turkeys and our two new ducklings!


And the garden is surprising us with all kinds of treasures.

The Best Part

Easter Cupcakes

 I felt like baking today, as I was waiting for the people who adopted Orie to come and get her. I made some beautiful little cupcakes and I'm pretty proud of them.

These are Milk Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes laced with chunks of Hersheys Almond Milk Chocolate bar chunks, with a Bittersweet Chocolate Curd filling, Italian Meringue Frosting with a nob of Lavender (color, not flavor) Cream Cheese frosting, and edible pearls.

I have never actually made a filled cupcakes before today, and these turned out great. The curd filling is simply 1/3 Cup sugar, 2 tblspoons Corn Starch, 1/4 tsp Sea Salt put in a sauce pan and then a mixture of egg yolks (two from my MIL's chickens) and milk (1 1/2 C) slowly added at medium heat to the above dry ingredients, stirring constantly, I then added in a handful of bittersweet chocolate chips and stirred until it thickened and came to a boil for a whole minute. Then I chilled it, cored the cupcakes, filled a zip top baggie with the curd and cut the tip off the baggie to fill the cupcakes.

The thing about chickens, is that everything sees them as an easy meal. predators are a given, it's just a matter of what and when, even when you live in the city like I do. In one morning I lost 14 chickens, four ducks, and a goose to one coyote who cleared our chain link fence.

But it's a whole other thing when it's your own dogs killing them. It's not OK.

I have tried every method. I have gone down to a puppy to train her up.

And yesterday, our puppy got upset about being left home alone, went through a fence, and killed Starlight, a beautiful pullet, and injured three of our five turkeys.

So she has to go, and we will not be doing dogs.

We have lost, to our dogs:

1 turkey dead, three injured
1 mid-age silkie, blue
1 baby silkie
11 mid-age chicks
Two adult laying hens

All in all, we're looking at over $150 they've cost me, not even looking at the fact that I hatched most of these (not the turkeys) and the emotional toll of waking up each morning, wondering who will be dead this time.

Farewell to dogs. No more.

Good Bye to my beautiful Starlight.