Merry Christmas to everyone! This has been a busy month. Christmas, cold weather came in so had to finish up winterizing, had my npip testing, etc. The chickens are starting to pick up laying slowly, even though it's freezing. I've got japanese bantams and 2 duck eggs in the incubator due to hatch around New Years, and if another hen or two starts laying I'll be setting eggs again soon. Once I've hatched out some, and fertility is good I can finally start to sell some. I think I may even ship ducklings and chicks in the spring, and started birds in the fall. If all goes well that is. I hope everyone has a happy holiday. God bless!

On Monday morning the water company was in front of the house working.  They were pretty loud, and all that I could hear. I walked outside to get something out of my car, and didn't see any of the birds. I heard what sounded like a cat meowing, and thought maybe the ducks had cornered one of the kittens in the coop. So I walked down, and as I got closer I could see a big grayish bird chasing around the chickens. So I started running, and it flew away. It had killed one of the call ducklings and an easter egger chick. One of the japanese hen's got an injured eye either from the hawk or being trampled by someone running away. She is looking much better now though, just a little scabbing left under her eye now. So the flock is on lockdown until around noon each day. They aren't very happy with it, but it's a compromise we'll have to deal with. I feel safer letting them out later, and they still get free time. I'll be going through the kids room soon and looking for baby toys they've outgrown I can put in the coop for the geese. They get bored easy, and I need the room with Christmas coming up soon.