An interesting day!

It started with thinking hte ducklings would enjoy seeing the little pond for the first time so I caught them out of the A-frame.

Catching them scared the silkie broody hen off her nest that is right beside the ducks home.

Put her cooling eggs under another broody hen that went broody yesterday so all was well with the eggs at least as the silkie went screaming up and down the fence trying to get back into the main flock.

Put china eggs into empty nest in case silkie found her brain and went back to her nest.

Ducks HATED the pond so put them back into their A-frame.

Glanced into rabbit cage with three day old buns in nice deep nest box.

Baby bun hanging out of the wire!

So in I go only to see another one! The first one was dead already but the second one was alive but all the way stuck, no way to get it loose without wire cutters.

No wire cutters to be found :hair

Had darling daughter A hold the babies head up so it doesnt hang like its brother and go tearing round the house and sheds looking for the wire cutters that I was using only yesterday. Found THREE pairs of needle nose pliers but no wire cutters.

Tried needle nose pliers instead and had it half free when darling son D found the wire cutters that I had been running round like a headless chicken looking for. Where were they? Three feet away from where I was trying to free the bun, in plain sight.

Got it free, took out most of the bedding in the nest box and got the remaining babies settled in before freeing hte dead one and giving it to the kids to bury. They like to say good bye so its a good job for them.

Then had a moment of "Hmmmmmm, I wonder?" so went to look at Diamond who had NOT had her babies on time and as I saw the buck having fun with her less than a week ago I was SURE she had weeks to go yet.

Fur pulled. Of course. So I was putting in a nest box and having a good look at her and thought "You are lots messier than you should be if all you have done so far is pull hay!" so had a look under her cage.

One brand new bunny, all curled up in the hay and droppings under the cage. Still wet but it seemed fine, despite the three foot drop.

So I put it in the nest box, she was very UN-intrested so I left it curled in the fur I had gathered up and crossed my fingers. Then had a very good look under the cage again, on hands and knees, gently digging through the rotting hay and worms and ickyness but thankfully, no more buns down there.

Not too much later I hear it squeeeeeeking and her digging in the nest box as she built a nest. Sure hope she didnt squash it flat but the way today has been going, its anybodies guess.

By now its late evening and the silkie broody hen had found her brain and gone back to her nest so I took five more eggs out of the bator to give to her as the other broody hen was NOT giving "her" eggs up, come hell or high water. Of course, she is in the main nest box so I now have to find somewhere safe for her to hatch them out. I ran out of dog crates three broodies ago.

Its been an interesting day, it really has!

GB - that makes my Saturday sound very boring!! I love the way your kids just get on with it - they sound very down to earth and helpful.

Dandelion wrote:GB - that makes my Saturday sound very boring!! I love the way your kids just get on with it - they sound very down to earth and helpful.

Well, we have sat all together on the ground while they cry over the little body of something newly dead but then they bury it and they are happier then. They really like the idea of reincarnation and the little one getting a brand new life and the garden getting the goodness from the body. I guess its all what you grow up with really