Ducks

Welcome back!

I know I was going to show you more about wool and my spinning wheel but Matt has been sick and I haven't had any help with the chores. Matt is good taking pictures and videos, too. Since he was sick there wasn't anyone to take a video of me spinning. I'll try again next week.

Sometimes things don't work out the way we planned so we change plans and do what we can.

We had snow this week, just like you!
I love it when it snows because it's so quiet when I head out to the barn in the morning.
It may be cold, but it feels a little cozy because we feel like we live out away from town.
We don't, we live in the middle of a very big town, next to a very busy road!
The snow quiets everything and it makes the farm feel peaceful.

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Guess what Stinky caught!
One reason we like having cats is that they can find and catch mice!
Mice are smelly, they carry diseases that will make you sick, and they make a mess when they get into food.
Good job, Stinky!

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You already know that a rooster sounds different because he crows, and hens cluck. Did you know that boy ducks and girl ducks sound different? Your mom and your dad have different voices, so do ducks!

The boy duck has a darker head, and the girl duck has a light colored head.

Listen closely and you can hear one duck that quacks, and one duck that has a quieter, funny sounding quack. Quin thinks that duck has a broken quacker!

He doesn't have a broken quacker, he's a boy duck! Boy ducks are called drakes. Girl ducks are called ducks. Watch and listen to the duck with the dark head, you'll hear his voice. Watch and listen to the duck with the light head, and you'll hear her voice. 

The next time you are at a park or a pond with ducks see if you can hear the ducks and the drakes. 

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Here is another new hen.
She is fluffy and black!
Her name is Lucy. I think she's pretty with all her fluffy feathers.

Lucy is drinking out of the waterer. It holds about 3 gallons of water so the chickens always have something to drink. It's always a good idea for the chickens and other animals to have water, but sometimes they are out of the coop and they don't feel like walking all the way back to get a drink.

What do you think a chicken does when it doesn't have water close by?

They eat some snow!

It's still important to make sure the animals always have water to drink, but animals are resourceful and they will eat snow if they don't have any water around. 

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Do you have a dog or a cat with a collar?
Do they have a tag on their collar to tell someone who to call if they get lost?
So do our goats!
Look closely at River's collar and you'll see part of my phone number.
If she ever gets out of the barn yard and gets lost, whoever finds her will have a phone number to call.

Goats can't talk, they can't tell someone where they belong or give someone a phone number.

I hope you have a phone number memorized so if you get lost whoever helps you can call your mom or dad.

I hope you have a great week! I hope you have some time to play in the snow!