The End of An Era,..Bye Bye Duck Pond!

No more drowned chickens! 

Today we finally decided that we needed to simply fill in the duck pond located in the chickens run. It is sort of a sad affair, look at Daphne and Ginger giving it a forlorn send off. Poor babies! 

Year after year I try adding silkie chickens to my bunch and I honestly can not count how many times I have lost a silkie to that pond. The stronger silkies, which are few and far between have endured. I have one little girl fawn in particular who is a quarter of the size of the rest of my hens and is the biggest bully in the bunch. 

A few years ago I had my two very favorite hens we called the pufferlumps. They were a beautiful caramel with blue green cheeks. Just the sweetest little things. We lost not one but both of them at different times to the pond.

So after waiting many years for the original breeder to have buff silkie chicks available
(Thanks Mike) he finally did just this passed March and we were lucky enough to purchase 4 of them. What a score!

They were finally ready to move out of the house brooder into the outdoor mini coop we keep in the run for newbies. Today was their first big day loose in the run with the big girls. On our little chicks first days out we have to watch over them because finding their way in the pecking order can be brutal and you want to watch over to make sure none of them get seriously hurt by the older hens.

Along with the 4 silkies which we now collectively call the new puffer lumps, we have two golden 

polish, the Gabor sisters, Zsa Zsa and Ava. They are about a week younger than their silkies sisters and this little cluster, as they brooded together, will be their own little flock within my bigger flock.

I sat out there watching the little flock move their way around and I realized I am just not willing to risk another loss. My husband, I know, will not be able to stand the temptation of filling the pond for the ducks and as the whole flock is in lock down from the lurking fox, I asked him to fill it with sand. Which he did quite unhappily.

So the duck pond is now filled and my little mini flock should be safe from any future drownings. They just need to contend with the bigger girls.