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Mad Ducks, Chickens, Provence, Champagne and more

ducks-bon-weekend

Bonjour!

It’s been a bit of a wet week here in northern France but today the sun is out and its very warm – I felt it was a perfect day to let the baby ducks be introduced to each other! Mad Duck hatched 5 girls and Bella, daughter of Belle, hatched 4 girls and took on two boys that Dippy Doris abandoned. So far each family has been in pens next to each other but separated. The babies are around 8 weeks old now and have feathers so it was time for them to spread their wings a bit.

I opened the gates to the pens and waited to see what would happen. My main worry was that Mad Duck would live up to her name, she is quite quackers at times and can be moody. At first all was quiet and calm and then there was a massive punch up between the babies.  One of the little boy ducks I call Livingstone (that’s him at the back in the photo) since he gets through the fence and wanders about everywhere, got hemmed in by three girls and despite standing up to giant Dicky Duck in the main pen when he encountered him, Livingstone was flabbergasted.  I stayed there watching for the  best part of an hour until the sun got so warm they all just flopped down in the shade and calm returned.

Meanwhile there are twelve new lovely ladies in the chicken pen. My two cockerels Gregory Peck and Kendo Nagasaki were so excited they both did a dance! Seriously, they ran round in circles, stamped their feet and then did a sort of bump with the new ladies (remember that dance The Bump from the Seventies?!).

As if that’s not enough fun for one day, tonight I am off to a restaurant for a session of accordion music with my neighbours and tomorrow I am going to another neighbour’s birthday party which will be held in his garage (don’t ask).

Whatever you’re doing this weekend, I hope you have fun and happiness,
Best wishes,
Janine
Editor

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