The Derby Farm: 2013

The peahen nest is right under where the chickens roost at night.

The peafowl population has grown from the inside and the outside!
As peacocks go, George is not too noisy. I'm not saying that his going off at 4am is not annoying, but he doesn't screech all the time. His call can be heard throughout our neighborhood, and I am sure it is very unpleasant to most. Except to one who must have been near by enough to hear it.
I looked out the window one morning before making my rounds of feeding, and thought that Mary, George's mate, must of gotten out of the pen somehow. Maybe the aviary door wasn't latched and all the birds are out wondering around the property. But, on a closer look, none of the other ducks, chickens, or peafowl were out. It was another peahen! She must have been attracted to George's manly call.
In case you didn't know, peafowl can fly. She could just fly away. One time, when the aviary door did fly open, George got out and was found doen the lane very high up in a sequoia tree. He finally got hungry and returned back home where he didn't have to work for food. I managed to get him back into the pen. Remembering this incident, I left food out for the visiting peahen for a day or two.
On the third day, I let the ducks and chickens out into the garden. When I went to gather them up again and herd them back in, she joined right in, and is now a remaining member of The Derby Farm. Her name is Elizabeth. So, we now have George, Mary, Elizabeth, but we also have three new members to the peafowl family. Three peachicks.

This is not a chicken. It's a peachick!

If you look closely on the right one of the peachicks is hiding.

The funny thing is, two of the peachicks think they are chickens! We have a brooding chicken, and they bonded with her because she was sitting on the duck nest but when she saw these hatch she abandoned that nest and scooped them up underneath her. One peachick follows the real mama peahen around, and the other two follow a black chicken. Won't know for a little while yet if they are peacocks or peahens. Need to keep them alive by keeping them away from drowning in the duck pond.
The count we have now: 6 ducks, 6 peacocks, 7 chickens, 10 sheep, and 11 lambs on The Derby Farm.

A New Derby Farm Season

A Fall Sunset Over The Derby Farm

A Summation of The Derby Farm Before I start Blogging Again... Or, Catching up on The Derby Farm

Lambs are born in late winter/early spring. Cute, playful, flocking.

Lambs grew up to be raggedy, loud, and boring in summer.

Lambs are delicious in fall. (I'll spare you the details.)

Lambs are made in fall when ram joins back in with the flock. Seven ewes pregnant this year!

Lambs will be born again in late winter/early spring. (Hence, the need to blog again.)

Ducks lay eggs in every season. Our ducks are always laying eggs. (Unlike the chickens.)

Ducks hide nest of eggs until it is too late to confiscate them because they are already sitting on them.

Ducks hatch out of eggs. Even after giving some away, we end up with 6 ducks.

Ducks hide more eggs.

Ducks hatch again.

We end up with 9 ducks, laying more eggs! Too many duck eggs! Anyone want to buy ducks eggs to eat? Good for baking...people allergic to chicken eggs can eat them...

Some ducks need to go. I've been threatening to eat the two extra drakes. Maybe, I will....

Peacock is finally getting the eyes on his feathers. Very beautiful.

No peacock eggs probably until spring.

Chickens have increased in number (thanks to a neighbor.) Hope their egg production increases, too.

Four chickens has gone to eight chickens.

Chickens egg colors are now small white, blue, green, and brown eggs. This is good to tell them apart from the large white eggs from the ducks.

And, big news:

Out with the old, and in with a new... ram!

But, that will be the next Derby Farm blog.