Who would eat a chicken?

Here's what's been occupying most of our time lately. . . .

A few months back, we headed to a farm auction in Enumclaw. We had been working on our coop for several months and were ready enough for some birds. So we came home with 4 hens, 5 pullets, and 21 chicks---go big or go home---and already had 4 ducklings (yes ducklings) purchased at the feed store just a week prior. I mean the chicks and ducklings are so cute, how can you say no? Well, the average person can say no or rather the average person probably doesn't even think "I would like to have some chickens and ducks of my own."

I'm not going to lie.....having all those chicks was a lot of work. The hens and pullets were easy---food and water and a place to rest and walk---but those chicks! The chicks were only a day old when we got them and boy do they need lots of care for the first few months. I learned the hard way (cover your eyes for those of you faint at heart) that chicks cannot be near standing water and lost 3 right away, and last week we lost another 4 from another water incident.

So our farm has grown by 5 hens, 5 pullets, 14 chicks, and 4 ducks, which are all living happily together in a big chicken run. We don't have any fresh eggs but hopefully they'll get to laying soon. The children are totally loving this experience and love to care for them. We've recently watched the movie "Home on the Range" a bunch, and we love to quote to our chickens "Who would eat a chicken?" and giggle with delight.