Quack, quack, cluck...

On Sunday, the ducks and chickens went a free-rangin'!

The chickens headed straight for the piles of litter recently cleaned out of their coop. That's Charlotte on top of the middle pile, and Lord Gaga (white rooster) on the right.

Meanwhile, six of the huge "ducklings" and the four adults left their enclosure. It was the first-ever outing for the youngsters. The other six weren't interested in tagging along. Can you tell the adults from the babies now?  The red "caruncles" around the beaks of the adults are a good clue. THey are more prominent on the males than the females.

From the left, Ronna-duck is the third one in. SHe is really feathering out; must be fluffing up for winter. MacGregor is the big brown boy next to her, then Charlie Sheen, then Eugenia (aka Mama duck) is right behind him. And behind her is Amy Winehouse, facing the wrong way!

Here they are next to the new five-foot fencing around their expanded run. The rest of the duck family is on the other side.

Sophie likes to help me herd the ducks, when she isn't eating duck poo. I think she has some Shepherd in her somewhere.

Soon there will be snow on that ground.

As you can see, Beaker is still a strutting bastion of roosterhood!

The freedom fighters  look in on the inmates, wondering what those skanky chickens are doing in there!

Check out Errol Flynn the rooster looking all nonchalant as drake Charlie Sheen gives him a backwards glance. The roosters do not mess with the drakes, but one of those new red Sex-links hens made Charlie back down twice last Sunday. It was hilarious! Normally the chickens are very deferential to the ducks, but this red hen got her ruff up just like a rooster, and was all in Charlie's face. Charlie backed down both times! He's a lover, not a fighter. He especially loves to love my arm. And leg. And if I'm squatting, he'll throw himself at my back in a fit of passion. Poor guy, it must be hard having the human girl laughing at his courtly efforts!

These two look like twins!

MacGregor giving Amy and Hannibal a prod as Eugenia (Mama) ignores them.

Ronna and Eugenia decided it would be fun to check out the duck run.

MacGregor joined them. Eventually only Eugenia was left, and she couldn't figure her way back out, so I had to herd her back home to her run.

INCOMING! We live near a flight school and get a lot of student pilots over the farm. I find it particularly unnerving when they practice stalls, or occasionally do REALLY low flyovers (so low I wonder if they are about to crash!)

This one just flew over at a relatively normal altitude. I waved at the plane, as I always do!

The sun is moving right over to its winter position, and disappearing earlier every day. I'm not ready for winter this year!