Chickens, Ducks & Turkeys
Edelwind Farm Animals
Chickens
Chickens come first on the list of our Animal Friends because they were our first foray into caring for farm animals. We’ve come a long way from those first three! Those three ladies were free to roam about the farm at will, however, as the flock grew, we started losing chickens to predators.
We now have a large fenced in area for the ladies to roam about in at will, and the indoor coupe has grown considerably with a large roosting rack, and many comfy laying boxes.
It is fascinating to watch them being – chickens.
They love to scratch at the ground, forage for juicy insects and tasty greens, and have dust baths. The first time we saw a chicken having a dust bath, we thought it was injured! But no, chickens clean themselves, getting rid of old feathers, and bothersome bugs by fluffing around in the dirt. The dirt also absorbs excess oil, keeping their skin clean. They love to hang out in the holes these dust baths make to stay cool on a hot summer day.
When chickens are given the freedom to live out their natural behaviours they are healthy and happy, and the eggs they lay are rich in vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids.
It is quite amusing to watch the hens come running on their two little legs, swaying their bodies from side to side, when we approach with the kitchen compost bucket with green scraps for them.
When we have some older ladies in the flock, sometimes we are lucky to get double-yolkers!
The older a hen is, the more likely she is to lay a double-yolk egg, which is essentially her body producing the possibility to have twin chicks. In that way hens are like human women!
Ducks
Once we felt comfortable with raising chickens, we were eager to diversify the species in the barn yard. At a local “Fur and Feather” show, our children decided to buy three baby Indian Runner ducklings with their well-earned egg money.
The ducklings were so cute and small and yellow and fluffy. Those three ducklings followed our two children everywhere.
Eventually they traded in their yellow fuzz for white feathers, and their necks grew longer.
Indian Runners are great egg layers. We have been fortunate to have had a few hatchings of ducklings in the barn yard. The Mama ducks are very protective of their little ones.
The eggs we collect from the ducks have pretty pale blue shells. We love to make scrambled eggs with them, and the flavour and fluffiness once whipped, make them perfect for baking.
We also have Muscovy ducks waddling around the barnyard, when they are not splashing around in the water. Their eggs are a bit larger, and the shells are white. The yolks are large and orange, adding richness to baking and egg dishes.
