Well, now that they are 4 months old we have had to rename Ruby, who is now called Ruben! I think we are doing pretty well as first time "chicken parents". Our brood loves their cozy house, and they really enjoy roaming the big backyard during the day! We can't wait for the first eggs! Thanks again for the great newsletter. I love all the helpful information and reading about other peoples' experiences with their chickens! Sincerely, Carolynn Schiller

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Jerry : A couple of years ago, I was raising chickens and ducks. One late summer a duck had a nest right inside the door and a chicken came by and laid an egg. A few weeks later the chicken hatched (earlier than the duck eggs do) and there was this little lonely baby chicken. I decided not to take the chicken in the house and left it with the duck, thinking that when the baby ducks hatch, I would put the baby chicken in the pen. A few days later I go out and find the nest empty. I looked all over the big chicken house, the yard, everywhere for the baby chicken.

Then it hit me, the baby chicken probably followed the baby ducks to the pond and drowned. I run to the pond only to see, momma duck, 6 baby ducks, all in a row, and a yellow baby chicken last in line. WOW, I didn't know chickens could swim. I learned later that leaving the baby chicken with the momma duck that the oil off momma got on the baby chickens feathers and that kept it from drowning.

I chased the momma duck and baby ducks all over the pond to catch that baby chicken to keep it from drowning. I did not know a baby chicken can swim as fast as a baby duck. To this day I cuss myself for not running to get my video camera. Finally they all got out of the water and I caught the baby chicken.From that point on, that chicken stayed with the ducks, even got caught in the mud and had to be pulled out. It ate with the ducks, slept with the ducks and stayed by the pond edge with the ducks for years. Jerry Brandt, La Grange, Mo.