The Return Home

Part 16

I opened my eyes. I heard the calling of the roosters and groaned. Six crows. I couldn't help but giggle. My young chicks are growing and I must take them out of the nursery pen, especially since that last rooster sounded small and quiet. I must have an early bloomer in there.

I got out off bed and quickly dressed for the day and did that straight up. It's no fun, chasing chicks while crouched just to get the bigger ones out without releasing the younger ones. There about two months difference between the two large batches.

Chasing them, I didn't mind. I was focused on that task and my thoughts didn't wonder. Once I completed that job, I crawled out of the pen and stood upright, brushing the dirt and hay off me.

It kept me distracted.

"Well, good morning."

I looked up to see Dustin. "You're up earlier than usual." I noted as I went to one of my hen houses.

"Can't ignore those roosters. Once I hear them, I'm awake."

I smiled to myself. It took me months to get use to them when I first purchased two.

"Are you doing Ava's job?" Dustin asked me.

"No. These are my breeding chickens. Their eggs don't get collected daily." I lifted the lid on one side of the hen house. "I check their nests once a week." I lifted each tail to see any eggs and was pleased upon seeing the nests. I closed the lid back down. "I have chalk and when I'm checking, I mark the house and come back later tonight to candle light the eggs." I said as I walked away.

"Candle light?"

I nodded as I went to the barn. "I can show you tonight how to do it. It will help get the task done quicker."

I feed the animals and Dustin topped up their waters.

"Would you by any chance have a spare paddock?"

I frowned. That's a weird question. "Why?"

"Well, you have this one opened for the horses, and your cows are in the large paddock. I was just, wondering."

I shook my head, giving him a weird look. "Just open that gate. My girls need milking." I saw my dairy cows waiting to come in.

"Your girls?" Dustin grinned. I pointed to my cows. Dustin followed my finger. "Right."

I laughed as I fetched my pails.

"Isn't there a machine that does that stuff?"

"Yes. But I don't want one. It would give me spare time, but these ladies like me." I grinned as I sat on a stool, a large cow in front of me. Dustin watched as I milked her, he was intrigued.

"How do you do that?" He asked.

****

All night, I've heard the vibration of a mobile phone going off and it wasn't mine.

We were in the hen house, once dinner and Ava's bedtime passed with a basket and a couple small torches.

"Are you going to answer that?" I asked him in annoyance.

"Sorry." Dustin muttered as he turned his phone off. "Work related stuff. I already told them the other day to ring someone else."

I frowned as I lifted the lid to the hen house. "You need to very gently place your hand under the hen and take an egg. Hold the egg right against the torch. If you see veins..." I stopped when I flashed the light at Dustin, seeing his confused face. "Put the egg to the torch. See how it's dark and orange? Put a small black dot on the egg with the marker and put it back." I rolled my eyes at as I picked up an egg.

I was three eggs in when I found an unfertilized egg. "Look, see this one, see how bright and yellow. This one goes in the basket."

"How can you tell?"

I smiled as I picked up another. "See this here, the squiggle lines, they are blood vessels. The bright yellow here is an air sac. There is a baby in this egg."

We did eighty eggs that night and only five were duds. I was quite pleased about it.

"Now the ducks."

"Don't you incubate them?" Dustin asked me as I marked the dud eggs just like I taught Ava.

"No. That's more fancy equipment and time and money I don't have. I rather let nature take its course."

"What are you going to do to these ones then?" Dustin asked as we got to the main pen. This one had all my young and adult ducks, chickens and geese.

"The same as I do with all my other eggs. Except with this lot, I make sure none are rotten, even though it's only been a week between the visits. Now here is the tricky one, we will be collecting all chicken eggs, mark them with a C. Don't worry about the torch on those ones."

"But when we get to the ducks and geese, this is the trick I've learnt with them over the past couple years. They lay eggs anywhere. But they have nests too. So every egg you find, just shine the torch through them, the lonely eggs will most likely be normal eggs, but it's the ones in the nests we need to have a good look at. But this time, when you find a dud, put an X on it and put it back. We don't want them rejecting the whole nests."

These birds of mine were weird creatures. I had the vet come out and explain to me the signs and behaviours, neighbours even and to prove their theories wrong, my ducks and geese did the exact opposite of their nature. It was weird, but not uncommon apparently.

"Ow! Son of a -" I heard Dustin and smiled.

"Oh, one more thing. They are aggressive." I laughed at him as he sucked on his bitten finger.

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Hello all. Just a fill in chapter, something to help with the bond.