Awww…aren’t they cute?

As adorable as these critters are, I’m definitely a duck person. I love how ducks stick together. Ducks never leave a bird behind. Chickens will wander off on their own and not care the least that the rest of the flock is far, far away. Not only is this duck mentality admirable, it’s also handy. A duck isn’t going to fly the coop and head off on its merry way. Oh no. And if one duck should happen to get separated from the group? Send the flock out after her, and they’ll round the straggler up.

Ducks are also not so pointy. I like the round, smooth duck bill. It doesn’t scare me like the pointy and most surely deadly-sharp chicken beak. Duck feet are big and floopy like clown shoes. Chicken feet are giant pokey daggers.

Finally, ducks like water. Ducks sploosh and snorfle in the pool and drill huge mud holes and shovel water on each other and dance under the sprinkler. Chickens play in the dust. Achoo!

Yesterday, Andy finished the d’uccles’ pen, and today he retrofitted the cochins’ pen to give them a little chicken cave. Both pens are pretty much the same. Andy seems to have perfected the bird pen design. It’s sturdy but light enough to move.