Life and death on the farm

 New life is all around us right now. These baby birds are happily nested in the lemonade tree which makes for difficulty in picking fruit because mother bird is very protective. It does however mean that it is easy enough to watch their progress. The birds are Noisy Miners and we have quite a few of them here with another group of five roosting in the jasmine outside Grace's window. Puss watches them fly in for the night and wishes she could get out there but that is not to be. I think if I was a bird I wouldn't mind perching in the jasmine or hatching in a lemonade tree.

We also have a turkey incubating a clutch of eggs (I'm not sure how many and I certainly will not be trying to find out) and a clutch of duck eggs ready to go as soon as a mother duck decides it is time to nest. And quite a few lambs to be born in the next month or so.

Unfortunately there is also death on and off. It happens everywhere of course not just on farms but it does seem that with more animals to care for the chances of experiencing neew life and death are more common.
Sometimes we even have a hand in the death of animals for consumption or to put an end to suffering if an animal is injured or ill.

This morning it was our grey ducks time to die. She has not been sick at all but yesterday she didn't come out of the pen with the others which is strange for ducks. They like to stick together. We have had this duck since 2007 and I'm not sure how old she was when we were given her (so she was probably quite old in duck years) but she has had a good life here that is for sure.

Even if she had to suffer through one or two cuddles from Hope and Grace too for that matter. All that was expected in return was for her to be a duck. To quack, waddle and lay an egg or two.

I'm sure when we first started out with farming I would have had a bit of cry over the death of a duck but now although not immune to emotion, I have become more accepting of when it's time, it's time. She had a good life (like every animal here) so there is nothing to feel bad about and she is buried in the orchard which would be a lovely place to sleep.
Tracy