Today is a day where you start to feel like a parent sending there kids off to kindergarten for the first time. The ducklings are back outside and we have to decide if they spend the night outside tonight or not. We a projected overnight low of 42 degrees it is mostly likely they will. We also discuss predators today. The reality is we have little pressure due to angry geese, big dogs, perimeter fencing with barbed wire and some reasonable density of neighbor housing, all of whom also have large dogs. Our biggest concern is hawks but they are not likely to bother them this close to the house under Max and Charlie's watchful eyes. In other news Buddy the Goose laid her first egg and she and Joe are starting to nest a bit. We hope she goes broody, they don't always in their first year. Number 5 our two year old female goose seems very interested in the baby ducks and in a very non aggressive way, she likely has "mommy hormones" beginning to flow. Two of the muscovy hens have been observing the same way so I am hoping they might go broody soon too. As I have said before, the best way to brood ducks in my view is don't, let a mom do it if she will oblige you. Next up the USGI Shelter Half I mention here can be found often on eBay and in some surplus stores but they come and go. Here is a current listing, http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/111385268775?lpid=82&chn=ps if the seller is sold out just search ebay for "usgi shelter half". These are the old school ones I used 25 years ago. The military has better now but these can't be beat as tarps. Another tough as nails tarp option can be found at Old Grouches Military Surplus. At this link http://store.oldgrouch.biz/ussutawomaca.html this are what is currently issued to the USMC. Again though I can't say enough about the shelter halfs if you can find them. Sure they are smaller than these tarps, http://store.oldgrouch.biz/10cata.html but look at the price and they are made from the same material. We have beaten ours to death around here and they keep on working and holding up. On growth the ducklings today weighed in at 8.225 ounces on a twenty duck sample. A 1.145 ounce gain for a total body weight gain of 16.17%. This is continuing the pattern of very high growth followed by slightly lower gains ever other day. Running weight gain is as follows Day One Gain 29% Day Two Gain 17% Day Three Gain 30% Day Four Gain 18% Day Five Gain 28% Day Six Gain 6% Day Seven Gain 25% Day Nine Gain 16% Note that since the first few days of their lives they were not weighed, the ducks are now 13 days old and collectively the fifty little girls have gained a total of more than 20 pounds in nine days! Episode One - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F1YJi-6ygk Episode Two - htt ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ0i_41i_ao

Do you think a Sheriff should be able to write laws and then enforce them, because that is what current net neutrality regulations are. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34SJB36-Dhg