Outdoor Nature Hour #8

Outdoor Nature Hour #8 took us to the local TSC this morning.  All of our chicks that hatched out a couple of weeks ago have disappeared.  We think they all fell prey to a hawk.  The mommy hen turned them loose very early and she had not been the most protective of mommies.  I'm still glad she went broody on us.  Maybe her mothering skills will improve next time around.

Anyway...I wanted to finish up our observation of baby chicks.  I had planned on taking a trip to the park and observing some ducks.  I thought we could compare and contrast the chickens and ducks.   So we stopped by the local TSC  to buy a fruit tree and what did we hear when we walked in the door...peeping

So following the sounds we discovered chicks and ducklings.  A perfect oppurtunity for nature study!  We held the chicks and ducklings and compared the beaks and bills.  We looked at the tiny webbed feet of the duckling and compared them to the toes of the chicks.

Before going into the store Bo asked me if he could take some of his birthday money in to spend.  I told him that would be fine.  He had been looking at the model animals when we were in the store last week.  Well today we left with 6 baby chicks.  These were no models!  He wanted the real thing.  So maybe we will have six baby chicks to study for a long time.