Why I Can't Mow Inside My Chicken's Pen

I've been wanting to get out and mow the tall grass inside my chicken's pen.  I feel like they're not utilizing all the area they have because they can't get through the grass to catch bugs. 

But then yesterday morning, while I was feeding the chickens, a hen came out of the tall grass and I heard peeping.  

After looking around through the weeds I found three little chicks!  I was able to catch one and take a picture.  

Then with some poking around, I found the nest buried deeply into the bottom of some weeds.  

I don't know if the hen is still sitting on the remaining eggs.  I guess I'll find out in the next few days!

While I was looking for the hen's nest, I found another nest.  I don't know what bird's eggs they are, but they're pretty small - about the size of a robin's egg.  

And this is why I can't mow the grass in my chicken pen!  I don't know how many other nests might be hiding in that tall grass and I sure would hate to destroy them!

Now I'm trying to decide if I want to take the new little chicks inside under the heat lamps or leave them with the hen.  The mortality rate is much, much higher if I leave them with the hen so I think I may try to catch them.  

Three very wet chicks came out of the weeds this morning.  The other hens were not kind to them and I decided they had a much better chance of survival if I brought them in and put them under lights.  So far they are thriving.  

Research tells me the eggs in the bottom nest are bobolink eggs.  We've had a huge uptick in their numbers this year!

We Have A Duckling!

We've had one duckling hatch from our batch of Peking/Muscovy mix duck eggs.  If the mottled eggs are any indication, we may get at least two more!  

How adorable is this? 

One egg, the mother had pushed into the middle of the goat pen and it had a fully formed, but not live duckling in it; another egg had a little poked in area and when I looked at it, I sadly found that a chick had not formed.  I have hope for the five remaining eggs.    

Will we get more than one duckling from this batch!?!

Coexistence

One of our Muscovy ducks bred with our Peking duck drake.  I'm interested to see if there will be any offspring.  From what I've read, there might be, but they'll probably be sterile.  

The muscovy picked one of the few places in which she could sit on her eggs in peace.  In the goat pen!  She eats with the goats and goes out when we put them out for the day.  

Who is this strange creature in our pen?

I am sure it is NOT a goat. 

But I like to share the food it eats.  

We leave these round things alone because it hisses at us if we get close to them.  

The neighbors don't mind it though.  

I've read that a muscovy duck sits on her eggs for 35 days.  We have a couple of more weeks before we'll find out if the eggs are viable.