Hopalong Hollow....

Hopalong Hollow, where the Blueberries grow sweet, and the moss feels soft beneath your feet.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Multiple births and EGGSPLOSION in the Barn!

Hopalong Hollow Gazette Reports!
This reporter witnessed a most amazing sight as an eggstra perplexing happenstance  occurred in yonder barn.  It all began when this reporter heard the frenzied cacklings and cluckings emanating from said barn and investigated the situation. What this reporter witnessed was quite eggstraordinary, as Peggy, a sensitive white hen of diminutive proportions, and sporting a flopsy red comb,  was observed in near hysteria atop a loft truss.
 She, being covered in egg yolk, egg white and little broken egg shell shrapnel...dangling from her backside, frontside and eggstremities!
 Upon investigating the area around dear Peg, this reporter followed a slimy trail of egg goo and shell cracklings  to discover a peculiar phenomenon ... a nest full of hot boiled eggs which had spontaneously combusted right beneath poor, unsuspecting, and hopeful mother -to- be, (or Not- To be), Peggy!  In other words, Peggy was a sitting duck!
Nature played a cruel trick on the little hen. Alas, Poor Peg, it seems, was not destined for motherhood, after all. When this reporter asked for an in depth interview with little Peg, she declined comment and spent the remainder of the day hiding from all other hens in utter shame and embarrassment. She could be overheard mumbling "rotten eggs, rotten eggs" over and over again. What she really needs is a dip in the pond to remove all reminders of this unpleasant incident.

 On a happier note, we announce the delightful birth of 8 bouncing baby ducklings courtesy of Gwenda.
An experienced feathered lady much more capable of knowing the difference between a fertilized egg and one that is not.

the following newsreel!


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Sorry for the length, I had trouble with my editing program. If you get bored with my little  ducklings, skip ahead to the end and watch the ducklings swimming in the big murky brown puddle, ( which  becomes a big murky green pond when it rains)




I have also been asked which ducklings are the males and which are the girls. Well, it is too early to tell. An easy way to "sex" a duck is by its tail feathers and the quack it makes. We won't see these differences for a month or so. A male duck has a cute little curl in his tail and instead of a loud QUACK, he makes more of a muffled QUeek.  As far as breed, all the yellow feathers you see will turn white and it looks like all the babies are different shades of Blue Swedish duck, like mama, rather that pure white Pekin, like daddy.

37 comments:

  1. Hi Jeri,

    Oh poor Peggy and yes, a dip in the pond would be much needed, after all that.
    Glad that Gwenda had more luck and how precious the sweet little ducklings are.
    Hope all is well at Hopalong Hollow.
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  2. Cute little duckies. I got the beautiful book I ordered from you today for my grand princess. Very lovely and delightful. I will be ordering her more! Thanks!

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  3. Poor, poor Peg. I hope she doesn't give up trying, though. Ducklings...is there anything more adorable? Well, maybe kittens but they are a close second. Always enjoy your posts, Jeri.

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  4. There is no better news program AROUND! NOT A ONE! This is videojournalism at its BEST! CONGRATS to the new duck family! But again, this city woman is a little confused....teeeheeee

    OK, how did Miss Peggy get these eggs under her? I know, dumb question, but Miss Peg, you are dealing with a city peep here! Secondly, those darling ducklings....are the dark ones boys and the light ones girls, or vice-versa? Though these conundrums continue in my brain, I am sure of one thing: I LOVE HOPALONGHOLLOW and Miss Jeri Landers!

    Oh how I enjoyed myself this morning my friend!!! Anita

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    1. Anita, I keep forgetting that not all of the Gazette readers are farmfolk! Here is the farm scoop: Miss Peggy was sitting on these eggs in an effort to hatch them, unbeknownst to her, they were not fertilized and could never hatch. But she sat and sat, in the hot barn, with her warm body heating up the eggs even more, until KABOOM! the hot boiling eggs exploded underneath her. I am sure it freaked her out totally, and she will never try it again!

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  5. Oh poor bewildered looking Miss Peggy. I hope she does better next time.

    Gwenda and her babies are so cute. I couldn't quit smiling.

    FlowerLady

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  6. Poor Ms. Peggy...she definitely needs do overs....
    But Momma Gwenda has it all figured out. Those are such darling ducklings. I love there little "feeties" especially the dark ones with their two tones paddlers. What a delightful video. I loved seeing all. And my, my how the puppy has grown into a gorgeous protector. Oma Linda

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  7. Poor hen. I had a rotten egg explode in my hand once and never want to smell that again. There is nothing cuter than a baby duck. They have that little smile at the corners of their beak. And, I bet that pup sure wanted to swim in after the babies. What a good dog for watching over them instead.

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  8. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! OK.....wow, I need a Farm Lesson 101 course! And I know the place I would want to go: HOPALONGHOLLOW FARM! Sheesh...I know NOTHING about eggs other than I go to the market to buy them to make an omelette! Oh Jeri, thank you for explaining! MY GOODNESS it must have reached HIGH TEMPS in that barn, and under Miss Peg's BUTT! Now I can see why her bum is yellow! I bet you see some incredible happenings in the barn. How I wish I could visit you and get first-hand tutoring about animal life! I love the creatures so....

    THANKS FOR CHATTING! Anita

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  9. You have such a fascinating delightful life Jeri. I am glad you explained the explosion of non-fertile( little baby chickens) eggs. Bummed me out at first. take care! Gina

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  10. Dear Jeri,

    Ick- Rotten eggs are the worst stink bombs ever! Poor Ms. Peggy! We loved the duckling, show, though, and could NEVER get bored after only a few minutes.

    Love,

    Marqueta

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  11. I have been swooning out loud (SOL) over the movie and Mrs. Peg's ordeal...Gwenda looks like a very good mama. Hopefully, Peg will recover!
    Love, Debra

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  12. Jeri, seriously, you had me in stitches!!!!!! Thank goodness you explained to this Urban Chick what the whole kerfuffle was about! All kinds of strange and awkward ideas as to what may have gone wrong with Peg just flew through my mind! Phew! Now that I know she is not giving birth to exploding eggs, I can have a little chuckle at my own expense too :) And oh my goodness! LOVE those baby ducklings!!!! How cute, I could just SQuEEZE them! And I love the music you put to the video, what is that? I love Celtic music, is it Celtic? Dear Jeri, if we lived closer, I would love to have you as a dear neighbor! So much charm and excitement, the kind that leaves this Urban Chick in wonder :)

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    1. I wish I could squeeze those ducklings, but mommy won't allow it! The music is called country celtic, I just found it on you tube... but it wasn't quite long enough. I wish I had some dear neighbors, but I haven't any!

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  13. Hi again! I just had to add a link to this blog post on my blog. It was just too cute not to! I hope you don't mind? Please let me know!

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  14. Oh poor Peggy, that's too bad. I hope the poor girl feels better soon. The ducklings are just adorable

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  15. Oh poor Peggy. She must have been in a frantic. I have never heard of eggs exploding before. LOL! Well you found out she is a good setter. I love the new ducklings. So cute Jeri.

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  16. Oh no, poor Peggy. I wonder does she actually feel like she has lost her babies? Lovely to see you on my blog this morning and thanks for the "Boom" tip. I'm going to seek it out, sounds so easy!
    Have a great weekend and give Peggy a nice warm bath :-)
    Di
    xxxx

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  17. Not to worry, Peg is a bird of little brain. The next day she was out and about with all the other chickens pecking away in the garden!

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  18. Poor Peggy ~ phew ~ rotten eggs, oh the shame of it all !
    Baby ducklings HELLO THERE ! Congrats Gwenda .

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  19. Oh my, dear Jeri...where to begin?! First of all, I just want to give poor, sweet Miss Peggy a BIG HUG!!!
    Now how does one wash exploded egg off of a hen?? :)
    And the baby ducklings! Who could get bored watching baby ducklings??? Not me... :))
    THANK YOU for sharing this darling video!! I love how the mama has to run to catch up with them..heee....
    Your pup is amazing....watching over them....a beautiful sight.... :)
    Thank you for this delight and magic, lovely Jeri!
    A blessed week to you...
    Hugs,
    - Irina

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  20. teeeheee....I so love this POST!

    Oh Jeri darlin'!!!! ALL IS WELL. WHEW....my post was a poetic attempt to capture the moment while waiting, but your interpretation of the small print is correct; all was NEGATIVE!

    Now how's everyone on the farm? Looking forward to see what autumn is going to bring to everyone at the Hollow!!!! Anita

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  21. Jeri - this is such a terrible thing to happen to poor Peggy...I bet you are right she will never want to sit again. As for Gwenda - she looks like a proud mama. Loved when she spread her wings and flapped them - it was like she was saying hurray - I did it! Hope you have a great day and that you won't have anymore eggexplosions!

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  22. Look what I missed! Oh Jeri, so sorry, I could not help but laugh! Poor miss Peggy. BOOM! I think you are right.. Don't think she will sit anytime soon, or ever.. I know I would not..

    What a treat this was for me to watch the video.. Congratulations Miss Gwenda... Your ducklings are adorable..

    Question Jeri... Have you ever had a peacock egg hatch before?
    So sorry this one was a dud.. That would really be something to see.
    Thanks Jeri, this was such fun!
    fondly,
    Penny

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  23. PENNY, Nope, and I just took 4 eggs away from Minerva the Peahen, because I knew they were not fertile and she was wasting her time sitting. But next mating season I will let her sit, and maybe we'll have some wee peacocks!

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  24. Thank you so much Jeri! I am so happy you got a kick out of her.
    She has been done for quite a while, just waiting on me... I am blessed that she sold.. Thank you for wanting to send Bev over..
    fondly,
    Penny

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  25. Knock knock! Is Dimity Doormouse home? Bebe here... I would like her to come take a boat ride with the gang over at Nowhere.
    Love,
    Bebe

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  26. Oh I shouldn't laugh but oh dear oh dear.

    Love Leanne

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  27. YOU FINISHED YOUR BOOK????????????

    JERI LANDERS DARLIN'! You must put on a party at the HOLLOW! Get your best and brightest reporters out to tell the story! (that means all the creatures!)

    I am so happy to hear the results of a hard-working artist come to fruition! BIG HUGS and thanks for coming to visit! Anita

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  28. Anita, Basically, YES! I have about 4 square inched to paint today and that's it!!!! I hope to post soon on my book jacket.

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  29. Dear Cousin Jeri,

    Sorry to hear about poor Peggy's frightening experience! What a surprise it must have been for her!

    Gwennie's ducklings are so sweet, just adorable!

    Your cousins,
    Diane and daughter Sarah and Tillie Tinkham the seamstress mouse at the Corgyncombe Courant

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