Day Brighteners: so much done since last post

Well, Rachel was the first to lay eggs, then Phoebe, so we were getting two eggs a day. We ended up with a few dozen by the end of May. Rachel was also the first to start brooding. I thought she was sick (have I mentioned I grew up downtown, I mean right downtown, Ottawa so what do I know about chickens right?) so I was bringing her treats like tomatoes and sorrel which she loves. Phoebe must have thought Rachel was sick too, she would take some of the tomato and drop it right in front of Rachel so she would eat. She tried to get behind her and push her out of the coop so they could go outside together. Several days later I was really worried so asked someone who claims to be an expert on chickens what I should do. He said she's just broody so put a couple of eggs under her, she'll sit on them and once they've hatched she'll be back to normal. So a friend, Tim Aubin, gave me three duck eggs for Rachel to sit upon. She did. She sat upon them for FOUR WEEKS. We were going away the long July weekend so I candled the eggs to see if I should remove them before they started to smell or something (it's amazing what you can learn Online). Well just as I was turning my head away from two of the eggs, I thought I saw something slightly moving. Assuming it was my imagination I put the eggs back under Rachel and figured I'd remove them and deal with her broodiness when we got back. The day after we got back, I went to fill up the water and food containers in the Coop and I saw two little yellow heads peeking out from behind Rachel!!!! Ducklings!! I can't imagine anything cuter than ducklings.
Rachel ignored the third egg completely so I followed suit and disposed of it.
Next are pictures of the chickens and the "chucklings" as we call them. I really want to make them in order and present them nicely but get so frustrated by the blog setup I could scream. They are out of order and I don't know how to get them in order, but please enjoy them anyway.
Thomas has been enjoying the tractor and helping so much to keep the property tidy. We got a new sign for the van, wave if you see us in town delivering.