Happy as...

 

I believe you have heard the expression "happy as a pig in shit"?!  May I introduce you to "happy as a duck in muck"?!

On Monday the sun came out, advancing our snow melt exponentially.  So in the afternoon, when Oskar, Ulani and I were dozing in the sun on the couch, I let the chickens and duck out into their run.

We basked in the warm caress of the sun.  Ari got down to business in the mud.

That duck bill is made to dig around in the mud in search of whatever delicacies she can root out.  Not unlike a pig's snout.  My lovely white girl, with her perky orange bill and webbed feet, spent a good two hours in her mud bath.  When I arose from my doze and went to check on her, she was merrily waddling around, singing "quack quack quack" to her chicken posse. 

After dusk everyone went inside.  On a hunch, I turned my camera on as I entered the pen to see what I would see.  And Ari looked like this.

Honestly!  I'm sure she would have loved to be thrown in the bathtub.  Instead I left her to her own devices, and by morning she was much cleaner.  In time to go back out into the mud!

Unrelated note.  I noticed today on a farm store website that it's almost time for chicks!  In addition to a few chicks, I'm considering getting a pair of Indian runner ducks.  I wonder if Ari would enjoy them?!