Six Figs Farm LLC

We have small flocks of chickens, ducks, and geese primarily to improve our soil. They dig up bugs- the chickens by scratching, and the ducks by thrusting their bills into the ground. We make sure they have a good life- lots of fresh air, certified organic, soy-free feed, fresh clean water, and space to have good duck, chicken, and goose lives.

It’s always fun to watch them as they go about their business. A rooster sounds the alarm, and the hens all run and hide under the coop. He gives the all clear, and they come out and begin the business of dust bathing and scratching for bugs. When the rooster finds a delicious bug morsel, he calls with a special trill, and his favorite hens come running for it. The ducks lead a more simple life. Eat, drink, bathe, nap, repeat. Wanting a more sustainable flock of ducks, last fall we added a drake- a male duck. The geese protect our ducks, and they get so mad at him when he’s chasing the female ducks. They’ll run after him, honking. Poor guy.

Most of our birds don’t have names- we’re a farm, and they’re livestock. However, a few have managed to have distinctive enough personalities that they do have names. Armpit the duck runs right up to me and obviously has a lot to say. She chatters to me for a few seconds, then runs off. Simba the rooster is generous and kind with his hens, and a good protector. Skugga the duck will snuggle with our son for quite a while. I’m not sure she enjoys it, exactly, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Saffron the goose likes to be between me and the ducks, so she ends up in a lot of photos.

Chickens and ducks are different in a lot of ways, but the way that comes to mind most is their bedtime behaviors. The chickens all go in their coop and up on the roost at night. Shut the door, done. Ducks and geese, however, would like very much to not go in anywhere at night. They are, fortunately, easy to herd. We feed them at night, as well. That way, they know that going into their shelter means they get food. Every night, we herd the ducks and geese into their appropriate shelters to keep them safe.

We keep our ducks, geese, and chickens on fresh pasture, and move them as needed to new areas. We keep them safe from predators inside electric fencing, with a movable solar charger. The chickens sleep in a coop at night, and the ducks and geese in “chicken tractors”- movable shelters. We move them through our orchards and fields over the winter, to fertilize, scratch, and eat up pests that would eat our crops in the growing season.