So, some things we've learned in the past year or so of starting our little farm:
-Ducklings make a huge mess; ducks make a bigger one.
-I'm never keeping 19 chicks in a box in the den for 4 weeks again.
-Always buy more than you think you'll need when working on projects. Special emphasis on pipe and fencing in this.
-My favorite farm equipment is a pair of rubber boots. This is closely followed by the wheelbarrow.
-It takes a while to paint 24 cabinet doors. One of these days these will be done.
-Snakes an inch and a half in diameter can eat two chicks four inches across...easily. He does, however, go into hibernation afterwards, making it very easy to get rid of him.
-A family of a few mice allowed to spend the winter in the spare section of the coop will exponentially increase in numbers to a family of roughly 3,205 mice. They also might be smart or quick enough to set off traps without getting caught in them.
-Fence around the new fruit trees BEFORE a buck rubs his antlers on them.
-Never spontaneously butcher an unrepentant incessantly-crowing rooster in your favorite jeans.
-Having a mom living nearby is a huge help. Especially when she has experience in home repairs and loves the animals. This is even better when she can be drafted to take care of the animals in exchange for eggs. :)
-A possum can be capable of tiptoeing his way through a virtual minefield of traps and eating the bait meat. All of this is without actually setting off a trap. Although, he actually is capable of this as well; he just isn't necessarily in it at the time.
-One can never have too many egg recipes.
-A coon (That's RACcoon for the Yankees out there) is not necessarily phased one bit by a flashlight in the eyes or a rubber boot banging on the side of the coop.
-Ducks can potentially be herded into their coop. Chicken herding is impossible. Very, very impossible. They also cannot be bribed.