• Previous story: Barn fire west of Ann Arbor kills more than 300 animals, including horse, steer, rabbits and chicks

Two ducks returned home to the Welshans’ family farm in Lima Township following a barn fire that killed more than 300 animals including show rabbits, chickens, a steer and a horse.

The white Pekin ducks were splashing in a puddle left by firefighters from five area departments who spent five hours Wednesday morning at the scene at Scio Church and Parker roads. No people were injured in the blaze.

“The ducks flew the coop, but they came back last night and were all sooty and took a bath in the water puddle. I even found an egg around the barn today,” Douglas Welshans said one day after the fire.

Douglas and Robin Welshans, and their daughters Bailey, 11; Madison, 10; and Shelby, 21, live on the farm that’s been in the family for nearly 150 years. The two youngest daughters are involved in Washtenaw County 4-H.

In addition to the small animals, Douglas said, they raise cattle. Seven cows and one calf survived the blaze because they were outside in pastures. Besides the steer and the horse, the fire killed about 200 rabbits, about 50 hens and 50 young chicks,

Bailey and Madison show four rabbit breeds at American Rabbit Breeders Association shows in addition to local and 4-H fairs. Two years ago, Bailey took champion meat pen with her Californian rabbits at the Washtenaw County Youth Show, and took reserve champion meat pen last year. Madison is just beginning her 4-H show career, while older sister, Shelby, showed steer.

The younger sisters raise Californians, Holland lops, mini rex and Havana rabbits. Welshans said his daughters hope to continue raising rabbits, “maybe not as many,” but first they need a place to house them.

A fund was established at Chelsea State Bank to assist the family in rebuilding the barn, which was not insured because of its age, and to help replace the estimated $50,000 in animals and equipment lost in the fire. Donations can be made to the Welshans Family Benefit.

And perhaps there might even be an old-fashioned barn-raising in the family’s future. “We really haven’t talked about it yet,” Douglas Welshans said of whether one large 40' X 80' barn will be built or perhaps two smaller ones.

First, he said, they need to clean up the area, get organized, figure out everything that was lost and make a plan for the future.

Cathie Mason, a 4-H leader who works with the younger girls for a statewide 4-H rabbit and cavy competition, said she’d called the family and offered temporary housing for new rabbits. She plans to contact area breeders to see if they’d help the girls begin to replace their rabbits.

Time is of the essence, however, as there are deadlines for ownership to comply with 4-H and fair rules and regulations for the summer events.

In addition to the animals and large barn, the farming family also lost tools and equipment used for showing the rabbits and other farm chores. Things like hand tools that were housed in a work area in the barn and specialized cages, carriers and grooming tables for the rabbits were all lost.

Although they lost a lot in the fast-burning blaze, the Welshans took stock in all the offers of help that have been extended by family, friends and a close-knit Chelsea-area community.

“Everyone is offering help,” he said, giving whatever assistance the family needs to regroup and rebuild.

The fire was reported around 11 a.m. Wednesday, and was fueled by winds, said Chelsea Area Fire Chief Jim Payeur.

About 40 firefighters from Chelsea, Dexter, Scio Township, Manchester and Saline battled the blaze, which took about an hour to get under control. The cause will remain undetermined, Payeur said, because when the roof collapsed, what remained of the building were pushed into the basement to contain the flames and smoldering.

"There was a tremendous amount of heat and the wind played a part, too," he said.

There also was a small fire in the house, and firefighters had to knock out a window. Several outbuildings suffered some fire damage, he said.

"There was a lot going on at one time at the scene," Payeur said.

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Chelsea stories, visit our Chelsea page.