Yep, Still There!

I cut a little of the pasture tonight, but it was so dry and blowing so hard, I figured I was doing the grass more harm than good.

Look what I saw on Spehar's pond:



No goslings (ducklings!) yet!

Born Free Part II

The day dawned as if it were going to clear.

But by the time I left for work, fog was rolling in.

During the day, it cleared, got cloudy, cleared, and then another storm rolled in and it rained again.

When we got home, we did chores.

Men, stop reading here.

I seriously need a new bra.

So after we ate dinner, I walked down (squelched down) into the pasture to see what was going on down there.  The Spehar's ponds are out of their banks.

If you look to the left, the nearest pond has flooded up onto the banks.  Biggify it and you will see. It looks like Mr. Spehar has been excavating down there trying to make a place for the water to run into. (out of camera view to the left)  You can JUST see Mr. Spehar's garden at the foot of our hill... the dark area is tilled and his stakes are up at the left... the white sticks you see.

So, I wandered over to the left, the north, to look at the pond in the calves' pasture, also out of it's banks.

 I know the Spehars are watching that the calves don't get stuck in the mud.  Our pasture was very bad....and I noticed that the llamas have been sticking to the highest ground for their paths.

I also noticed that I was going to have to get the pasture brush-hogged (aka bush-hogged) before I can start mowing it... the grass is growing that fast.

As I turned to go, I heard a sound that made me laugh out loud.

I turned around, and this is what I saw:

Uh-huh.   They didn't go very far.



Born Free

As you can see, we had a little problem this morning with the Egyptians.

The tarp covering the small pen they were in was separating, and the male climbed out.  He didn't go very far.

They are absolutely beautiful birds... and the grayish feathers you see on their backs are actually colored like guinea feathers, tiny dots.  Beautiful!

Aztec was fascinated by them, and watched for the longest time.

I guess I should tell you that at this point, the entire flock of the big henhouse was inside... afraid to come out, I think.

Here they are from the side, they really are nice, aren't they?

I found a co-worker who had kept some, and she told me that they eat pellets, same as all the other fowl.  I did not see them eat ONE pellet, though.

SO.... I went to church, and when I came home, I noticed that the llamas were looking to the north as one... staring at the calf pasture.  What I suspect they were staring at was a pair of ducks... Egyptian ones... because they are BORN FREE.  Yep, I'm out my money and they went bye-bye while I was at church.  I intended to give a shot at keeping them, or put them on Craigslist... but I didn't get very far.

I warned my neighbor to check his pond frequently this week, as I suspect they'll stay in the vicinity for a while.  I read numerous accounts last night that there are pairs traveling with canadas and they are seen frequently... so I'd like to think they are going to enjoy Duck Nirvana.

Like I said, Live and Learn.

It was this kind of day:

Small dot to the right in picture is a tiny calf.

(Note to self... we HAVE to repair roof of duck house QUICK)

When the ducks were gone, out came the chickens, and by now it was windy, as you can see from Two's tail.  The tiny hen to his left hangs out with him all the time.  She is in trouble... can you see her behind?  She is still eating and drinking, but something is going on at her rear end, and I have not been able to catch her in the last few days to look closely.  I don't THINK it's her egg bed, but I'm not sure. She is one of our oldest hens, but still lays.

The wolf at the fence.  Notice the poultry wire zip-tied onto the fencing, so the chickens can't walk through into the yard and be eaten.

We are expecting heavy rains for the next four days.  I did not get the grass touched this weekend, so may have to have someone come in and bush-hog the yard at this rate!

Here's Azzie looking at the tarp I had just put on the Mille pen this afternoon to provide them a little relief from the rain about to come.

She was a little uncertain about the flapping blue thing!

Have a good start to your week!

The Poultry Auction and Why I am an Idiot

I am.

After about 15 years of going to this auction, I LET my BRAIN run away with me!

First off, I left about 30 minutes late, and really wanted to see if I could snag an incubator this year.  Of course, the equipment had already started, and I saw no incubators at all.  I was also stunned that there were so few lots for sale... usually about 1400 cages in the spring, the numbers went up to about 800 or a little more.  (Each lot receives a sale number, and the sale is held in order of the lots).

Here is a view of the barn:

That's a line of cages reaching back in order behind the kids who moved cages for the auctioneer.  The first 50 cages or items were donated for the Heart of America Gamebird Breeders Association scholarship fund.

It was breezy and cloudy out, though the sun came out later in the morning.

Last year's spring sale was on the day of a blizzard.  I imagine you could have gotten some good bargains that day,

Here are some of the birds offered:

WHY DIDN'T I BID ON THIS SEBASTOPOL GANDER????

Too stupid. Also, I didn't stay to the 500's. 

This is where I stop and explain about the cages.  The sale announcement always says the cages shall allow the birds to stand up and move around, and that there will be no plastic or paper cups attached for food and water.  As you can see... there is not much criticism of cages now.  There were probably 100 laundry baskets with straw in the bottom, birds in them, and wire wrapped all around selling.

There were also many cages so small the birds could not stand up.  Once the birds are checked in, no one goes back to water or feed... or, let's put it like this...many do not go back to water and feed. The ducks, especially suffer at this sale, and this is why I haven't gone for two years.  Also, the gamebirds freak out.  I saw no swans this year, and very few turkeys.  Many, many pigeons of every kind, beautiful birds.

They stop at 1 to auction large animals, but this year, there were very few.. about ten pot bellied pigs, a small goat wether, and two large goats, that was it.

Peacocks that went for 150.00 a few years ago... males.... were now going for 50.00, and some (India blues) went for $35.00.  There was a time that the peacock breeders would have stopped the auctioneer and declared "No Sale".  The cameos and whites went higher, of course. (and the pieds). Top price was still under $300.00.

 I bought some Mille Fleur D'Uccles, to keep the Naughty Girls company.  I saw only one cage of Porcelain D'uccles, and I let them go.  I'll get chicks again. 

Here are the Millies I got:

The hen with the white was by herself... she was 17.00. The other three were a trio... and I paid 15.00 apiece for them, but when I got them home, am not completely happy with them.  The rooster is going to my friend Diane, for one of the 4H kids. 

A blurrier, but closer picture.

And here is the reason I am so stupid.  I let my brain run away.

These are Egyptian Geese. 

Only.... they are not a goose, they are related to shelducks. I thought... "How beautiful!  I'll just put them in the little henyard with that flock".... because I thought they were exotic geese.

Mama mia!

They are described as "vicious" and "agressive"... especially when breeding.  They will attack other waterfowl, and other birds.  Yes, they are gorgeous.... but they are in the 4x4 pen because the remnants of the tarps are still on it, and these birds will go up and OUT. 

As you can see, they are planning a way to get OUT. 

They eat seeds and grasses, none of which I have in the little pen. 

I could find only one place, Feathersite, where someone actually wrote anything nice about them.

I bought some wheat and some cracked corn at the feed store, but I also read some accounts of Egyptian geese sightings all over the midwest, flying with Canadas.

We intended to put them in the bigger pen with the dog house, and the Milles in here, but thank heavens, I came in and looked them up first. It's untarped until tomorrow.

Whew.

I did give them some lettuce and the outer leaves of the St. Patrick's Day cabbage... plenty of water... poultry pellets.  I'm Craigslisting them tomorrow.  I haven't done anything this stupid for many years, and frankly, I could have spent that money on any number of nice Pekins or calls.

Live and learn, I guess, and never too old to make a mistake.

I had a good time at the poultry auction, though it is much reduced from it's heyday.  I did run into a friend (the one taking the rooster) and she is going to sell me six hens for $5.00 apiece.  That fits the budget.  Even if they are only laying  two or three eggs a week, (each) that's enough for what we want.

There are four poultry swaps during the next six months, and I'll hit a couple of those to find some nice ducks for my retirement.

The pictures of the sale were taken a little surreptiously... they make an announcement as the auction starts that there are to be no pictures or filming.  I put the camera away at that point.  

I'm going to ask Keith to make a little henhouse for the big pen, and that's going to be Millie Fleur land for the summer!

"Let me at 'em!  Let me at 'em!  I'm bustin' out of here!"

(Nuff said)