Muscovy Ducks

Remember a few weeks ago when I was going to ask more questions about getting some Muscovy ducks? I've been doing research on them, and in the process, I found a lady who was just giving away 7 of her ducks! Normally, people sell them for about $14 or $15. That's what I was going to have to pay in the spring for some.
So, two days ago, I ran out in the pouring rain and mud, and got myself a little flock of ducks! They are about 4 months old. They reach sexual maturity at about 7 months, so they will be of breeding age come spring. What a score!!!


        

Muscovy ducks



There are 2 definite females, and 2 definite males, and 3 of which I am unsure. You can eat their meat and eggs, and sell their chicks, so I think my investment will pay itself off. They are also extremely useful around a farm. People who have them around horses, etc, report a reduction of up to 80% in the fly population. They also eat slugs (my nemesis!!) and other bugs.



Makeshift 'quicky' shelter for my new ducks!



I made a quicky shelter for them out of pallets, hay, and an old tarp. I am going to make a bigger, better shelter for both the ducks and my layer hens, and put them out in the pasture, so the chicken coops can recover and grow grass and weeds again. Right now, they are just stinky mud, and it is getting quite disgusting. Pasture raising is also the healthiest way to raise your poultry! I am just hunting for a used car canopy (cheap!) to use for them. Also, because the Muscovy's have REALLY sharp claws, they will be excellent to put for protection for the chickens. I was worried about 'coons and such, but I think these ducks should solve that problem.



I have never had duck before. I guess these ducks are super-lean, and look more like beef, but aren't gamey or anything. I will try some next fall, and let you know!

What else can I tell you about these ducks? Oh! They are quiet... no quacking! And they are roosting ducks, not swimming ducks. They can swim, but don't need or usually want to much. All in all, very interesting, and should be alot of fun!




Electric Chickens

My poor chickens.
Last week, I was wanting to put a light into my Dorking coop, as they have completely stopped laying, and I need more eggs. I was rearranging my extension cords, so I could make it all work. I plugged in the cord in my coop with the layers in it, and went to rearrange the light. Suddenly, there was a great SQUAWK behind me. One of the chickens was laying by the fence, it looked like her foot was caught or something. I ran and picked her up. His foot wasn't caught, she was just acting funny...
I shrugged and went on with my rearranging.
A minute later, the chickens all freaked, and flew from one side of the pen to another. Then, they freaked again. Then, another big SQUAWK! and one of the chickens looked like she got sucked into the fence. She just lay there, looking at me. I picked her  up, put her down, and she walked away like nothing had happened. The birds kept freaking. I couldn't figure it out!
Finally, I noticed the plug I had just thrown carelessly over the fence was actually touching the fence with the prong parts...
It all came clear.
I was wearing my gardening gloves, which just happened to be coated with rubber for waterproofing. This is why I didn't get zapped! The poor chickens got it anytime a feather even went near the fence.
I don't think I should be allowed to work near electricity anymore;-) What a dumbass.

Poor chickens!
They all came out fine, no one was permanently damaged, and lets face it.... it was really funny to watch!!

Another Scrape...

Well, I got myself into another funny scrape this morning.
I am caring for a coonhound. She is a lovely girl, but very independent, and does not yet have a recall built in. She just does what she wants for the most part.
Somehow, she got under or over the back fence this morning, and into my neighbours yard. I still can't figure out how she did it. She is NOT a small dog, and I really can't figure out how she materialized over there! I tried calling, but she gave me the 'screw you' look, and trotted further away. I silently freaked inside... sometimes hounds will get on a scent, and just GO, and no looking back. They can cover a lot of territory, and could be really hard to find or catch.
I had to walk away from her direction, along the fenceline, until I found a portion I could manipulate and squeeze under. It has been raining on and off for days, and the ground is wet and mushy and cold. Not pleasant!
After I got to the other side, I saw that the naughty hound had gone under yet ANOTHER fence, into the mobile home park behind me. Great! Joy! Happiness! NOT!
So, off I go crawling under another fence. This one was a bit higher off the ground, and not so squeezy. Miss Hound saw me coming, and booted it the other way. She new I was going to get her! I scooped some treats out of my pocket (thankfully I always have a pocketful of treats for such emergencies) and she hadn't been fed yet, so I guess she was hungry. She looked at me, then made the decision to come get a treat. WHEW! What a relief! There was the great chance she could've gone the other way, and I would've ended up chasing her forever and ever.
I snapped a leash on her, and crawled under the first fence, and enticed her with a treat to follow. Then she pulled me over to the fence to visit the rest of her friends who were so patiently waiting for me. I then led her back to the fence bordering my yard. I looped the leash around my wrist... I was NOT going to risk losing her again at this point! and started to crawl back under. Going back was WAY harder than the other way. Of course, what should happen as I'm half way through the fence, all contorted and trying to squeeze myself as small as possible?
The phone rings!
Of course, being a business owner, I don't want to take the risk that it may be a new or existing client, and they may not leave a message for me, they may just call someone else...
So, I reach into my pocket - not an easy task, as I am in a position I can't even describe at this point, and get out the phone. I notice it is one of my favourite clients, so I press the button and answer.
Then I started laughing so hard, my client couldn't even talk to me! Thankfully she is one of those wonderful people with a sense of humour, so I told her the predicament I was in (meanwhile Miss Coonhound is pulling as hard as she can to get away, which makes my situation just that more difficult!). We both had a good laugh at me, made our appointment, and hung up. Then I had to wiggle and squiggle and worm the rest of the way under the fence.
Then I had to lure Miss Hound under. Not as easy as it sounds, as she is a big girl!

We are all safe and sound on the right side of the fence now. I have changed into clean, dry clothes. It is now raining out, so I am glad I wasn't crawling under fences later than I was. I fed everyone, and put them in their beds for a little bit so I can recover. Luckily, it is a holiday day today, so I can relax a bit. I will tell you that Miss Hound has completely lost her freedom privileges, and will be on a leash for the rest of her stay here. I am not taking the chance she escapes and decides to run the other way!

Making More Plans and another Farm Visit

Through doing dog agility, I have met a fellow farmer. She and her family have a 50+ acre farm not too far from here. They have beef cattle, Boer goats, Muscovy ducks, and sheep. Plus lots of dogs. What's a farm without lots of dogs??!! Anyway, Jody invited me out for a visit and a tour of her farm. I am continually researching what different ways I can make money from my farm, so one day I won't have to do the dog boarding anymore, and I figured this was a great chance to get some ideas.

Jody was amazingly helpful, and gave me lots of good information, and my little brain has been going a mile a minute since I got back.
Partly because I fell in love with her little goats. The Boer goat is traditionally a meat goat, but Jody says only about 10% of the goats she sells are for meat. The rest all get sold as pets. They were super friendly, and very cute. I actually cried a bit when I saw two little kids (about 3 months old). I've never seen anything so amazingly adorable. They have little floppy ears, and the friendliest expressions on their faces. I guess they are a friendly and docile breed.
I think I want a couple! I've been going over plans in my head about how to make it work with the boarding dogs. I think my own dogs would adapt to them very well. If I had 2 little goats, they would go a long way in helping me to clear all the brush and grass I have growing around, and keeping all the brambles in check. That's my main reason for wanting them. They need no extra feed, so upkeep and costs would be quite low. I am thinking of getting a breeding pair, then they would have a couple of babies every 8-10 months or so... these I could sell for about $150-$175 each. I think its' a win-win situation. I get free land-clearing, and the goats get an all-they-can-eat smorgasbord.
Jody's babies are born in January. She has invited me out to see the little ones just after they are born. I can't wait! They are weaned and ready to go in April. So, I have lots of time to figure out some dog-proof fencing. I am going to leash train the little goats, and make sure they grow up super friendly, so they will be easy to handle and move about the property.

They also raise Muscovy ducks. Jody sells live ducks, and meat ducks, and eggs. Next time I go out, I'm going to ask many more questions about those, too. Who knows... maybe another way to make some income on my little farm!

First Frost

Well, all of a sudden the nights are COLD, and we had a really sharp frost last night. It went from being 8-10 degrees C at night to less than zero the next night. Yuck. I am decidedly NOT a winter person. I am already starting to count the days until we start getting more light again. I am not liking this 'get dark by 7 and not light until after 7 thing. And it gets worse before it gets better.

We have had some really, really gorgeous days this month... I have finally been getting off my butt and doing stuff in the gardens again. I cleared a bunch of beds (mostly by just smooshing everything down) and put a layer of hay on them for the winter. This should start composting, and by spring I will have some water-retaining, earth-worm loving, beautiful soil. I am not doing fall rye again this year. What a pain in the butt that was this spring. Trying to dig it in, then it just pops back up and keeps growing while you are trying to plant, and then a bunch of it went to seed, and I'll never get rid of it now... hay just seems so much easier! Hopefully I'm right about that.

My Cochin chickens are not having a good time of it. The male, especially. No matter where I put him, he gets picked on, plus I worry he doesn't get enough food. So, the other day, I had a 'brilliant' idea. There is an old rabbit hutch on the property (it came with a rabbit when I first moved in, but Maggie killed it within about 2 minutes of being on the property). Anyway, it's just been sitting there, getting all overgrown with grass and weeds, so I decided to put the Cochins in it. They are not happy there, either. They refuse to go out the little door to the 'outside' area of the hutch, and are just staying crammed in the little indoor area. I even put their food and water outside, and they will reach out with their necks to eat and drink, but won't go right out. Then, earlier today, I found Maggie had opened the hutch door, and had her head in the coop. That's it, I thought.... those Cochins are DEAD. I got her out, and checked... miraculously, they were still alive! And seemingly unharmed.
Then, a while ago, I found her in the hutch again.
BAD MAGGIE!
I got her out again. Checked. My Cochins were still alive! Maggie was sticking her head in the coop to eat poo. Not eat chickens. Wow! I was floored. Not that eating poo is a good thing, but it's a darned site better than mascaraing my chickens! She had ample time to kill them, and chose not to.
Am I a proud doggie mama, or what??!!

But, obviously, this hutch isn't working, either. So, tonight, I am going to try moving the Cochins in with the meat birds again. If I have them as a pair, instead of the male by himself, maybe they will do better. The meat birds will only be there for another 2 or 3 weeks, so hopefully they can make it work until then.

Horses, sheep, and other livestock

A couple of weeks ago, Katrina, who owns the horse and ponies that normally board here took them all away to go eat grass on a new field. Review, the horse, is such an iggy-piggy, that he has eaten my field almost bare. That boy just never stops!
She loaded up the equines, then we decided it would be good for her to take my little goat, Burley with them, too, so he wouldn't be lonely. She didn't even have to entice him into the trailer... he just hopped up and snuggled underneath Reviews neck.
My field looks so empty and bare without them. It is lonely, and the farm doesn't seem quite as 'farmish' without them.
Hope they come back soon!!

I have also been approached by some other people to keep 5 or 6 sheep in my field. They would use the sheep for herding practice. If they do this, it would be in exchange for herding and/or agility lessons. My idea! Herding lessons are super-expensive.... $40 for a half hour.... so getting a few free lessons now and then would be awesome. I can learn, and Kybosh can hone her skills.

I picked up my 2 new buff Cochin chickens on the weekend. They are very pretty... a really nice golden colour. The male isn't fitting in very well, though. Two days ago, I found him with his head buried in a hole by a fence post (just like you see ostriches do in the cartoons!!) and his butt in the air... several of my laying hens were pecking at his butt. Poor guy! He is do docile, he is just not defending himself. I picked him up and put him in with the meat birds for the rest of the day and night. Then, last night, all he wanted to do was go back in with the layers. He was lonely for his girlfriend, I guess. So, I plopped him back in with the 'girls'. I am watching carefully to see how he does. Hope he's ok, as I really don't have another place to put him right now.

I am also having challenges with the 3 little free chicks I still have in my living room. They are very healthy and robust, but they are starting to escape. One flew out yesterday, and Reckless almost ate him (or her??). Now I have to watch every moment to make sure they are not going to get into trouble! Two more weeks, and my meat chickens go in to be processed, and then I can put these little guys outside. If they survive that long!

Another Visit

Yesterday, a cow from the neighbours yard came to visit.
Some of you who have been 'following' for a while may remember last year when a couple of cows came to visit. It took the owner hours to get the cow back into his own yard. The cow really, really didn't want to go! At the time, I thought...."wouldn't it be nice to have a border collie to herd this cow?!"

This year, I had my little border collie.
We've had all of one lesson in herding, but my little Kybosh has great instinct. I haven't a clue what I am doing.
The cow came over really early in the morning, and I had all the dogs out, and was on my way to feed the chickens, when the dogs all rushed the cow. Blitzen, the whippet, got there first, jumped up and bit the cow on the ass. I guess he thought he was a border collie.
He got a good swift kick in the ribs for his trouble.
The other dogs continued the chase. Maggie, Boom-boom, Kybosh, Reckless and a little terrier, Kira. Blitzen was cowering on the ground at this time, crying.
The cow was back in her own yard in moments.

Then, the stupid cow came back later that day. Cows are supposed to be smarter than chickens... aren't they???

This time, I saw the cow before the dogs did. I rushed them all inside, except for Ky. I told her to 'get it'. Not a herding command, lol, but I panicked, and said the first thing that came to mind.
Anyway, Ky had that cow trotting easily back towards the fence in no time. She looked back at me once to ask if she was doing the right thing, and I told her good girl, and keep on going, and she escorted that cow right back to her own yard. No fear in that little girl! Now I really want to keep up with the herding lessons when I can afford it. It will be so helpful here on the farm in the future!

I called the owner of the cow, who came straight away and fixed the fence. Yay! No more cows for a while, anyway.

Oh! And Blitzen is just fine. The cow obviously didn't get him too bad, and he recovered in moments.