Google Images Update 3/26. Scroll to bottom
We decided to try something new and at the same time do a repeat of something that worked out pretty well for us in the past.
Bob, the head of ranch security We had a problem with losing birds to predators before we started tying Bob to the front porch. http://www.grangerlandrfd.com/tail-of-two-dogs .
When we had problems with snakes last spring we took him off the rope. The problem there is that he loves to herd. He tried herding one car too many and got his hip dislocated for all his efforts. Now he walks like me and the chickens are only safe within the radius of his rope. We had done something else that worked well and that was a goose. Actually two of them.
http://www.grangerlandrfd.com/our-2-knotheads
The top picture could have been our Geese instead of a Google Image. Mrs. Goose was a prima donna who just had to go across the street to bathe in the ditch. The county had ignored this ditch since forever and there was water probably 10 months per year. One day I returned home to find her flat in the road.
To this point, Mr. Goose had acted like a bully with our Rottweiller and adult grandchildren. We watched him go through some of the stages of grief and then turn into a pretty nice guy. Then one day our daughter (who disliked him immensely) came carrying him to our porch. Same story. Because of this we had Lake Wilcox dug but it could probably have been better named “Mr./Mrs. Goose Memorial Pond”. http://www.grangerlandrfd.com/scraping-the-ditch
Mr. and Mrs. Goose Memorial Pond http://www.grangerlandrfd.com/texas-welcomes-new-lake
Google Image We just ordered a new type of duck as well. They are female only so we are going to avoid two things. The aggressive behavior of competing male ducks and the heart melting cuteness of new baby ducks.
We will see how they turn out but there are some things we already know. These are Black Runner Ducks. They don’t fly so they really shouldn’t be leaving at a whim. We lost two female Muscovies from the last batch because when we released them from the nursery they took one look at the herd of amorous males and disappeared.
We will see how they turn out but there are some things we already know. These are Black Runner Ducks. They don’t fly so they really shouldn’t be leaving at a whim. We lost two female Muscovies from the last batch because when we released them from the nursery they took one look at the herd of amorous males and disappeared.
The picture above is the future. This one is now. This type duck (Black Runner) is supposed to produce 200 eggs or more per year.
We have 16 females and if they do what they are supposed to it amounts to a bunch of eggs per year. Duck eggs, we are told, are far superior to to hen eggs, for baking.
We give eggs to people and I don’t know what they will think of duck eggs. I can’t tell the difference between chicken and duck eggs and normally think of the people who can as having pretty active imaginations. Sort of like telling the difference between Nubian goat milk and cows' milk. I can’t do it. Oh well, we didn’t get into this for money. We’re having a lot of fun but that’s a lot of eggs. Some estimates of production are around 150. Maybe they will turn out correct.
We have 16 females and if they do what they are supposed to it amounts to a bunch of eggs per year. Duck eggs, we are told, are far superior to to hen eggs, for baking.
We give eggs to people and I don’t know what they will think of duck eggs. I can’t tell the difference between chicken and duck eggs and normally think of the people who can as having pretty active imaginations. Sort of like telling the difference between Nubian goat milk and cows' milk. I can’t do it. Oh well, we didn’t get into this for money. We’re having a lot of fun but that’s a lot of eggs. Some estimates of production are around 150. Maybe they will turn out correct.
They are shipped from the hatchery in Cameron, Texas in a box like this. It’s pretty crowded in that box and, this time of year especially, there is a reason. It’s warmer that way. They come right into the post office and you get a phone call telling you to pick them up. They can live off the yolk for two days after hatching but we still don't let any time be wasted getting to them.
When they come in we always open the box at the front desk to make sure the whole shipment arrived alive. If there are problems that’s when you need to know. They were a hit. Everyone "oohing" and "aahing" and one guy taking pictures with his cell phone. I made the comment that nothing was cuter than a baby duck, then had to apologize to the lady who was holding a baby about a year old. I like human babies too.
I don’t know when we knew that you can mail a bird through the postal service. I guess I knew when the hatchery first told us but my bird whisperer probably knew long before that.
This is pretty much the picture that everyone saw with the only difference being the first impression which I will try to describe. The box was sitting higher and when we cut the nylon strap that held the top and this big yellow head popped up. You could see the heads of all of them but the goose was head and shoulders above the rest. I am pretty sure he thinks he is a runner duck but every time I look he is standing guard over his girls. Sally said he looked very wise and named him Solomon. Naturally that became Sol for me. She does not like that name. We will see. As he will be a deputy I think I would have preferred Cujo.
I don’t know when we knew that you can mail a bird through the postal service. I guess I knew when the hatchery first told us but my bird whisperer probably knew long before that.
This is pretty much the picture that everyone saw with the only difference being the first impression which I will try to describe. The box was sitting higher and when we cut the nylon strap that held the top and this big yellow head popped up. You could see the heads of all of them but the goose was head and shoulders above the rest. I am pretty sure he thinks he is a runner duck but every time I look he is standing guard over his girls. Sally said he looked very wise and named him Solomon. Naturally that became Sol for me. She does not like that name. We will see. As he will be a deputy I think I would have preferred Cujo.
It’s sometimes a very great distance between the March you envision when you are in the middle of winter and the March you get when it arrives. This year the low temps were at the freezing point or below when they arrived. Normally new arrivals go here. Most of the time that involves a mama to keep them warm but not when you buy hatchlings. You can see the electrical connections and there is a heat lamp hanging inside. It works very well and there is one just a little smaller on the other end of the porch.
When we find mama sitting on eggs this also serves as the delivery room and it works very well. Plenty of room for the large feeders and waterers (babies cannot swim in them) that are made for birds. Here we have no mama and with the weather as it is, no real chance for them if they are left outside.
When we find mama sitting on eggs this also serves as the delivery room and it works very well. Plenty of room for the large feeders and waterers (babies cannot swim in them) that are made for birds. Here we have no mama and with the weather as it is, no real chance for them if they are left outside.
I made this for another project and it worked just fine. Of course that was one duck. The bird feeder and waterer would not fit with all those bodies so we improvised with bowls. Now we had 17 baby geese/ducks in the same space wanting to go for a dip in the waterer. I’m pretty sure the time a load of water lasted was measured in seconds but it might not have been that long. The bird whisperer informed me that her birds could not stay wet and demanded to know what I was going to do about it?
Time to go to the junk pile. The pan is one that I put hay bales on for the donkeys. With duct tape patches for the holes in the bottom it could allow our floor to stay dry.
The cage is one we got for Parrots and there is a removable tray under them.
Things were still inadequate. They were still swimming in the waterers.
The cage is one we got for Parrots and there is a removable tray under them.
Things were still inadequate. They were still swimming in the waterers.
The waterer is one we got from our son-in-law and had been used for his cat. That was an improvement but mostly it meant they could swim longer before our house was under water. The bird whisperer filled the water tray with pecans and they started drinking instead of swimming. First we tried gravel but the stones were too small and we were afraid the babies would try to swallow them. Today we bought $2.17 in marbles from the dollar store for a safer solution. The expenses of parenthood just never stop.
We are going to watch the weather closely. When the lows go above 40 we think we can put them outside and hang a second heat lamp. Maybe by Monday.
These pictures are of 2 day old poultry. This goose cannot know he is a goose. Yet he stands aside and appears to guard and herd his girls. I think there is a good chance that this will work out. He will be caged with the ducks until he is big enough to hold his own with the male Muscovies and they really are not aggressive except to other male Muscovies. Then if we are successful they will roam and swim during the day and lay eggs and spend the night in the duck house.
We are going to watch the weather closely. When the lows go above 40 we think we can put them outside and hang a second heat lamp. Maybe by Monday.
These pictures are of 2 day old poultry. This goose cannot know he is a goose. Yet he stands aside and appears to guard and herd his girls. I think there is a good chance that this will work out. He will be caged with the ducks until he is big enough to hold his own with the male Muscovies and they really are not aggressive except to other male Muscovies. Then if we are successful they will roam and swim during the day and lay eggs and spend the night in the duck house.
We are going to try to raise these kids differently. Our birds are very tame but we think we can do better. He was a bit reluctant at the first attempt at bonding but it will get better.
3/26/15
This is what they looked like when we took off for a trip of eight days. We asked Rosa to feed them for us. She told us when we returned that she had been required to fill the water containers three times per day at the end. That made me curious and I went out to the cage to see what they had turned into.
This big guy had center stage but you can see that all of them just about tripled in size.
This is part of the group with Sol excluded. The tall one in the center has a bun on her head. No, it isn’t a knothole in the wood.
Now to work on getting the goats a bigger pasture that will allow me to convert the ex chicken house, goat house, into a duck house and pen. After a long dose of rain and feeling bad I finally have a few days of sunshine to work on that.
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