February Happenings

Wow, it's crazy that a month has gone by since my last post! So, what's going on at Pigs 'n Poultry? Well, let's get into this!

Our Greta girl decided to pop out an egg that had no shell. Not so unusual for a first egg so it wasn't totally a surprise. It was a surprise that she is now at laying age. She's been with us since May and boy that took a long time for her to start laying! I was curious so I did a little research - geese only lay during the spring months and they usually only lay somewhere from 10-30 eggs per season. I had read somewhere that geese CAN lay as early as their first fall, but it's not common. She did do something that looked an awful lot like nesting and it was in the yard in between two garden boxes. Weirdo! This week we got a big surprise - and I mean BIG...

This mutant weighed in at 248 grams!

This egg almost looks fake-o, but it's real. The grass and blood stuck on it when it was brought in...man I felt so bad for Missy Greta. To go from a pretend egg that just had a leathery "shell" to this behemoth! She can't go back now! Fortunately, her routine is every other day since this big one.

The waterfowl egg collection

We used the goose eggs to make a frittata and it was delicious! I think that if we were to use the goose eggs for breakfast we could probably get two servings from one of those eggs! I'm accustomed to the duck or chicken egg size. We will enjoy these while we have them though - they won't be coming all the time. I'm excited about these eggs and look forward to more eggs from Greta. It will be interesting to see how long her laying season turns out to be in the end. Once she is done laying she'll go into her first real molt.

The other thing that happened in the last couple of weeks - my co-worker/friend and his wife dropped off 10 more young hens. It took a couple of weeks, but we got the new hens...

So that afternoon our flock increased to 31. When Clint asked how many we had now, Tom first said we had 26 chickens I quickly piped in and said 31 because of the little girls. We tend to not think of them since they haven't started laying yet, so I'm sure that's why we kind of forget about them. They don't offer anything but a lot of cuteness!

The Buttercups tend to want to be together, but they have been accepted by the older girls. Back when they were a couple of months old Tom decided to convert a dog house that we got down the street from our house.

November 2, 2019 - The Buttercups are finally out of the Brooder!

The best sight ever! Chickens out on grass.

The dog house got a door, a heat lamp and a perch too! So for three and half months they have grown accustomed to their home. I doubt that they will want to move in with the big girls.

So the chick shaw is filled a few more chickens and they are getting along better with each day that goes by. The first day we had to catch each of the new girls and physically place them in the chick shaw. This is actually a funny sight in the morning when the girls are first released for the day...23-26 hens coming out of the chick shaw. You wouldn't think that so many chickens would fit, but they do! Can you say Clown Car?

We have been keeping an eye on Fiona and her belly! She is looking good, but not huge. According to some research that I did recently, she may not even REALLY look pregnant until she is about 3 months after she has been bred. So when we do our willy-nilly calculations based on iffy memories we think that she was in heat last in mid-November. So that would put her around 3 months now. Gestation is 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days - approximately. If she continues to have her hangy belly swaying back and forth when she is running toward us at feeding time we might see piglets during my vacation time or sooner, maybe.

We know that she is not fat because they have been on a diet since last summer and Rex is looking pretty darn good. It's taken some time, but he is finally not looking like a....well...a pig.

This month has been quite rainy and I'm ready for some dry weather - especially on the weekends. I have so many things that I want to do!

Also, looking forward to the day when I can be home doing the farm life and making my own schedule with the time that I have in the day...

This is my happy place!

Betty

Betty is back at it!

A few weeks ago I said out loud that I didn't want to try to break Betty's broody the next time it comes around. I wasn't thinking that a few weeks after uttering those words that she would want to sit. She must have heard me...tricksey little hen! Then she went broody and Tom said that he would like to give Betty a couple of eggs.

What would be great is that these will be females. With my luck we'll get two drakes. What would be good is that the eggs hatch at all. Not that we doubt they will, there is a chance that they won't. If they do hatch that would happen around September 24. My thought is that I could get some chicks from the local farm store and take the ducklings from her and raise them with the chicks. We ended up raising W & L after 4 weeks so it seems like maybe we should just raise them from the beginning. Of course the problem with that plan would be that she is the momma and she was a good one to the first two that she hatched. So, I need to think about this carefully over the next few weeks before the eggs hatch.

What we have observed is that W & L are more duck like than the Magpie Squad who were hatched and then shipped to the feed store. They had to figure out things on their own. Other than showing them the water and their food, they followed their instinct and that really only goes so far. The thing that I do like about the Squad is that they are not totally skittish around us.

Betty is great though - every couple of days she will totally tear out of her nesting box (which is a tote) and get down to business. Eating, getting hydrated and get in a dust bath. Each task is done with great urgency. Unfortunately I usually don't get to witness her time OFF of the eggs because I am at work most of the time she goes into this routine. So, the garage door HAS to be open just wide enough so she can get out of there!

Growing the Magpie Squad wasn't something that I thought would really happen. However, it looks like Betty is our ticket to the charming and delightful Magpie Duck. I am glad to add a couple more, but what would be really great - one of the magpie girls going broody and hatching her own clutch of eggs. I guess this will have to do for now.

Life on the farm is time well spent.

March 2019 Vacation

Today is my last day of vacation before the weekend. What did I accomplish this week?

On Monday we spent the day doing stuff around the house and enjoying the REALLY nice weather. I don't think that it was terribly warm, but it wasn't cut to the bone cold. We did have a dinner invitation to our friends house - it started with a suggestion to go have coffee - to us bringing dessert to said friend's house to them providing dinner. It's hard to one-up that one, so dinner with friends it is!

Tuesday was pick-up day at Jenk's - or rather at the pick-up location for Jenk's which is a gas station a couple of miles away from the hatchery. The drive to Tangent was uneventful as was the drive back - although there were more cars going toward Portland which is not unusual. Anyway, the little Freedom Rangers came home on Tuesday and there have already been changes just three days later. Today I noticed that their little feathers on their wings starting to develop.

Other than those two things, the week has been pretty quiet and relaxing. Felida Bible as a church doesn't observe the Lenten Season, but our Small Group has decided to observe this year. This is the first time that we have been a part of a group that is observing a practice that is mainly connected to catholics or lutherans among others. I had been thinking about doing something anyway as a way to refocus time that I spend playing games on my Kindle. I suppose the Lord has been gently nudging me to give up the games and other time wasters. I felt even more convicted when another player on one of my games announced via a group chat that she would be deleting all the games she plays for Lent. So, I hopped onto the chat and announced my intention to remove my games and here we are. So far I don't really miss the games and I have been spending more time reading my bible and have even made some progress in a couple of my books. Definitely the right decision. 

The only other thing that is worth noting is that we went to the movies on Thursday. We haven't gone to a movie theater in a while and Tom has been wanting to go. It's always been something he has liked to do. Me - not so much. Since he is willing to see anything that looks interesting to me I got to choose the movie. I decided that Green Book looked interesting. There was only one showtime yesterday at 4:10 at the Vancouver Mall Cinetopia. There were only two other people in the theater so it was kind of nice. Good movie too.

Overall this has been a relaxing week and even though I didn't accomplish a lot as far as our farm, I'm okay with that. I needed rest and relaxation.

One more video for fun.

Rest and relaxation on the farm is best.

Fifty Percent

The Magnificent 7 resting in the shade

I have noticed over the last week or so that the ducks are starting to form their own little groupings.

The first grouping would be of Lenny & Shelly and Shelly's little girlfriend Phyllis. They are almost always together. Although there are times when Phyllis decides that she wants to hang with the other Magpies, but she tends to get bullied a little - so then she usually makes her way back to the hooligans.

Grouping #2 would be an unnamed duo who is usually off by themselves (except at meal time). They do not have names because I haven't had any inspiration where they are concerned.

Group #3 - well, this is an interesting group. This group includes the remaining ducks. At first I only noticed the ONE drake. He doesn't sport a cap like most of the others, but a smaller spot toward the back of his head. Anyway, I thought "Wow, this one has three girls..." Oh, and I named this one. Tom was reading about Tropical Storm Gordon and I thought - YES...for some reason the name Gordon fits. It's an old name and we do have Leonard, Sheldon and Phyllis, so not really out of place. So, I thought he was the only other Drake. 

Until....

We were out taking care of the critters before dinner last night and I saw Group #3 and then I spied the telltale sign...

This curved feathers means something

A curved tail feather. This is the identifier for a male duck.

And one of the three that I thought were all girls ended up being another Drake.

Oh fine. 

So, of the Eight Magpie Ducks that we have, which includes the patriarch Shelly, four are drakes.

Sigh.

OH well, Farm Life with waterfowl is the Best Life!

Love Connection?

Back in April we picked up our ducklings - and now they are pretty much all grown up. At what point do we stop calling them ducklings anyway?

A couple two three weeks ago we moved the girl Magpies closer to the chicken enclosure and the hooligans became aware that the 7 girls were here to stay - as if they didn't know it before. So once I figured out that they were kinda sorta interested in them I suggested that we let them co-exist in the same space. It was touch and go for the first week or so. Neither were in any great hurry to make friends.

Well, it has taken a couple of weeks, but I do believe that the girls and the hooligans are okay with being with each other and have figured out who is in charge - that would be Lenny, just by his size really, but we know that Shell-Bell is the one in charge.

THEN last week I was observing the ducks and Lenny together and was noticing that there was one duck hanging close to Shelly. Tom had already mentioned that Phylis (she has a crazy feather tuft) and Shell had been pal-ing around together. However this is the first time that I saw them together.

After a minute or two I watched as Shelly started to pick on Phyllis and kind of attack her. I wasn't really understanding what was happening until I saw him trying to mount her...

WHAAAAT?! She is only three months old!! I don't believe he was successful, but they do hang around each other. A LOT.

It must be her crazy feather tuft on her head.

Since then I have noticed that she will follow him around and not hang with the rest of the ducks. Not all the time, but more often than not. Even when it appears that he is ignoring her she'll stay near both him and Lenny. It's almost like Lenny is their chaperone.

Lenny, Shelly & Phyllis from L to R

This makes me happy, I'm glad that there has been a connection and that maybe in time there will be others being accepted by our little Romeo.

We have some time until the ducks start laying eggs. I think what I read was as early as 6 months, which would be October. If they don't lay at all, that would be fine with me. I'll have extra time to figure out a proper little area for them to lay eggs in. Maybe one day we'll have ducklings!

Farm Life is the BEST Life!

Three Months!

The Magnificent Seven are 3 months old today!

That's it. There's is nothing else for today. The girls get little attention these days. They are fairly low maintenance and only act up when they are hungry. 

If we could make this their very own special day we would, but they don't understand - So, a photo will have to do.

Farm Life is the Best Life!

Magpies?

Could these girls possibly NOT be Magpies?

Over the past week or so I have been wondering if these ducks really are Magpies. Their coloring is the same as well as some other characteristics such as their temperment and all that.

This is our Magpie drake - you all know him as Sheldon (Shelly)

However, in my quick research on the differences between the Ancona and Magpie, I found that they are related, which is obvious based on these photos. However, Magpies are a Light breed and top out at around 4 to 4.5 pounds. Ancona ducks are a little bit larger and can get to 6 to 6.5 pounds. At this point, in looking at their size now at two months old, they appear to be slightly larger than Shelly. I'm not sure that they are done growing either. A couple of pounds make a difference in smaller animals and I think we'll be able to tell the difference pretty easily.

Also, I have noticed over the past week in particular that the new girls have some feathers that are blue and green. These feathers don't just have a glint of color in sunlight, but in their actual feather color. Shell-Bell has blue OR green feathers only when the sun is shining on him.

One other difference would be the wings. Shelly's wings are definitely not flight specific sort of wings...kind of stubby in a way. The girl's wings are definitely larger and they appear that they could get some lift if they tried hard enough. After some more research, it appears that they are not prone to flying either, so that's a good thing.

Now what? Well, at this point, now that the girls are two months old I probably will not be able to do much about this problem as far a returning them. It's only a problem because I specifically wanted Magpies and potentially have the opportunity to breed them. According to the Conservation Priority list on the Livestock Conserverancy website the Magpie is listed as threatened. While the Ancona is on the "Watch" list...and yeah, they are both heritage breeds. I thought it might be fun to breed Magpies and maybe make a little extra cash for a heritage breed duck.

Even if Sheldon were interested in mating with these girls I wouldn't be increasing the numbers of the Magpie breed. That is the disappointing part.

I don't know...we'll see. Getting rid of them is not an option. I have grown attached to them, I can't imagine not having them even if they are not what I had requested in the first place.

Whichever breed we have we have a nice little flock of heritage breed ducks.

As a side note - these girls are TWO months old! There is always a milestone to celebrate with animals!

Even with disappointing discovery - Farm Life is the Best Life!

Just My Luck

Pekins and Mallards(?) at Wilco last night

We might have a problem on our hands. Yesterday we made a trip out to Wilco to see if there would be any Magpie Ducklings arriving this spring. NOPE. 

WHAT?! 

They had pretty much EVERY other breed arriving at some point this spring, but no Magpies. 

Our plan for this spring is to add a few girls for Mr. Sheldon. Not only so that he could have some of his own kind to be friendly with, but also for the eggs. Also, I just like ducks. They have great personalities! And our little Magpie is a NUT! A little spazzy, but totally fun. He is so willing to just goof around with us and that just irritates the big guy (Lenny). A small flock of Shelly's is sure to drive Mr. Lenny crazy!

Back when these two were probably less than a week old

I did a search of the local feed store in our area and the other farm supply stores also, and nothing. It would figure that I would pick a duck that is rare. In fact according to the Livestock Conservancy website our little Sheldon's breed is on the "Threatened" list. Swell.

So, the next best thing is to find a place online where I can order these little girls. The only problem with that is that there is a minimum order - which I understand. Even if the minimum for any one breed is 5 that doesn't mean that would be considered a full order. Most places want at least 15 or 20 and up. So, there is the other problem. I am not in the market for adding a lot of ducklings or adding different breed. Let's face it there aren't many people in my circle of friends who want ducks...so I couldn't order for other people.

We are already pretty much a spectacle. We are a novelty as far as the "neighborhood" goes. It's bad enough that Lenny is SUPER loud, but he is just doing his job really. It would be hard to imagine a few breeds of ducks running around.

Not sure how we got them to stand still long enough for a photo shoot - this was their "homecoming"

As I write this I have been in contact with another feed store in our area - they are checking into maybe...possibly adding a small order of magpie babies for one of their shipments.

I'm hoping it will be possible...please oh please oh please. The final answer will come tomorrow!

This duck would be so happy with his own kind to play with! 

Who wouldn't want a small flock of these cutie ducks running around?