Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[Quail_Antwerp]

Trouble is doing quite well! He's drinking is bottle with no problems now, is off his meds-unlike with some people that's a good thing! lol- and we've had grain down for him, which he's been licking at, and he's been drinking out of his water bucket during the day in between bottles!

So, we're pleased, but we do strongly suspect that his growth is going be stunted a little bit, so it may take him longer to catch up, and he will not be turned out with the bigger cattle when we turn Blessing out.

Ya'll should see my ducks-or maybe I should just get pictures when she does it again...

We have a mallard duck-who's a total hussy! She's been sidling up to Gary, our mallard drake, using every trick in the book to get him to turn a trick on her (can I say that here?).

Yesterday, she was dancing for him, squatting, enticing, etc etc etc. He just kept looking at her as if to say, "It's not that time yet! Do you mind? we do have an audience, ya know!"

Well, when she couldn't get a "rise" out of him, she turns to the wire that separates the rouens from the other ducks, and propositioned the rouen drake

The rouen drake immediately started walking back and forth along the wire, trying to figure out how to get to her. This set Gary the duck into a tizzy, who ran after Miss Hussy, grabbed her by her neck/head -much akin to a caveman dragging a woman by the hair- and he proceeded to drag Miss Hussy away from the wire and Mr. Rouen.

After he had pulled her to what he felt a safe distance, he released her, and she immediately goes back into her dance, squat, bobs the head routine. Gary the duck starts screaming (can ducks scream?) at her in a very indignant manner, and he's not let her out of his sights since.



I'm loving my ducks! They are hilarious!

 

[Javamama]

You have some funny ducks! I just recently decided that I need a pair for entertainment. Don't think it'll happen though.

 

[Wifezilla]

My girls were like that when we first got Tweak. The girls were older so he had NO IDEA why they were following him around and squatting After a few months he figured it out

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

whew what a day!

It was almost 50 today!

I un-tarped and cleaned out the call duck pen and filled their "pond" with fresh water. They were happy go-larky just a splashing and a quacking up a storm! Two of my call ducks are super tiny, and I just love them!!

Opened up the chicken pens again today and wow wee were they ready to get out! Followed me all around the yard, expecting hand outs I guess.

Worked on the hoop house. Decided that it's going to house just one breed instead of housing the layers. Just haven't decided if it's going to be the Cuckoo Marans or Welsummers that go in it.... still thinking.

Supposed to rain tomorrow, and then be nice on Monday, so I'm hoping to finish the hoop house on Monday (ran out of zip ties to attach the wire, so we have to pick up a few more) and then we're going to work on cleaning out and dividing off the main coop into two coops.

The Sussex are going in the back coop. I'm hoping they do better this year. They were my most asked after breed last year, and I ran into fertility and hatching issues with them.

I have my Meyers order in....for an April 6 pickup. I've ordered 4 Black Sumatra Pullets, 4 Blue Cochin Pullets, 5 Quail Antwerp d'Anvers, and 5 Welsummers.

I think one of these years, I'll end up with a flock of nothing but Welsummers. I do believe they are my absolute favorites.

Last summer, in June I do believe, I had purchased 6 Royal Purple Guineas. We've heard at least 2 "buck-wheats" so we were thinking we had 2 females and 4 males, which meant we'd be doing some culling of guinea males. Then today, I heard 3 distinct "buck-wheats" at the same time. I know we have 2 definite males, and 3 buck-wheats means 3 females, but I've no clue on guinea #6. Now we're wondering if we have 3 and 3, which is fine I guess.

Today, one male guinea was chasing the other male guinea away from the guinea flock. So it might be just 2 and 4, with 1 male being more dominant.

It was so funny, I had a tub of rice sitting on the back porch that I was feeding as treats to the chickens. Not thinking about it, I left the tub to go work on the hoop house. I hear the guineas just carrying on, so I look over, and they were all lined up in a row across the back porch, next to that tub of rice. They were looking at the tub and screaming, almost like they were encouraging the first guinea in line (who was looking in the tub) to jump in and try some. LOL

I walked over and threw a handful out to them, and boy did they go nuts! One of my Langshan roos ambled up and snitched some rice, too.

Gotta go back out to feed calves and and shut in everyone in a little bit. I got another chocolate colored egg out of the layer coop, for an egg two days in a row now!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

It's raining...ok not really raining as much as it's just a steady drizzle.

Ick.

But, that's ok 'cuz bring on the mud! whoot!

So what do you do on a rainy/drizzling day? they are perfectly boring. I wanted to do stuff outside, can't work on the hoop house in the rain..

ok well, I could but I'd be completely drenched by the time I was done.

So, I decided today was the perfect day for cleaning out the big coop! whoot!

I can be inside, it's dry, and i can fork all that straw and chicken poo right out the door!

So that's what I'm doing...ok well not right this second...I'm about halfway done, but sheeoot that's a big ole coop and i needed some coffee lol

Soon as I drain this cuppa joe, i'm back out there.

My chickens are having a blast helping, too. Some places the straw was matted down tight, where they haven't scratched through it enough I guess...So I tossed a handful of scratch in and wowza! they loosened that stuff up real good!

I got another brown egg today. WHOOT! an egg three days in a row! whoot! here's hoping the other girls start giving up their cackle berries, too.

After I'm done shoveling out and putting in new bedding, I think I'm going to try to re-vamp the nesting boxes in there....give the ladies a little more privacy!

 

[TTs Chicks]

Good - maybe the rain will stay with you a while

I got an egg from one of my brown leghorns today - so eggcited cause it is the first one since my girls started molting. Been getting brown from my barred rocks - just not more than a couple a day I hear ya - I am going to revamp my nest boxes yet again too

 

[keljonma]

We haven't seen any rain up here. Lots of fog in the morning though. We were doing 45 in a 65 on Rte 11 to get TR to work yesterday; this morning's fog wasn't as bad. The forecast is calling for sun today, but we haven't actually seen it yet.

I'm surprised the chickens didn't find the tub of rice.... that would have been a picture, that's for sure!

Sounds like you are getting lots of outside stuff done - I'm jealous! We have 6 inches of iced over snow covering everything ... except the path TR shoveled for Titan - where there is actually dark green grass and lotsa mud.


Enjoy the day!

 

[TanksHill]

Just stopping in to say Hi!! Good to hear your getting things done. We were away for the weekend and now we are expecting rain as well. So much for my outdoor projects. Maybe next week.

Have a great day.

gina

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Would you believe it if I said I paid 22 cents a gallon today for gas??? and only paid $3.43 to fill my tank?!

BELIEVE IT!

Our local small IGA has a Fuel Rewards program. You earn cents off on gas for every $10 you spend, and some items you buy earn you extra cents off, up to 20 cents per gallon.

Well, I've been saving up those rewards all month, and I saved up $2.47 off the gallon! Gas was 2.69, so I ended up paying 22 cents per gallon!

There's a cap of 15 gallons of gas per reward use. At 22 cents a gallon, I made sure I got my entire 15 gallons, and it filled my tank! WHOOT!! $3.43 for 15 gallons! Now that's savings!! whoot!

They also have a cap on how low your gas price can be...meaning you can't get free gas...the least you'll pay per gallon is 20 cents a gallon...and with the 15 gallon cap, that would mean 15 gallons for $3!

Still, I'm not fussing over a 43 cent difference! So, I pretty much got 15 gallons of gas today for 74 cents more than what one gallon of gas would cost! whoot!

now that's frugal at it's best!

I also finished the main coop today, revamped the nest boxes and whoot!! if I didn't use that cordless circular saw all by myself!! I didn't ask E to supervise or anything! I did all the measuring and cutting all by myself!

I'm a big girl now!! whoot!!

It wasn't all scary and freaky like I'd thought it would be either. I zipped that saw right over my piece of OSB and didn't even pinch the blade in the wood.

whoot! it was like I was a pro or something (ok not really a pro, but dude it felt great!)

pretty soon, i'll have no use for my husband! (just kidding! I love 'im)

I even cowboy upped today and culled my own chickens, just whacked them good in the head with a shovel. Just whack! and they was dead.... sorta....

know what I learned today? You can't shoot a chicken with a .22-why? because they don't drop dead. trust me.

Definitely, next time, sharp hatchet. It's on the must have list.

 

[justusnak]

QA, welcome to the "big girls club" useing that circular saw!! It took me a while to have the confidence to use one...but now..Frameing nail guns( this still scares me its so loud, and powerfull) ....table saws, circular saws, saws all...you name it..I can use it. ( and properly I might add) LOL Im still working on the chainsaw...it still intimidates me a little. Im better at holding the log, than cutting it. LOL Hubby says im a good "supervisor"
Way to go on culling those chickens. Yup, a good hatchet is definately in order there. And a large log, with 2 nails in it....to slip the neck into.
Way to go on the gas!!!!!!! WOW, I wish we had something like that here! But then again....I dont shop at the stores much..so it might take me a while to get those saveings. LOL