Jest Another Day in Pear-A-Dice - Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm in Alberta

[Lacy Blues]

Bama the cold folks thread is out of bounds now.

I will be staying away for a couple of days while the Mods have at it.

Funny stuff but not family friendly. Pleas be careful if you post there.

Hmmm, good thing I ducked out as quick as I peeked in. I cannot keep up with a thread that moves that fast anyway.

I do have a life to attend to. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Blessings and well wishes to all for a fantastic prosperous happy 2015!

Quick pop in by me here but heading back out again...gotten my bird feed mixes all topped up again (before the weekend even--having time off sure speeds regular chores along, eh!) and I brought a bale of oat straw to the Duece Coupe yesterday so I can clear out the five inside pens today. Yee haw!

Suppose to get to -19C/-2F (without the wind chill) tonight which will be the day time "high" over the next few days. So another cold snap blast to remind us that Old Man Winter still rules the roost! It is only January so totally expected.

​

Made a nice easy peasy cheesecake for New Years...

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Substituted things like grated lime, added some cinnamon to the graham cracker bottom, and switched 1/3 of the cream cheese for sour cream with a tablespoon of flour so it sets up well...make it my own recipe I suppose. Usually I bomb when I do that but this one turned out good...almost TOO good!

Cake part all cooked & ready to remove from the oven​

This one is way quicker and easier than my "official" recipe which entails having the cooked cake sit in the oven overnight to cool and meld flavours by. Just did not plan it far ahead enough...oh well...was good enough and there's more in the fridge for today too...hee hee.

French for "Let them eat cake"...

​

New Year's din was easy peasy since we had it cooked on the Eve.

Rick was brilliant about that as I was able to over extend myself by making the cake and even a plus for Fixins in the mix too...start the year off fresh as a Daisy (that term confuddles moi, DAISY FRESH...ever actually smell a daisy...nuthin' FRESH about a daisy's scent, eh? Maybe it is all about the l00ks I guess...Fixins looks fine...yeh...sure she does!!).

Even found time to give good ol' Princess Puppy Fixins a bath; roll up the sleeves and proceed to get drowned by shaker red stuff--she is still ever so Baaad...Brat girl. She don't like the bath process but holy moley she loves it all AFTER the soakings, washings, and rinses...she lobes the towel rubbies, the huggies, the warmth by the wood stove on her cloud bed...we all fuss excessively over the Princess Warrior getting her beasty bath. She does seem to like the oh so clean feeling (maybe not the clean smelling part though...she is not a girly girl and hates smelling purdy...if we let her, I expect her to promptly find something outside to roll in to fix that dilemma...ack!). May have to bank off some more time if she does find something icky to slide thru...thank frig it's winter and mostly frozen out and about. Hunter Princess Pupppers figures she can't be stealthy smelling flowerish...predators in winter don't smell like flowers now do they?

Anyway, quick blurp and off I go again. Back to part time job on Monday...so the holidays were fab and now time to think about my part time work week coming up. Happy tho, holidays were relaxing and that is enough time off...enough before they have to retrain me to behave all over again. I'll forget how to conform if this keeps onwards...bwa ha ha...LOL

Off to go on a mission...got some chooks to cheer up. I love the looks of concern on their bird faces when the bedding gets switched out... It is all like they cannot fathom how to chunk down the high tossings of oat straw inside their pens. "We simply cannot MOVE in this long strawed maze!" And next thing you see is the older birds in there digging around, big grins of satisfaction plastered on their beaked mugs as one finds a coveted kernel of oats in their straw (like their regular rations already HAS whole oats in thar...but whatever!). Silly birds...off to make them even sillier! Luv it.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[perchie.girl]

Hi everyone jumping over here after asking a question on Oz's thread.... LOL

To talk Dawg.... hee hee.

So I have had a pack of feral Queenslands literally eat my Geo metro when I passed their property... I have bad vibes about Queenlands after that... So I know I am not being fair... letting my emotions take over. It wasnt their fault it was their owners fault.


I have seen a team of Standard Poodles finish the Iditerod. So I know any dog can be used...

Love the sheep idea...

Gee and Haw is used with draft horses as well... though I never got the hang of that... I drive using lines and hands and voice for encouragement... its a carriage thing. I am in the desert so probably will never see a sled or sleigh.

deb

 

[MistyMountain]

Jumping in here after seeing your wonderful wood pile on another thread. Made me think of the wood we have stacked along our tree line. We don't need quite as much wood to burn down here in Virginia, but it does get cold. You mention birch as the type of wood, how well does that burn? Is that the only type of wood you have access to in your area? This is our second year heating with wood alone and while we are always learning, we've finally got a good hang of it.

Anyhow, looking forward to reading and catching up on your thread!! I lurk most of the time… busy busy on the homestead… but jump in now and then! Take care!

 

[Concrete101]

Another jumper from Oz land!!!!!

 

[CanuckBock]

Hi everyone jumping over here after asking a question on Oz's thread.... LOL

To talk Dawg.... hee hee.

So I have had a pack of feral Queenslands literally eat my Geo metro when I passed their property... I have bad vibes about Queenlands after that... So I know I am not being fair... letting my emotions take over. It wasnt their fault it was their owners fault.


I have seen a team of Standard Poodles finish the Iditerod. So I know any dog can be used...

Love the sheep idea...

Gee and Haw is used with draft horses as well... though I never got the hang of that... I drive using lines and hands and voice for encouragement... its a carriage thing. I am in the desert so probably will never see a sled or sleigh.

deb

Rowf Rowf...Bow WOW...Grrr...Woof Woof...

Oh sorry, not literally dawg talk, eh?

Oops...guess my herding pic on Oz's thread is dated wrong...April 1998, not 1999, before we acquired land so I could get dem sheeps & goats! Time flies when you are having fun, eh?

April 1998 Photos by The Western Producer - Makins & me; 2nd time for the both of us, EVER on stock! Go gather Girl!! ​

No bashing the poodles (OK, OK...I make fun of Fixins and call her a poodle pup too...LOL) as they are a pretty smart breed...jest us humans decided to do the ridiculous poodle cut on many of them...poor poodles! My Gran had one before she passed; use to nag her to go to bed...quite a bossy thing!

Be careful...where there is a will, there is a way...any silly way imaginable!

HyBlade in the lead, followed by Stoggar and Makins
Western Canada's First Parade of Lights
Dogs led a parade of over 70 floats
- December 1, 2000 -
​

My dog sled is on wheels there...yeh, so desert would be no problemo...be aware...anything you dream is possible!

Any animal may have its good side or bad side embellished. Left feral, I can see Heelers becoming wretched for sure. Yes, quite correct, the "owner" (term used loosely!) has failed their dogs BUT (big butt), ACDs are suspicious of strangers and many hate dogs, animals like cats and humans. And I mean HATE. Very protective of what they figure is theirs. They play like no other breeds do...well a few might. Kick the ball, objective is to get hit by ball, hard and in the head. Dog to dog play entails biting....lots of biting...I have seen German Shepherds which are much larger pound for pound than ACD's (most are about 50 #'s) back outta play sessions..."Those ACDs are NUTS!"

HyBlade and Foamers
​

I worked at a dealership some years ago and had to muffle a big laugh...some person walked into the showroom when I was downstairs not counting the beans (accountant) and was carrying a piece of their truck...big chunk of moulding. Started up about how this dog (ACD no less) had ripped the moulding right off their truck; heeled it good...I had to leave to go back upstairs but still laugh about the misfortune of tangling with them dang Heelers.

​

Stories about cougars biting them in the head...no real wounds, lunker heads. All sorts of injuries and these monsters keep on chugging along. Have held the world record for longevity in dogs...Bluey was over 29 and a half years young. I figure just too ugly to go quietly...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluey_(dog):

June 2009​

I never knew it but the first vet I drove over an hour to see was terrified...of Makins and she was a complete and utter push over in the Heeler temperament department.

Higgins Rat Ranch ACDs - Three Registered & Two Rescues​

I went to another vet and was much happier with him. He loved Heelers and helped me to get Stoggar's PEN (Performance Event Number) so she could tag along at the sanctioned dog shows and events too. Stogs was the first ACD to get her PEN in Alberta. Way to go Stoogie!

Stoggar got to go to the ACD Specialty because she had her Pen ​

We have always blamed the stock dogs for herding us into all these troubles...we needed stock for the dogs but never really knew how head over heels we would become over the stock (had chickens from since I was barely a toddler, but never like this!). Only the most gentle of the dogs is allowed near any of the other lil' critters and now most of the bigger beasts like the rams know what the dogs are capable of so are long gone inside their barns the moment they know we the pack are approaching...hee hee. I guess it is sorta silly but the stock has just as much rights to a happy existence. We will never be the people that have sheep or goats for the dogs...it is kinda a joint effort. If you don't listen to my request to "get in the barn" then we just have to "release the hounds" to convince you to listen up.

One bark belched out and I see scurry to bed!

​

Deb, my introduction to Heelers entailed Rick's description of this ACD puppy that lived next door to him, dragging a cinder block thru the mud to try and bite him...yeh, I never came into this dog acquisition blind, eh?

​

This following article appeared in the October 23, 2000 of Central Alberta Life:

In order to educate people about Australian Cattle Dogs (and lower the surrender rates of the breed at the Calgary SPCA), had a series of articles written up to give people ideas on what to do with dem dog dogs. Some I did, had others be authors too.

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/ranchrat/index.html

February 2001
Makins as lead, Stoggar as left wheel dog, & HyBlade right wheel dog​

Herding with your Australian Cattle Dog is what the breed was designed to do and this comes naturally. But what do you do in the winter time with your summer herding ACD? Why, you take up sledding or skijoring!

The ACD excels at sledding/skijoring because ACD's have:

- the stamina and conformation to run effortlessly for miles
- the will power to pull a load
- tough feet for snow and ice
- no nonsense hair coat
- cold tolerance
- intelligence to learn new skills
- desire to please
- love of physically tiring exercise

ACD's make superior lead dogs since they bond well with their owner, have a dominant attitude over other dogs and take commands well.

Directional herd training is easily adapted to sled dog commands. Once an ACD knows how to walk up, circle left or right, slow up and stand; the transition to sledding is as simple as dropping a harness over their heads and yelling "Hike." There will be a bit of lag time as you teach your ACD to respond to different word commands but just say your herding command first and then quickly follow with the sledding command. Eventually you can drop the herd command and use only your sled commands.

Herding commands vs. Sled commands: "Hike" gets the dogs moving, so any command like "Get em!" or even "Walk up" should start things rolling. "Go By"-circle right becomes "Gee" and "Over"-circle left becomes "Haw." Stopping in sledding lingo is "Whoa," but telling your dog go "Down" instead of "Stand" can be a bit tedious and may end up with a few dogs in tangled traces. I already use "Easy" to slow my ACD down in herding, so re-learning easy, is well, easy!

Sledding and ACD's go together like prospectors and gold. Even the cold does not seem to hinder this breed. Maybe some of those Southern Dingoes from the Snowy Mountains played a bigger role in our breed foundation than we know. Not only does the ACD have heat tolerance, they have temperature "extreme" tolerance. Snow bound ACD's seem happiest rolling in the drifts. If you only have one or two ACD's, give Skijoring a try. You must be a very good cross country skier, but if this is true, your ACD's will be more than obliging to drag you around the country side.

Happy mushing!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

ACDs Excel At: Sledding & Skijoring
Tara Lee Higgins - March 14, 1999

And I warned yah to ask me about them Jacob Sheeps...

Purdy kewl to have the rams with their covered wagon eh?​

I trained them by using a draft horse halter turned upside down, rubber bungy to an old car tire and lots of treats AFTER each session. Run them about 15 minutes each time. Hitched together after they figured out the tire and something dragging behind them did not want to EAT them. Really got on well...only bad part...their silly companion llama BTU had a literal fit being left in the ram pasture without them the day of the parade. He was SO happy to see his pasture mates...

Oh yeh, and desensitized them to parades by tying flappy grocery bags all over their corral. Few discharges of the air horn and we were good to go. Oh heck...this one I wrote probably says more than my simpleton brain remembers...been over ten years since that first parade.

Wrote this prelude to the parade...

Jumping in here after seeing your wonderful wood pile on another thread. Made me think of the wood we have stacked along our tree line. We don't need quite as much wood to burn down here in Virginia, but it does get cold. You mention birch as the type of wood, how well does that burn? Is that the only type of wood you have access to in your area? This is our second year heating with wood alone and while we are always learning, we've finally got a good hang of it.

Anyhow, looking forward to reading and catching up on your thread!! I lurk most of the time… busy busy on the homestead… but jump in now and then! Take care!

Glad to entertain you when you find a moment. I post so I may have a coffee break and catch up some more energies to keep going!

Birch is a wetter land kinda tree--we don't reside quite swampy enough to have it in any abundance...have a few specimen plantings, but make sure they get extra drinks (one is right by where Rick can empty some of the fish pond water at--great for the Birch).

Took this pic few minutes ago...there is one of the small Birch trees on the right there. ​

Birch is coveted for burning hot with little ash (in the city, one expects to pay upwards of $300 to $400 for a split dried cord) and as Ole and Lena says, a renewable resource...so I don't feel guilty that pipeliners cut them down and we scooped up the trees to burn them before they rotted on the ground.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/920148/the-firewood-thread

We have burnt poplar (kinda stinks and has too much ash in my opinion), spruce and pine (spruce and pine use to be all we had on my walls of wood). We have spruce and pine growing on half our property here...so a local wood for sure. I have no issues using local woods but like what Rick does, he cuts standing dead or wind blown overs. Trees that are dead or doomed and that rocks I figure!

I would certainly join in the above firewood thread and ask your question there. Ole and Lena are a huge help (as are the other firewoodies too!) and very good at assisting you. Their location is Minnesota but he has been immensely helpful and knowledgeable about other geographical locations...just discussed the pros and cons about certain elm trees. Betting you'll like the conversations over there as much as I do!

Another jumper from Oz land!!!!!

Yikes! I only came outta lurk mode on his thread because I felt bad sitting there reading and never posting to Oz's thread.

Snowing here---has to warm up to snow but still ranging at -13C/9F.

Taj Mahal where the Mandarin Ducks and one pair of Aus Black Swans reside right now​

Two of the five coops done cleared in the Duece Coupe...break time done, off we go again!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

Edit to add herder pic and edit some typos on my RAMbling post...fixing old mistakes that haunt one, eh?

 

[perchie.girl]

You have confirmed to me that i am not a ACD person.... I dont have enough energy to give them the lifestyle they need. This gal that owned the pack was a "breeder" she said her dogs were worth a thousand dollars a piece. But then she was a hero in her own mind.

The thing is they left bites on my car as high up as the gas cap.... fortunately for me and the owner I only worried about the dogs not the car.... because even though It was a dirt road and I never went over twenty miles an hour I knew one day I would hit one.

The pack was lead by a dominant female kind of a very chocolatey brown with grey mottled markings on her. they would lay in wait for me to start the turn from my land to their land All our roads are easements.... and once I hit a part that had a burm up they would come yipping and biting at my rear tire and fenders....

One day the female decided to head me off or turn me.... she was too quick... I ran right over her... it took her about two minutes to die.... I turned around and picked her up she must have weight a good forty pounds... and put her on the hood of my car.... I took her to the womans gate and left her there with a note about what had happened....

Now this woman had a litigeous nature and is known on the mountain here as the 5150 lady... Police code for Crazy... So I went directly to our little police station and knocked on the door. A very surprised policeman answered.... and I told him my story.... I wanted to let him know for when she discovers the dog... as soon as he learned her name... "I understand and you did the right thing on all counts...."

But dang i still felt bad.... That 5150 lady wound up loosing her land to foreclosure and what did she do? she locked her dogs up in their kennel and Left them.... Moved away... The real estate agent had to call animal control to come cut the locks off and take em away.

When I get dogs again I might consider a cross but I am leaning more toward an LGD... or an LGD cross.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Oh and by the way love them sheeps.... LOL....

I want to train a mini Oxen I think that would be awesome too. But I cant walk very much any more... so that dream goes down the tubes.

deb

 

[Amberjem]

 

[hennible]

Oh and by the way love them sheeps.... LOL....

I want to train a mini Oxen I think that would be awesome too.  But I cant walk very much any more... so that dream goes down the tubes.

deb

Bummer.