- May 19, 2010
- 4
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I am new to this forum - did a brief introduction back in May when my Indian Runner (Bentley - drake), crested Indian Runners (Rory and Gleam - hens) and Indian Runner cross duck (Clark - drake) arrived (hatched April 5 and came home with me as a box of quackers that were fully feathered)... and on June 9th, my (French) Toulouse goslings arrived in the mail from Metzer Farms... they are now feathering out and are imprinted on me - all I have to do is call out "Oh babies..." and they stampede over to me with their wings out. It is amazing how fast they grew...I could not believe that in the little box were 8 goslings....
The ducks are funny - they are certainly conversationalists and have a lot to say. I had ducks when I was about 8 and that was almost, uh, 40 years ago... and I am enjoying this current group a lot - only wish the ducks were imprinted on me like the geese are. If I am ever feeling down, a trip to see the geese rectifies that as they think I am worthy of big greetings... nothing like getting greeted at the gate with wild peeps, a squeaky honk and those wings out!
They have a chain link dog run with two small houses and a kiddypool but the geese were purchased for weeding and rehabilitating a pasture that has horsetail in it that is poisonous to my horses. The geese love eating it as well as the other weeds and grasses they find. The ducks are always hunting out succulent bugs and when they start quacking up a storm I know they hit paydirt in some creepy crawly form.
The kiddypool is the ducks' private pool party... they will preen and splash and play in there... once it is murky I will empty it and the geese will venture over to drink from the clean water before Clark chases them away. It is OK as the geese get their personal pond time.
Spent the day putting up some new electric poultry netting in 80 degree heat and sun so the geese can get to work weeding... I have a pile of pallets so I can build another shelter for the electric netting area as I want the geese to have a place to get out of the sun if they would like to.
I took them to our pond where we have tons of horsetail and while I sat and enjoyed my iced tea, the geese weeded, played at the water's edge and then sat in the shade under the chairs. They do not have names yet other than three of them - two look and act like ganders so they are Ed and Stanley... Little Goose is the smallest and the shyest of the bunch. The others I will have to figure out what they are so they can get named.
It is fun hearing their voices change... from peeping to squeaky honks.
Rory and Gleam have loud quacks they will let go every so often and when I hear them, it makes me laugh. Clark and Bentley have their drake "squeaks" and chirps...
I get my "chicken fix" when I go visit my sister who has 20+ regular sized hens - I am not up on my chicken breeds other than Rhode Island Reds and the Hampshires... she has a few black chickens, some barred black and whites, a few Wyandottes - gold laced?(they are beautiful and a favorite of mine) and one white and black hen with feathered feet and she is the only white egg layer. My nieces love when I visit as my first stop is to clean the chicken coop and nestboxes for them and I love hearing the hens talk about their eggs. My sister is hoping I will move back to CT as I was the caretaker for the hens and they loved it and I loved listening to their clucks when I refilled their feeder and waterer and when I brought veggies out to them to pick through.
Other than the geese and ducks, I have show rabbits - Checkered Giants and Holland Lops... a rescued Mini Rex rabbit and an English Spot, two dogs, two cats, three mini horses (one being a champion show and celebrity mini who does therapy work), an American Modern Shetland pony and a four year old Morgan filly.
My sons are 20 and almost 19... a hubby who is figuring out if he wants to keep me around, I need my critters - I told him after all, they keep me out of the mall and they are cheaper than therapy.
I tell him, hey, in the Middle Ages, a hunting dog and horses was a heckuva dowry...too bad I was born in the 20th century...
LOL
Denise
The ducks are funny - they are certainly conversationalists and have a lot to say. I had ducks when I was about 8 and that was almost, uh, 40 years ago... and I am enjoying this current group a lot - only wish the ducks were imprinted on me like the geese are. If I am ever feeling down, a trip to see the geese rectifies that as they think I am worthy of big greetings... nothing like getting greeted at the gate with wild peeps, a squeaky honk and those wings out!
They have a chain link dog run with two small houses and a kiddypool but the geese were purchased for weeding and rehabilitating a pasture that has horsetail in it that is poisonous to my horses. The geese love eating it as well as the other weeds and grasses they find. The ducks are always hunting out succulent bugs and when they start quacking up a storm I know they hit paydirt in some creepy crawly form.
The kiddypool is the ducks' private pool party... they will preen and splash and play in there... once it is murky I will empty it and the geese will venture over to drink from the clean water before Clark chases them away. It is OK as the geese get their personal pond time.
Spent the day putting up some new electric poultry netting in 80 degree heat and sun so the geese can get to work weeding... I have a pile of pallets so I can build another shelter for the electric netting area as I want the geese to have a place to get out of the sun if they would like to.
I took them to our pond where we have tons of horsetail and while I sat and enjoyed my iced tea, the geese weeded, played at the water's edge and then sat in the shade under the chairs. They do not have names yet other than three of them - two look and act like ganders so they are Ed and Stanley... Little Goose is the smallest and the shyest of the bunch. The others I will have to figure out what they are so they can get named.
It is fun hearing their voices change... from peeping to squeaky honks.
Rory and Gleam have loud quacks they will let go every so often and when I hear them, it makes me laugh. Clark and Bentley have their drake "squeaks" and chirps...
I get my "chicken fix" when I go visit my sister who has 20+ regular sized hens - I am not up on my chicken breeds other than Rhode Island Reds and the Hampshires... she has a few black chickens, some barred black and whites, a few Wyandottes - gold laced?(they are beautiful and a favorite of mine) and one white and black hen with feathered feet and she is the only white egg layer. My nieces love when I visit as my first stop is to clean the chicken coop and nestboxes for them and I love hearing the hens talk about their eggs. My sister is hoping I will move back to CT as I was the caretaker for the hens and they loved it and I loved listening to their clucks when I refilled their feeder and waterer and when I brought veggies out to them to pick through.
Other than the geese and ducks, I have show rabbits - Checkered Giants and Holland Lops... a rescued Mini Rex rabbit and an English Spot, two dogs, two cats, three mini horses (one being a champion show and celebrity mini who does therapy work), an American Modern Shetland pony and a four year old Morgan filly.
My sons are 20 and almost 19... a hubby who is figuring out if he wants to keep me around, I need my critters - I told him after all, they keep me out of the mall and they are cheaper than therapy.
I tell him, hey, in the Middle Ages, a hunting dog and horses was a heckuva dowry...too bad I was born in the 20th century...
LOLDenise
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