Hello from shetland

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lynnR

lynnR

In the Brooder
8 Years
Dec 25, 2011
97
2
33
Foula, Shetland
Hello and Season's Greetings. I stay on the beautiful island of Foula, Shetland. The only poultry predators here are Ravens and in the summer, Great Skuas (Bonxies). I manage a 9.4 acre croft and rent another on which I keep my 66 Shetland sheep (coloured), 4 Shetland ponies, 10 Ixworth and 9 mixed breed chickens, 15 Shetland ducks and 2 Muscovies. I hope to get Shetland geese and hens this spring if the local breeder has enough eggs to spare. I work a Border Collie who I trained myself and have 2 lovely natured hunting cats.
 
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from Washington State glad you joined us!
You sound like you have a wonderful mix of animals, I love the shetland ponies!
 
They are. I would really like to keep a Shetland cow as well but I'll have to wait til the 2 geldings have passed away as I'm too attatched to them to sell. I have two 1 year old fillies, a piebald and a bright bay, who I intend to use as pack/cart/riding ponies as well as breeding them. The geldings are used for riding at the moment, 1 being big enough for myself and the other only a mini for children.

The Shetland ducks are very economical. A nice carcase, plenty of eggs and, in my experience, unbeatable as broodies. My 2 ducks both sat on 18 eggs each and brought out every one. They also all survived the great massacre (Ravens killed 12 of my birds) by all ganging up on the predator.

The Muscovies were a bit of a disaster this year. One of the ducks bullied the other off her nest and didn't sit tightly enough on the eggs herself. I originally had 3 ducks and a drake but the Ravens killed the drake and biggest duck which left the bully and smallest duck who don't get along at all.
 

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