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

[perchie.girl]

@CanuckBock
and
@scottcaddy

I appreciate the "Normal" point of view with regards to dogs and chickens and horses.... There are times when i want to scream at people....

"THEY AREN'T .... US" as much as I want to Anthropomorphize.. and do to some degree their reactions to us and life and others... I have a core belief that if something goes wrong I have to roll back and figure out what I was doing to cause this.

Prime chicken related example... When a Roo Suddenly becomes MEAN... Um no its not a sudden thing... either a youngster with raging hormones or an older roo expressing his dominance... its not meanness its their nature.. and you have to expect it from Roo occasionally. Its how you react to it that will settle the matter.

This is why I know in my core that maby an LGD or an ACD may not be the choice for me... and I KNOW GSD are not for me either. At least any of those in purebred forms...

I am dog shopping myself. But in the course of dog shopping I am narrowing down the breeds of dogs that suit my lifestyle and needs.

My last dog was Greyhound/Aussie cross... Incredibly intelligent and very very sensitive... a loud voice would have her cowering... a simple "no" would suffice.... She was two years old when she came to me and I had to sort out her past life in order to figure out her future... as a Shy female I knew she would probably bite if scared... so I made sure she never got scared or backed into a "corner". And I kept a hand or a leash on her around small children.

deb

 

[CanuckBock]

We are ever so lucky to have all kinds of temperaments and breeds of dogs. Same may be said for chickens.

Now I would abhor a shy dog (your dog would not suit me Deb)...I am very LOUD and bolsterous at the best of times. I make dogs like Borders cower and freak out...I make dogs like ACDs say, "Bring in on B-Lady! We'll bite it from both ends!" I get frustrated if the going gets rough and the dog heads cowering slinking back to the house...my attitude is "Get back in here and we'll make it work!"

In some of the mean natured poultry...the bad ones simply taste ever so good. Over the years, I have simply learned there are times where one line of genetics is not one you want to continue with & make more from to compound your issues. So many GOOD Roos that suit each one of our situations that to put up with a mean one is pure insanity (to me at least!). This is how I get myself into all sorts of trouble because you get people saying but he is a rare breed or I have no others. Makes it simple...bad mean bird, not making more...eaty eat bad becomes very tasty good. At least with the birds, we may EAT our mistakes with crispy coating...in the canine world, that is obviously an avenue highly frowned upon.

See what I mean...all sorts of heaps of trouble.

 

[Bunnylady]

Tara, I saw your picture of that fountain, and I could just hear Tim Allen say, "Yeah, more power!" - and then do his trademark grunt. So male; so very male.

Gotta love 'em!

But I understand what you mean about the dogs. It's like I have frequently told people when dealing with horses - "look, I know you want to be his friend, but first, you have to be the boss. The way his mind works, someone must be the boss, and you sure don't want him thinking that it's him! You don't have to be brutal about it, but you do have to be consistent." And I am a chameleon, changing my energy to suit the animal I am working with; that's what made me so valuable over at the barn.

But I hear you on the mean roosters. I've had more than a few rabbits "vote themselves out of the gene pool" by showing me a nasty turn of temper. A doe has the right to protect her litter, but if she's going to get snippy about just protecting her space? Nope, I just don't need that, and I certainly don't need to be making more of it!

 

[CanuckBock]

Tara, I saw your picture of that fountain, and I could just hear Tim Allen say, "Yeah, more power!" - and then do his trademark grunt. So male; so very male.

Gotta love 'em!

But I understand what you mean about the dogs. It's like I have frequently told people when dealing with horses - "look, I know you want to be his friend, but first, you have to be the boss. The way his mind works, someone must be the boss, and you sure don't want him thinking that it's him! You don't have to be brutal about it, but you do have to be consistent." And I am a chameleon, changing my energy to suit the animal I am working with; that's what made me so valuable over at the barn.

But I hear you on the mean roosters. I've had more than a few rabbits "vote themselves out of the gene pool" by showing me a nasty turn of temper. A doe has the right to protect her litter, but if she's going to get snippy about just protecting her space? Nope, I just don't need that, and I certainly don't need to be making more of it!

POWER...oh yeh, we gotta love them, eh!

Dogs, horses, chooks, whatever...there always has to be a boss and it is like the bus kids...I am the enforcer of the rooles and the kids all just get to relax, enjoy and be kids--takes all the pressure off them. They do not make happy leaders...if I drive and enforce the bus rules, happiness abounds because they all settle in knowing I will be fair, kind and firm...to all.

Any critter that has to be the ruler hates it, you can get unseated at any moment...when there is a true leader in place, the human, peace, happiness and tranquility just oozes. The keeper of the Uzi, that is good it is not the animal, eh.

 

[Dragonfly216]

Hey guys! I sure have missed y'all! I ended up getting a part time job in my field, and that turned into a full time job, and then we ended up having to move so I was scrambling to find somewhere to live and somewhere for my chickens to go until I could get them back. And right before I was about to start my breeding program :'( but I'm just glad it wasn't in the middle of trying my first hatch! I keep coming back and trying to read and catch up, but I just can't ever catch up. So I wanted to stop in and say hey, while trying to catch up! ;-)

 

[drumstick diva]

Dragonfly, glad it turned into a full time job.

pop in whenever you can

 

[scottcaddy]

Dragonfly, At least you have a full time job!
Good luck with the rest,

Scott

 

[Dragonfly216]

Thanks you guys! I've always loved framing and I'm so glad that I was able to stay the same field, especially with all frame shops closing all over town! Not only do I have a full time job, but it's for a really good, established company, AND it's wholesale instead of retail. I've never done wholesale before, AND I LOVE IT!. We're closed every weekend, close early on Fridays, get paid weekly, plus I have the BEST coworkers! I tell ya, God works in mysterious ways! I was a bit depressed after being laid off from a company that I'd worked for for nine years, but I'm so much happier!

 

[CanuckBock]

Hey thar DF!

Yes, nice to hear from yah again...busy here too. Just added all the young turkey gals from last year to the breeder turkey pens. Have to keep an eye on them so the other girls don't bully them any. Toms are happy to see more girls...tee hee...

Nice you got a better job. Agreed...never know the why behind some things but yeh...good on you!

Thought of you 'cause I am gardening, veg plantings.

June 11, 2015​

Laughed at my DRAGONFLIES...grapes and dragonflies in my veg garden...weird huh!

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Suppose to rain today, torrential downpours...so stopped to get some grocery this morn.

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Put on the pork shoulder pot roast I bought...goes into the crock...so good eats here later tonight.

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And was all ready to junk out the spare rooms for the two Ozzie ACD pup girls that are coming in July AND it stopped raining...now it is raining up a storm again...jest in time for me to go do afternoon bus run. On the count down on days on that too...nine more...hee hee...so much to do, so much fun to be had!

June 9, 2015​

One of the focuses this year seems to have been on the pond and waterfall...added wind socks (fish), real plants (2 water lilies, water hyacinth, iris and forget-me-not marginals), new water feature, new UV light filter to make the water tres clear...fun stuff indeed! I have to build up the back area to hide the big blue bin protecting the new filter, but that will get done like all the other wannas will...eventually.

Rick got rained out, so came home to have a power nap (men and their POWER naps...hee hee...he's up way too early...like 2 a.m. some daze...eeek!)...so happy he had a snooky snooze...another reason I got my keester outside and made noise out there--guess in reality, I was foiled twice...ha ha ha...

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Was bright and sunny...

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June 9th, got peas, beets, beans, zuc, pumpkin, swiss chard, lettuce, spinach, runner bean and sunflowers in the garden...got slowed up a bit because I had to put well rotted manure and straw into another set of raise beds so I could put in yesterday...onion sets (finally!), garlic, bicoloured corn and cucumbers. I got carrots, turnips, leaf lettuce and a few other things yet to go in the empty beds...should have a full garden...next comes the weeding part...agh!

Anyway, Rick is off to pick up the front license plate for the 1980 Suburban we bought (old but like new) on May 1st....Guess it is also Father's Day in a week and a bit...so that should be a fun weekend too.

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Oh yeh...and one photo of my M-Day present...stuffed a dahlia in it and took this pic...sent photo to the kid thanking him again and he says it looks "adorable and nice"...Eeeeeee...nice when a present keeps on giving...hee hee....

Anyway, before the rain storms make it so I cannot post photos, better get this off and posted up.

BTW, I do digests now with lots of photos (small files) because I have found myself having to load and reload photos on BYC....huge internet bills for all the data flub ups...so if you want digests, you can e-mail me privately and I'll add you on the list fer those.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Blighmee forgetful.

Finally got a click of one of the two (we think it is two!) hummers visiting Rick's two feeders. Early morn and late evening...

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So this is me standing at the Man Porch step yesterday evening...bet you can't see it...

Here is the same photo, cut out the important bit.

Tis a start...I intend on getting a much closer pic...maybe even an action shot.

Hummingbird IN May Day...too kewl!
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