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

[getaclue]

The petunias are right on time, and the scarves on the sheep are such a festive touch. Did they eventually try to eat them?

 

[drumstick diva]

How nice, they all looks so festive. . Happy Canada Day

 

[CanuckBock]

The petunias are right on time, and the scarves on the sheep are such a festive touch. Did they eventually try to eat them?

You make me laugh. No, the lambs paid zero attention to the neckers. Not milkish enough or like seed heads on grass I guess...

So I guess if I was trying to make an impression, none...well past Èva tried to hide behind the draped flag! I will NOW need to post that series of tiny lamb toes below the flag...got salad on the go, so gotta GOOOO!!!

 

[getaclue]

Lamb toes behind the flag will be an interesting pic. Looking forward to it.

 

[BantyChooks]

Hey, Tara, got this pic and thought of your similar sheep one... Meet the two-headed Australorp.

Number of legs may vary, not guaranteed to have two heads 100% of the time.

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

How nice, they all looks so festive. . Happy Canada Day

Thank you DD and Happy USA Day, <eh>, to you too now!

Lamb toes behind the flag will be an interesting pic. Looking forward to it.

You'd have to be l00king for toes to notice! ​

I suspect it got a tad hot!

Hey, Tara, got this pic and thought of your similar sheep one... Meet the two-headed Australorp.

Number of legs may vary, not guaranteed to have two heads 100% of the time.
View attachment 1063704

Reminds me of reading dragon mythology and two headed ones. We had a four legged chick live two days when I was a wee child. Two sets of legs tucked up under its chin. Weird it lived as long as it did.

Stranger still. The will to live. We go on our loser laps on Saturday and Sunday and afterwards I am unloading the truck (taking in dog beds for washing)...I hear these bird noises.

A Junco has not only laid and incubated babes...they are obviously fed and growing!

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco/lifehistory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark-eyed_junco

Junco hyemalis or Junco has built a nest...where...in the back bumper of the White Suburban...and we have made one trip to Red Deer and one to Calgary back to back before discovering our extra passengers...driven HOURS all over the place and these three babies have lived thru it all. Blows my mind, it does!

Couple weeks back, I found some grasses hanging off the back bumper and told Rick I thought a squirrel was building a nest in his bumper...nope. Was a Junco! Incubation I see takes a few weeks, so rather quick but really??

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The parents have found the nest, Rick placed on the top of one of his '36 Leafs. Being fed, continue to grow but OH NO...NO more travelling for these ones. Truly amazing they survived our loser laps. I would NEVER EVER have believed it unless we had witnessed it ourselves.

Bird nest with babies on board...in a truck bumper...and the White Sub, she is a rough ride.

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Not something Rick and I want to experience any time soon!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Dang, I so hate the limit of ten on uploaded files...cripers...oh well...

Yesterday, Jul 3 2017...

First hay bales of 2017...​

Loser laps in various trucks...with dogs of course

Never EVER certain the weather NASTY THIS!​

So why ever does the weather have to be so SEVERE...so extreme...we go from hot with puffy white clouds and blue skies to this angry mess...and YES we watch the skies and we were a mere 15 minutes away from home and the happy happy places of putting the trucks inside their protective buildings. AWAY...AWAY...away from hail and tornadoes. Eeeep!

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The fish pond...has five new Koi in it...one of our trips included purchasing some very pretty Koi!

I have two irises to repot that were bought
Purple flowered one and a variegated leafed one
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And objective this weekend was to get more water plant pots and fabric bags so I can divide, repot and plant up more water plants. We now have TWO ponds to get on the grow.

Bright sunshine location for this pond...water plants will
be on the GROW here soon​

Lots of stuff on the go in the New Orchard

Rick put landscape ties around my whiskey barrel with a pond liner in it
now I need to add more gravel and top with limerock to complete it
Summer projects...go on & no until it snows, eh!​

Wishing well we brought from when we lived on the WEsT Coast needs a revamp...

Restaining and painting and some maintenance​

Lotta years it has weathered and thrived...today in fact...we have been here NINETEEN YEARS!

We moved here on July 4, 1998...

Inscribed in the concrete foundation of the Higgins yoke​

Pretty kewl and easy to remember with it also being Independence Day in the States and all.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Yup, ran outta space for photos...posting again...where was I ??? Oh yeh...this past weekend...

Asked Rick to till under these volunteer weeds...I got plantings to do on this half acre yet​

Man & Machine does a nice job, eh! ​

Cripers...how do you stop these dang video ads on this site...I can barely upload files (photos) and these rude videos keep happening...grrr.... I knew I would hate this upgrade to BYC...but how furious and costly is this new vam doing a number on me. Grrrr....

The three BEFORE photos...

And the two AFTER

I can only imagine how bad my internet bill is being raised by these BYC ads...man on man!

Blooming Dolgo is now being fruitful
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The girl dogs love crabapples and this looks to be a promising APPLE year! Yah!

OK...next post is about...about what? QUACK???​

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Yuppers...my duck project is happening...

I wanted crested ducks, in better and more interesting colours and patterns than just white crested...don't it ROCK when you plan, hope, implement and be patient, you see the fruits of your efforts happen!

Momma Silver Appleyard and her crested babe - natural hatched...NATCH!

Tis a BIG event too...note all the looky lou's
curious about the latest addition!

And yes, of course...the girls had to be introduced to the latest one too!

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Not FUD Lacy...NOT FUD!!!

"Mah brought us a snack!
"Crackers...right??"

Emmy, "Nope, not crackers Lace...
Maybe more QUACKERS, eh!"

Duckling smells Emmy back...not only reassuring her "I am NOT food!"
But also giving EYE to EYE back confidence...
aka as the STINKY EYE!

Emmy says, "Nope, it COULD be fud...but not HERE & NOW!"

"Nope...too cute and certainly TOO small to be for FUD!"

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That be that fur now's...summer weather, summer projects, summer new arrivals...summer time!

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Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Ah, way too cute not to share with y'all, eh.

Two more ducklings fur today...these ones be grey colour pattern. White in this crested male is recessive white.

Again, Crested...not as nicely placed on the head or large as the first one though.

FYI - Double crested is lethal in the egg...one allele of crested = crested babes.

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Introduced to the girls. I believe these pompoms will be lighter coloured and show up vividly on the ducks as they grow up.

"Hello...CRACKERS!" ​

Lookit how well behaved the adults are!! The whole bevy is involved in the babies.

Dad duck even BABY sits! ​

And one of MY jobs for the natural hatched waterfowl...
Always ensure the new hatches are having at least one bill fulla water, eh!
Always...keep 'em hydrated!

There is adult duck food and water (too big for babes) plus
baby food area...marbles in waterers
as THE objective to young waterfowl...to DROWN themselves OR
At the very least, chill themselves!​

That's three panels from a dog exercise pen, secured to side, panels let babes IN but keeps adults outta the baby area. Hard boiled egg yolk (chicken, any poultry species will do yah!) and starter on a small plate out in the open.

My conduct is being watched and studied
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Am I to be trusted?? This Grey hen is likely to hatch her own clutch (Yes, I combined eggs from both the females, better chances to get ducklings out of both if you mix the clutches up) and I am being judged by my conduct with the current brood. Do I pass or fail?

Anyone saying a duck or sheep or dog or what have you is STUPID is stupid themselves. They do what they do very well and often, I figure US Humans should be noting how easy they make replication and raising well adjusted offspring look. Take note, how simple the simple creatures make making more well adjusted versions of themselves seem...

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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