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

[CanuckBock]

Tara would your sick puppy be Fixins?

I lost two from congestive heart failure many years ago and their symptoms were like hers, except they had a chronic, dry cough.

yes.

 

[Arcnova]

Addressing the re-inventing the wheel...so I propose a question..."why do you need to make a breed of chicken?" Why can't you just keep the birds you have on the go, add some if you want to tailor them more to a dual purpose bird (or better yet, make TWO kinds...one for meat and one for eggs...specialize as it is easier to make an egg chicken OR a meat chicken but not try to make a chicken EXCEL at both...that is what the commercial mush meats and egg swillers are...TWO BREEDS for eggs or meat and not ONE for both. ONE breed does OK...but never as good as one or the other, eh). Why does the chickens you have now have to be moved back into being a BREED? What benefit is that to you personally?

Ah. Hmm, well, I don't need to and I suppose it wouldn't really be a new breed in the real world sense as I have no intention of marketing them or even getting them recognized. But I do want to produce consistent layers and consistently large meat birds for my own and my families use. I enjoy really dificult logic puzzles, biology, genetics, statistics and probabilities! I also like baby animals and adore home grown eggs and meat, lol.

Two kinds is what I had in mind actually! One for eggs since my smaller girls seem to be the best egg layers and one for meat. I suppose what I'm after is just consistent predictable production birds, color doesn't really matter. Getting there myself is just for my own enjoyment.

Thank you for the book list, I will get them just as soon as I can!

 

[Arcnova]

I guess the next question would be what purpose does it serve to show birds or even attend a Poultry show? Contacts and inspection of other person's birds by a person is one but please do ensure to follow all biosecure protcols when returning home so as not to infect your current flock with any disorders pick up on your person and clothing/footwear/vehicle after the show. We humans may carry ILT in our nostrils for 24 hours and give that to our birds, eh. I suggest reading Gail's Chicken Health book and making a decision after that on showing birds or even attending the shows in person.

Oh, thank God! I do not enjoy crowds lol! And the disease factor had me nervous too.

 

[Arcnova]

Tried to practice the chicken exam instructions on my Roo today since he's the least flighty of my birds....
My hands are too small! I couldn't fit his thighs between my fingers.
I will have to practice with the girls I guess, lol.

 

[drumstick diva]

Arcnova, bet the rooster wasn't very happy with your attempts.

 

[Arcnova]

Arcnova,  bet the rooster wasn't very happy with your attempts.

He was surprisingly calm. He quivered a bit and bupped indignantly at me but otherwise he took it very well lol.

 

[drumstick diva]

Maybe he is just modest and wanted a hospital gown

 

[Arcnova]

Maybe he is just modest and wanted a hospital gown

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Mock Sailsbury steak (burger, egg and cracker, sautéed onions and fresh mushrooms...all baked in cream of mushroom soup), carrots, cauli, baby potatoes...t'was nice.

March 22, 2015​

See we have three goose eggs in a nest as of yesterday...kewl, them geeseys have been screaming for a few weeks now...so yeh, expected it is breeding season for them.

March 26, 2015 - one of the snow piles, and she is shrinking...​

Snow bound but melting...been an average year for snows, and warm days indeed to enjoy. Bit of snow, bit of melt, enjoying a pleasant winter. I know the critters sure are lovin' this...

Veg Garden March 24, 2015​

Yeh, Fixins wants to be with us even more than she ever has...and I have been there for her...only time I am away is to drive the bus morn and afternoon. Do that and go back home to be with her. She wants that and happy to oblige her. Took one evening and cleared out all the grow out pens for the young stuff not so young no more's. Rick was home early and he kept her company, so that was great. Past, that, yesterday was the first day I got to go mix feed for rations for the birds, and now again stocked up. Little intense work bees, but then I do chores and she comes along.

She wants not to be alone...more so than we have ever seen. So that's what we have been doing. Staying home and truly happy as now I don't have to leave her side to go run bus...it is spring break...fabulous I can be here now for her.

March 23, 2015​

So I have made accommodations so she can join me more comfy during chore time--kept to a minimum but chores must be done and if she wants to go along in the condition she is in, working it for her. A bit of puzzling to figure it out at first, but the one calf sled I made up into a portable bed which has worked out well. Last thing she needs when resting is to get chilled...she needs to be comfy, comfy and happy.

Mar 23, 2015​

She would not RIDE IN the sled moving, but when I put down a dog bed, she'd climb in and since it was blustery on some of the days when chores were being done, I would blanket her up...she thought this was a good set up and would watch me go about doing what I had to do to keep things rolling along here.

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When I needed to reload up wood for the woodstove...She was more than happy to recline on her bed on the sled in her choice spot under a spruce and wait for me to load the cart up. Then I would move the cart up the incline, and then go get her and the bed...like a mobile gypsy caravan, but it's working and that's all I care about... She needs to be there with us, and so she shall.

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March 23, 2015​

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She is enjoying being out and about...happy stock dog in her element...inspecting, being there, being part of the program. Still a stock dog with a working interest, eh!

Inspection Dog on patrol...sniffing, making sure things are good. ​

She has even put the run on two Ravens in the past few days. I was not pleased she exerted a burst of energy like that, but she sure was proud of herself..."BAD BIRDIES! Put the run on them!"

March 24, 2015...she is tired at times and looks not so great...the lump is there and I know without the pain meds, she'd be exhausted by now from it hurting.

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The bump on her head is causing her and us concerns...but we have her on Metcam (nfi)and she is not staggering and having issues walking...before we got her on it, she was having troubles getting around...pain sucks, she needs to be pain free!

March 24, 2015​

In fact, she plays pretty good... there's that bushy ring tailed varmit in hot pursuit of playing the game.

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I like to see her and Foamers enjoying themselves being dogs. Bit more stops for resting, but she's still got it.

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Still doing the sniffy the wind, checking out the scents. Dog dog being a dog...

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March 24, 2015​

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Still has attitude, giving me the

if I don't hurry along and THROW the TOY, eh!

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Alotment for breaks, stop and catch breath...and then...

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"Hurry up or I will threaten to lick a post again...I'll do it...you know I will!"

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Then another rest...BREAK TIME fer DOGGIES!

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And we are rip roaring to go again...joy, happiness, in the game, giving WHAT FOR!

March 24, 2015​

Until it is time to call it a day...

Next day, 25th...

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Take Fruity out because we have things to do in the Ram Pasture...

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Dumping a coupla bins fulla bird bedding for composting.

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So whilst we did that...

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Fixins was...waiting on us!

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I bring along her bed in case she wants to recline on it...she don't -- what a dog...

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I'd rather recline here in the snow...she was given a choice... Them ACD's eh...

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So the bally toy got tossed and she happily played a bit...see, this is how good she can feel...

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So I set up her bed at a new location, a chair for me and since she had a bit of run runs...she decided NOW she can recline on the bed I keep carting around...I feel like I am the sicko and having to haul this bed around like I am strapped to an IV pole and all...LMBO

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Here she does look ill...and resting too...

"What you looking at...I'm just having a NAP!! Old dogs need NAPS...resting me eyes, eh!"


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Get's some body rubbies from Rick..."Oh yeh, little to the left eh...yeh...dat's good!"

After the rest...

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Rick, Foamy, Fixins and I did our walk about to double check that the contents of the bluebird houses were empty. Me packing her doggy bed, in case we needed a pit stop...she never did!

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Can you see the happiness in Fixins? She loves her property...going about, sniffing and inspecting her digs.

Dogs following Rick, me following the line up...bringing up the rear making sure all is good.

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Blue birds have made their appearance...and funny how we timed it that eve of March 25, 2015.

One of the many Bluebird houses Rick made to place on our property​

The very next day after we had stomped about the property...yeh, what do I see in my afternoon run, two male bluebirds flying about looking for nests to take ownership of.

Nice to see this house is getting weathered...much more bird acceptable when it don't have that NEW material feel, eh.​

March 26, 2015...

Another balmy nice spring day and Fixins wants to be outside enjoying the weather.

From this location in front of the Pheasant Cabin, she can look over and easily see me going about the chore routines for some of what needs doing.​

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Brat...off the bed but it is warm, so no worries, if she wanted to be back on the bed, she can.

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Yet MORE spring activities...getting the fish pond and waterfall ready for FISH TRANSFER from the garage to the outside pond. Yee haw and welcome to spring!

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Rick comes home from work and starts spraying down the pond and waterfall. I hauled out two sets of hoses that we had in reserve but he never needed to use them...the hose left outside was not frozen...WOW... neato, er what!

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Relocated Fixins' bed and water pan...up on the hill so she could watch Rick washing the summer home of her fishies.

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She has bad moments, and good ones...so it goes...as long as she is not in pain, that she is happy and loves her eating (baked liver, roasted chicken, sautéed fresh chook eggers, cottage cheese, warmed chicken soup broth...getting her some more white fish later today)...yeh, she is doing fine considering.

Still giving me that intense stare..."Well, toy must be tossed, what's the hold up...quit clicking and get KICKing...!!

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So that's an update thus far, good times and not so much good times but we are managing.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[drumstick diva]

Thank you Tara, I love to dwell over Fixins photos - I can't get enough of her.