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

[hennible]

Happy Easter

 

[CanuckBock]

Happy Easter

It sure has been!

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Fixins coming back to the house from a walk about...

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Overcast kinda dreary day...

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One of the Red Golden pheasants must be thinking about making up a clutch and nesting...first egg of the season!


So I got to take a few fun pics of chooks too whilst Rick and Fixins were inside together. Feels like forever since I did any oogling clicks of the chooks for a bit.

So some fun genetics crap.

You may make a Chamois (rich golden buff ground laced in creamy white), Buff Laced or Yellow White Laced colour pattern. I believe only the Polish is recognized in this variety...but the gist of it is way KEWL!

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Any Black marking feather pattern can be made into a light marking as in white, blue, or lavedner ...the possibilities are really very interesting when you realize that!

You may use lavender (I have none of that), or double blue dilution (what we know as splash) or you can use a single dose of Dominant White (used to make a Red Pyle/Pile)...

Two pullets - photo taken today
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So of course...I am pondering, how do you tell if it is blue dilution or dominant white that is making the light lacing on the edge of the feather?

I am gonna need to stew on this for a while.

I have this kewl lacing happen on and off, sometimes dark, sometimes light. I guess I jest like it and figure...kewl, eh!

May 2013 - male in background, female in foreground
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Often, there is an optical illusion that the ground colour is darkener in the one laced in black...you can have the same shade of ground colour but it L00Ks darker than the white or light laced ground. Neato!

Still have the female pictured above...here she is today. She is one of my project Chantecler bantams and she also natural hatches and raises up chicks for us.

She is based on eb brown and very dark female...she oozes eumelanin​

See I like this boy's colouration (a Blaff or a Bluff; blue and buff), he's a Chantecler and I always figured his tail feathers were due to blue dilution...now I am having to REthink all that...hmm...

Feb 2013


Same boy, Mar 2014
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So I grabbed him today and took some pics of his tail feathers...

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There is the blue tinged areas, the speckly dark dots and the light copperish colour and what I deem a leaky blackish feather.

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I don't know why I like this colour variance...I just find it all interesting...

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Basically, his tail is like a Red Chant (which are made from a cross of buff and partridge varieties...we did our first cross to make these in 2009)...

Red Chant male​

Added in edit...photo of a Red Chant...note colour on wings is not black to be diluted by blue dilution...

Red Chant male tail​

that has had the BLACK green sheen diluted to a light colouration..jest like the two girls above that I took pics of...but am I wrong in thinking the this lightening of the black pigment is from Blue Dilution?

Left Red Chant dark tail and Right Blaff/Bluff Chant lighter tail
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I know that this boy below is one dose dominant white...a red pyle/pile

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Red Pyle male Chant

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What convinces me is the light colour in his wing feathers...but then I almost SEE a blue dilution in the tail...agh!

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This is a female version of the boy above...

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Red Pyle female Chant​

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I have this gal...should have grabbed her and taken photos and posted them too...oh well.

I am pretty sure this IS one dose of Dominant White...to make the Red Pyles (not real nice versions of red pyle, not real good ones, but not bad for the first generation of them).

So I got like six Red Pyle Chants from last season...grabbed up three boys...I believe all to be single dose of Dominant White...

They are not too happy with me taking pics of their butts..."Hey...some dignity here!"

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This is one of the boys and blighme...a dark feather in his tail...

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Same male that I swear is one dose dominant white, so a Reddish Pyle pattern.

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See that dark in the tail feather...his wing feathers are White so I am thinking...

- If I see White in the wing primaries = one dose dom white.
- If I don't see the wings also partially white...then safe to say it is blue dilution.

Is this a key then??

Perhaps...jest me throwing it out there, you never know who else is playing with colours and seen some differences between blue dilution and one dose dominant white.

I am going to go do some review of my genetic books and see if I can find any definitive definition between dom white in one dose and blue dilution in two doses. I think some of the issue is the pigment of red and black are the same pigments...and the genetics, whatever they be that are diluting say the black...are going to at some point make the EXACT same colour because BOTH dilute the pigments. It is figuring out how far the pigments are diluted by either one dose dominant white or two doses blue dilution that may hold the answers I seek.

<<<I think??>>>

Both can allow leaky colours but which one makes white in the wings (that's one dose Dom white as far as I know)...that should be what I need to solve. May have to take this and post it on The Coop if nobody here has been playing in colours such as these or read & held on to something I have obviously missed.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

Edit to add picture of Red Male Chant so one may compare...

 

[hennible]

Holy crow
I think that made sence to me...
I have an EE with that "black laced" colouring, beautiful bird... Any way gorgeous birds, all of them Tara.

 

[CanuckBock]

Holy crow
I think that made sence to me...
I have an EE with that "black laced" colouring, beautiful bird... Any way gorgeous birds, all of them Tara.

Good...I often think some of these genetics don't click for us until we see it in the flesh (and feathers!). Being able to snap pics and post them...is stellar. We should be pleased we live in the times we do with the technology to walk over, go CLICK and then post it some place that is accessible from any where on the Planet with internet capabilities. I love that alot!

Gold on left / Silver on right​

Here's a good example of GOLD and SILVER in the females...s-series alleles, the girls only get one allele so can only be s"+" (gold) or S (silver)...


Here are some of the bantam Chantecler "Partridge" project gals...

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Got a lot of work and tweaking to get these to resemble partridge variety BUT right ground colour (Mh as in Mahogany is in the mix there!) is a small thing to celebrate (yee haw!

)...Postives are that we have some black markings and all have cushion combs and laying plenty of good decent eggs...so breed up more generations and getting the partridge pattern, that will happen. Patience is a virtue!


Here is what the self-White progression of that part of the bantam Chantecler project WAS...from back then to now...

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F4 Gal on the left is a perfectly white self-White...F3 gal in the middle has those red leaky pigments, and F1 gal on the far right, that's Pewter and not very self-White...but that is how this project has progressed and succeeded in producing the self-White...me happy happy!

So Fixins can't eat by herself...much to Rick's delight because he laughs. I don't prefer to hand feed dogs treats...I am a bowl person, a few treats to do some tricks, fine, but not one to feed off your dinner plate. So because she is swollen, she can't lean over and eat, pick up food. So have been slicing up items and feeding them to her.

That is until I tried to feed the cottage cheese to her...bought special for her because Rick says it is good for her and easy to digest. So I try to feed it and the curds go flying...bloomin' mess. So thought on it and came up with a solution. Course the chickens have to contribute too to make this all work!

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Crack and stir up some eggs, drain the cottage cheese, and a few bits of cheese cubed up...thinking, make an omlete eh...surround the curds in egg and some cheese and voila...

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So looks promising...

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Cook it up good, give it a flip...

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Perfection...OK, it does look like a Dog's breakfast but indeed...that is what it IS...Fixins' Dog breakfast...some shredded chicken because I am making some Chinese food today...four chicken legs and thighs for broth for egg drop soup and chicken meat fer Chicken Fried Rice...

Yeh, the mixing the cottage cheese with the egg and cheese work out GREAT and Fixins snarked it right up... Me a happy camper! Cookin' fer dogs is successful!

Bought Fixins some more liver and baked that on up...

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She is getting fed pretty good and I figure she is having a real happy good time with the food she is getting. Make her a happy dog dog, eh!

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So get working on Chicken Fried Rice...get the rice cooked up and cooling, stir up the eggs for frying, defrost the peas and chop up the green onion...

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There we go...one dish ready for cooking...wrap it up and put it fridge side...wait for this evening. The preparation is the most tedious part...that and all the dishes you dirty on up getting all the portions ready and then stowed away for the dinner big wok and stir.

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So other dish I am doing is Pork Chow Mien...slice up the pork cutlet and get it all marinating...

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I'll fry up the ginger and garlic in some oil and then add the pork slices that were marinated...

Do up the chow mien noodles as per the instructs on the packaged...

Egg Drop Soup will be ready this evening...the stock is simmering on the stove...so that will be a nice three course meal for this eve...

Egg Drop Soup, Chicken Fried Rice, and Pork Chow Mein. I bought a small package of ground pork...not quite sure what to do with it but maybe do won tons for tomorrow's soup, got some turkey soup stock from Easter Turkey dinner....so leftovers tomorrow but with a little twist on the soup we will have today. Better go snag a package of won ton wrappers outta one of the freezers to defrost it for tomorrow.

Should be good.


Time to take sweety paheaty, Fix-a-leanies out for another jaunt...too nice a day not too.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[scottcaddy]

Tara! Do you know just what you are doing to my waist line? I have had Supper and now that I read this post, I'm getting a bit snackish if not a bit out & out hungry.
I think that you guys eat Real well!
Thanks for sharing!

Scott

 

[hennible]

Fixins? Or Rick?

 

[CanuckBock]

Tara! Do you know just what you are doing to my waist line? I have had Supper and now that I read this post, I'm getting a bit snackish if not a bit out & out hungry.
I think that you guys eat Real well!
Thanks for sharing!

Scott

Yeh, I do agree, we get to eat alot better than we ever have! Are we working it off like we would when we were younger, not likely!

Our major issue is that we are getting old but the food out there to purchase ready made tastes terrible. One of my SIL's took us to Five Guys Burgers, about a year ago and it was TERRIBLE!

Ton of grease, no taste, and there were throngs of people in there...you would have thought it would be good. Nope...nothing beats home fries here (they taste sweet...not sour, not greasy!), and burgers...oh the burgers and we do up just plain ground beef (add in assortment of things when to be BQ'd or like in a meat loaf or Salisbury Steak thingy), but just good old beef fried and grease drained off... I simply don't GET IT??? Why can't anyone cook real food...I think alot has to do with the ingredients.

August 23, 2014 - getting ready to harvest a head



Resulting reward...our own greens and cackleberries

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Some of the flock that make the delicious eggs we get to add to the plant produce we enjoy in the summer time here.

Here's some homegrown spinach I harvested last year



And its rewarded celebration to be consumed...again with the Chook contributions...

We are chomping at the bit for when we get real homegrown produce from the garden again...yeh, drooling over greens, eh. Funny that.

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Some of the random harvested items...all integrated into the meals for the day...fresh...and tasty and good for us...even when we lived in a one bedroom apartment, I still managed to grow peas and lettuce in container garden...

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Our son mentioned on the weekend, he wants to take some raspberry canes from his patch here for his balcony...His patch located in the Pear-A-Dice/Eden area.

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What is neat is Rick made the box to contain the raspberries in the shape of the province of Alberta...

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In the month of August, we get some nice harvests of berries.

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I say we need to teach our children well and I think he done learned something from his folks, eh!

July 13, 2014 - Here is his balcony last year...kewl eh? ​

I find doing the veg garden is alot of work (kinda makes you grimace when you harvest and there is a swamp of cheap produce you could buy, but then again...).

Fresh beets = some greens the first night with supper, sliced up beets with butter...hmmm...I can still taste them...

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The MEGA reward tho...oh my, the food taste is premium--you CAN'T seem to buy that fresh grown taste.

Maybe some of this has to do that the commercialized produce is picked before it is ripe, so picked and packed, shipped up here and it began being picked as under ripe...maybe that is it...dunno?? I just know the whole circle of life thing...the composting of used bedding right down to the heritage seed choices we can make...it results in something so fine!

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I think even Fixins KNOWS home produce...dog approved indeed!


No lying to a dog...she is all about her peas being delicious!

Fixins? Or Rick?

You're a tease and a torment...dog's breakfast!

Slipped into the store this morning real quick like and grabbed two more packages of liver for the Fix.

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I don't like liver on a good day...Rick likes it so I will make if for him but that is the night there are TWO separate dinners being made...liver...

in my books...

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I can tell you how VERY lovely the house smells about now...almost as good as when I make steak & KIDNEY pie...that lovely waifing fragrance...of UNIque scents--urea...hmm, slather that on...see home many dogs follow you on home, eh!

Bought another head of broccoli too...grabbed two packages of frozen beef steak outta the freezers in the garage. Gonna make up a quick rendition of Beef & Broccoli for adding to what we had yesterday for din. Again, should be good.

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I personally don't like it much having to leave her...but both mornings on my return...she is still having a good ol' sleep-a-thon. She's obviously OK with it and probably hearing and knowing the routine I have been doing for what, ongoing of eight years now, she's use to me skittering about and going in the morn and afternoon to drive bus

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She sleeps...so that is good...here she has her eyes open, sorta saying, "Hurry along now...I can't sleep with you here making noises and bothering me. The sooner you go, the sooner you get back so we can enjoy being together. I'll just rest up and be energized fer yah...GO now! Shoo! Shoo!"

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That friggin' frackin' lump on her head is big...

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When I say it is competing with the size of one of her ears...I truly mean it, eh.

She hates me too...I go and clean up her leaky eyes...did that this morn...nice warm cloth and yet she still complains...I expect her face is swollen, it hurts but I try not to make it too painful. Sorta a Mommy Dog thing too...the Mom would always "clean the face..." So I can see Fixins quite stellar about she is NOT a baby puppy, eh. Oh well...I can't stand it when her face gets gooky and messy, so she has to put up with clean the face...

I have my moments--when I get a bit tired and run down...heard this song and now it's stuck in my head...may as well share it and make others hate it too...

Teddy Bear
Written by Harlan Howard:
I wish I had button eyes and red fat nose
Shaggy cotton skin and just one set of clothes
Sittin' on the shelf in the local department store
With no dreams to dream and nothing to be sorry for

I wish I was a Teddy Bear
Not livin' nor lovin' or goin' nowhere
I wish I was a Teddy Bear
And I'm wishin' that I hadn't fallen in love with you

I wish I had a wooden heart and a sawdust mind
Then your mem'ry wouldn't come around hurtin' all the time
I'd have a sewed on smile and a painted twinkle in my eye
And I never would've ever had to learn how to cry

I wish I was a Teddy Bear
Not livin' nor lovin' or goin' nowhere
I wish I was a Teddy Bear
And I'm wishin' that I hadn't fallen in love with you

I wish I had a string you'd pull to make me say
Hi, I'm Teddy ain't it a lovely day
Then I'd know every time I spoke the words were right
And no one would know the mess I made in my life

I wish I was a Teddy Bear
Not livin' nor lovin' or goin' nowhere
I wish I was a Teddy Bear
And I'm wishin' that I hadn't fallen in love with you

And I'm wishin' I hadn't fallen in love with you

But then like yesterday happens...the morning walking in the park with Fixins...then Rick got to come home early...so he slipped out to do a little spring project (he has those on the go...he made me the Ram Wagon one spring...jobs and projects you can take up and put on hold if the spring weather switches to NASTY!).

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See the gap there in front of the trailer and between the little V shaped tool box...that is where the SPARE tire use to sit...in the WAY, eh!

Rick cut and prepared some metal and then he had a bracket welded up...for the big trailer. The spare tire, that use to be on the front on the tongue and was a major hassle because when we used the big trailer, we would want to run the winch cable off the Boo Truck into the trailer to yank in the pallets of feed or if he had to haul a truck or something. The truck winch cable to be used meant you had to remove the spare tire...so he made a choice to secure the spare for the trailer outta the way of all this.

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So he had to pick up longer bolts for the fastening up the tire...and he thought, nice day, good time to put the tire and then its cover on the trailer...small project, not gonna get stopped by a bad weather incident and there's something to feel accomplished about for the day.

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Look at her...where is Fixins? She is right under foot...almost knocking the tire cover over that Rick has propped against him. But she is right in the GAME...she is "helping" Dad like the chore dog she is.

Then she would do a few circles on the gravel pad...

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Enjoying the warm weather wandering

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Almost gets tripped up on a tarp on a lumber pile because she forgets where she is going and not fully paying attention...

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Whoops but she's back on the right track.

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So there...a small springish project completed...I figure the big trailer's spare looks pretty sharp and certainly WAY more practical to get her if we need her--hoping NOT that means we got a flat but better safe and prepared than sorry and stranded!

Then Dad and her go inside, for a snack and a nap...I go run the afternoon drive and later on, Chore Dog Fixins comes on back out for a short walk about to do the evening check on things are ready for night to come on.

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A good supper and a sleep and she is up and at them again today.

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Another sunny day for her to enjoy...

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Clicked a few pics this morning on our jaunt...of the SILLY geese...indeed, the first person to coin the phrase SILLY GOOSE was durn right on the money, eh.

Gander welcoming..."Get lost...I mean it!" Goose, "You tell her...BUGGER OFF!"

Shrieking, hissing, posturing & threats of bodily harm...I get to endure all the harassment at goosey chore time. One would figure I was the worst enemy alive...time to feel under-appreciated...even threatened within an inch of my life...and for what...??? Looking after them...yeh, geese are one of the most UNgrateful creatures--no doubt on that!

The Buff Tufteds..."Look out...here comes trouble...We need to put the RUN on her...GO AWAY!"​

And the worst reception (for today at least) comes from this trio...

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First thing the Buff hen does is stand (on??) the nest of eggs and announce my presence..."Tis HER! Bring on the BIG GUNS and run her on off!"

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The gander comes out, inspects the clutch...all the while the Buff hen is telling about how I am a risk to the eggs...a threat! Like I was standing ON the dang eggs!

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The Gander is joined by the two females who make a chorus of back up insults all aimed at MOI!

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The Buff hen settles on the nest and the remaining pair of Buff Pieds help me understand the direction I need to be taking...where to go and how to do it & quickly.

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I oblige them and there is much a do about my retreat..."Good, she's GONE! Let's hope these buckets magically empty and refill themselves...We don't NEED her coming round all the time, eh!"

Ah them geeseys...it does take special persons to appreciate them. Whilst they do love what you do...don't let it ever mean that they might, perhaps, sorta and kinda actually LIKE their keepers...now that would be a daft concept on their part! Silly geese--that's never in question now is it, eh?

So time to take Fixins out for an early afternoon jaunt.

Down the ramp off the Man Porch into the bright sunshine

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Stop and have an inspection of the Veg Garden...

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Then see how Dad's fish are doing in the pond...

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Then on up back to inspect the 21 walls of wood...

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The first pile of loose birch firewood is not gone and ground raked up...but there is one more there on the right side to start digging into.

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And then back into the house because Fixins has exhausted her walk-about energies. Once again having a nice dog nap.

Dad calls, fixing a flat tire on his Service Truck and says he MIGHT be home in time to sit with Fixins before I go drive school bus. That would suit moi jest fine...

Another perfect day...expected...normal...here in Pear-A-Dice, eh.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[scottcaddy]

My Dear Tara, It is good to see that Fixins is still helping you guys out!
Scott

 

[drumstick diva]

I agree, anyday with Fixins in it, is a good day indeed.

 

[CanuckBock]

My Dear Tara, It is good to see that Fixins is still helping you guys out!
Scott

Chore Dog always out to help...might be her idea of helping sometimes...but willing worker!

In the Outback of Australia, I bin told tales about dogs that were helicoptered out to bring in livestock mobs...all by themselves back to the cattle station. Droving rangy cattle to the home place...in most cases, if you asked, you'd get told that one good dog was worth four or five people easily. Same may be said of good sled dogs...a decent lead dog is worth its weight in gold for us humans...for all the trouble they avoid and it could well cost the person and the other sled dogs their lives based solely on the decision making skills of the lead dog.

Yeh...dogs are helpers indeed. Always happy to greet you and go out and about on a jaunt.

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This mornings walk-about with lil' Princess Puppy Fixins.

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I scrambled up some egg and drained some cottage cheese, little butter in the fry pan and got it going. Turned the stove off and out we both went. I knew I would come back in and cook the other side...serve her up a nice warm breakfast after trouncing about in the morning chill. She'd love that kinda meal to come in for.

I agree, anyday with Fixins in it, is a good day indeed.

Yup...

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Coupla circles about the place and Fruitcup was ready to go back inside...twas BREAKFAST TIME for Sweetness Monster Dawg.

Flipped the crepe (if that is what it is?) and cooked the other side​

Cut it into slivers and there is enough there for several feedings for puppy. She had turkey, liver, and egg with the captured cottage cheese curds...num num...fer dog dogs.

Big news here (yeh, hilarious really)...she took a big crap yesterday evening...YAH...much celebrations. Yes, my days have reverted to celebrations (yee haw Diva, eh?) when the dog takes a dump. Hee hee...no matter...important to us here. What goes in...oh lots going in...must come on OUT...

Lookit that happy emptied puppers!

Rick has been getting up at 3 a.m. and coming home so Fruitcup can be left loose while I drive the afternoon run. He's a tired man...that boy.

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See how happy she is...comes to Dad fer belly rubs...AFTER the greeting, "Yer HOME!"

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So she walks with him and I...I have the portable setup for her bed and blanket under my arm...going pond side and she needs a nice place to crash land.

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A few rounds in the yard...few times past so she gets body rubs from Dad...

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Then my part in the equation...the SHADE in the hot sunshine. We figure the direct sun on her head lump (unicorn horn as the kid calls it)...must be a tad uncomfy...so me shade is much appreciated by her.

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After a bit of pond side resting...time to go get the mail...she can come along and do that...

Grab the mail and we head back towards where Rick is waiting by the pond​

It was on our way back from retrieving the mail that she had her big dump...made me and obviously HER happy...tee hee...need to get a life if this is something noteworthy...eh? Now leave me and mine to our dementia...no harm in happiness...excessively happy, with the widdle things that mean LIFE in our lives!

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So back to the pond and her portabed...cover her up as the sun is going behind the big trees and it is a tad cooler. Don't want her catching a chill now. So we sat there a bit and then Rick took her inside and I went about the evening chores to complete a perfect day here in Pear-A-Dice.

Did up two plates of meat, cheese and crackers--never did do up the beef & broccoli as planned but no harm there in that can be done up for tonight. Rick exclaimed, "It must be my birthday again!" Bugger...he liked the platter I made him...complete surprise too and I guess that was enough to eat because he was ready to sleep pretty soon after that.

Time for a little more bird relvant stuff...over the family dog renditions of Fixins' play by play in the day, eh.

Various matched pairs of Mandarin sail feathers that have been naturally shed by the drakes ​

We have the Mandarin Ducks, had them now for quite a few years. They need very secure accommodations (Rick built me the Taj Mahal for them!)--I think I read some place they have one of the most maneuverability of any bird on their short but well equipped wings--something about being able to fly thru trees and heavy brush very easily...Anyway, I do know they are the only ducks to have their special looking sail feathers. These go for top dollar, not to the fly tiers as you might expect...but to the earring makers and the hair extension persons.

The Taj last July - during construction of the limerocked perimeter border​

I pick the sail feathers up when the drakes shed them...ensure I match them up in pairs...been doing this for, oh about two years running now. Sometimes a set goes missing, no worries, we can always have them boys make more...heh heh heh...

Matched pair of sail feathers ​

The older the drake, just like in the pheasant cocks, the bigger and more pretty the feathers. My older males make the very best of the sail feathers...sorta thinking the hens like the display of an older drake...much fancier display of feathers and he's LIVED to prove his strength.


So I had always wanted to have some of my feathers custom made into two flies and a set of earrings...worn together.

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Chose out feathers for each side ... of the earrings...the backing ... the flies.

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Here are the various plumage that I assembled for what I wanted these items made from...

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This was a few years back now. 2013, I hired a person I know that does fly tying. What great fun we had doing this up...

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The one fly made, called the hair of the dog (yup...there's some dog hair in thar!)

The wings are barred feathers from the Mandarins...she is putting the chicken hackle on in this pic.

Sonya's Hair of the Dog fly held by her just after completion - doncha jest LUV the antennae??

The other one, she named Tequila Sunrise.

There's even my MDF feathers in the tail with the swan plumage!

Tequila Sunrise​

Hired her to make me two sets of imaginative flies (I chose the feathers you can see above and we sat while she made them up...very kewl because both of the flies have so many of my fav feathers in the design!) along with a back drop of other feathers to go as earrings for me. There is everything from Mandi, to Swan, Goose, to Pheasants, Chickens to Turkeys and the Ducks.

Hair of the Dog at the top
Tequila Sunrise below​

January 2013 - two flies and earring backings​

My earrings...pretty fancy eh...not worn them too often...not like I would go do chores decked out in such danglers!

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Also at that time...January 2013, I made this one up myself. I put it together (could be worn like a pendant I suppose) to show off some of the variations in breeds of turkeys we have...I merely pierced the feather quills, added a few beads and voila...

Pretty, eh...and all turkey...amazing!
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There are some amazing turk a lurk feathers here...even have ridges on where some of the feathers make transitions to other colours...you can feel the ripple with your fingers. Sorry, I could ooze on about feathers and max alot of you out. Hee hee...love me birds for all their kewl feathers!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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