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

[drumstick diva]

BTW was good to see Foamy again. How old is she?

 

[CanuckBock]

Hi Tara
I was just reading your excellent post on Chantecler color over on th BYC color genetics thread. Greats stuff. Have an additional question, please. Excerpt: " In 1908, Bro Wilfrid chose to use White Leghorn females (dominant white) and White Wyandottes (recessive white) on both sides of the two F1 lines during the development of this composite breed. After APA recognition in 1921, the Frère diverged from the SOP Whites and later added White Rhode Island to form the honourable Oka strain of White Chanteclers. "
Question what is the kind of white in the White Rhode Island ?
Thanks,
Karen

Easy, way too easy Karen!

Listen to my advice please (I'm old, I get tired of hearing my own voice, eh

)...all you need to know is in the history of the breed (owning copies of both SOPs make for great reads, 'especially when someone asks about a breed you have no experience with, eh)...

Know your roots my Lady! The Chooks never LIE...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_White:
So the Bro, he did a neat thing...he sorta kinda RE-crossed in a breed that was sorta kinda already like what he began with (seems common at the time to be making composite breeds from this group of foundation breeds) but this one had a Rose Comb (from the RC Leghorn)...magnificent influx of new genetics and I am betting gave his breed strain a real BOOST!

The Wyandottes would give recessive white and the Leghorns, dominant white--so that cross of another breed in the Oka Chants contributed BOTH types of white so would not have changed the Oka Chantecler in a colour genetic sense.

Tara

 

[CanuckBock]

Tara after reading some of the cattle dog incidents, I'm hoping they don't get a rep like Pit bulls - where people get them just to have the toughest dog on the block.

Course Cattle Dogs have bad raps...Heelers are heelers and instantly you can see the reservations pass over people's faces when the light comes on that they are staring down the barrel of an intelligent physically adept canine. No foolin' with an ACD, they are a nightmare or heaven sent...depends on the human at the helm. If any dog breed could go wolf or dingo in an instant, that would be the ACD. I have no reservations about people needing to respect the potential in ACDs for immense good or immense bad.

Drive up in a farm yard and the dog comes over to inspect...ain't EVER gettin' outta the truck until someone comes to haul the dog off. I never touch Heelers or Stumpies, I ignore them and that act in itself makes the dog BEG to be paid attention to. They will size you up, decide for themselves if you are worthy of further investigation. Drives an ACD batty if you "ignore the dog" and make like they are invisible...then they hafta get your attention...

"Don't ignore moi...I am EVER so important!"

August 5, 2015 - first full day here...see them neckers...

I put the cute neckerchiefs (Aussie flags from my good friend Berna over in Oz...she has shown the Stumpies to GREAT FAME...best in shows and specialties...awesome woman!) on their necks and whomever decides they will run the gauntlet may approach and touch the entities. Bwa ha ha...Do you dare touch the vision...lose a finger to touch them??

Australia Day - January 26, 2016​

Don't take my words alone on the reputation of the ACD...invested in the breeding of these dogs, is all the great potentials in the world...as said, to do good or do evil. Great evil!

http://www.canadasguidetodogs.com/clubs/herding.htm:

BTW was good to see Foamy again. How old is she?

You have asked that question before. Since she is a rescue (found running at large in a city park and the head of the SPCA was retiring and called me and pretty much obligated me to take her so she would not be killed), not quite sure how am I suppose to know how old she is?

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[drumstick diva]

Reworded question, how long have you had Foamy?

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Reworded question, how long have you had Foamy?

We fostered her on July 12, 2006. Some foster...lots of takers and I interviewed many...no yard, no fence, no means to care for her decently. Lovely dog, but nobody worthy stepped up and the foster soon evidently became forever. My vet still laughs at us. Sure, sure she's "a foster." Dang guy has a crystal ball...

OK...time to address the comb issue on the Chanteclers. I shall cheat a little bit and repeat excerpts from my Comb and Wattle Article on the Chants...

@Folly's place

First off, the single comb is wild type...so that is what the Red Junglefowl, origin of our domesticated chicken breeds had. Any changes from a single comb is a mutation. Keep in the back of your mind...a chicken will always diverge BACK to its wild type roots...it is what Nature has decided is the BEST CHICKEN to be. Some might argue on the dominant and recessive aspects and try to make that the rule but after decades of seeing the Chantecler being bred to have a CUSHION comb and yet, single combs will continue to pop up...to me it is more like Murphy's law that those hidden recessive linger on and on. I guess one day we will have a DNA test like we do for gender where we may submit a drop of toenail blood on a sample card or pluck a feather and send it in and KNOW what comb genetics are hiding behind the dominant forms of the comb over single wild type combs...but in the meantime, leave me to my delusions that the very chickens are in on revering back to WILD TYPE any chance given...bwa ha ha.

So here we go...


Article 1 - Combs & Wattles in the Chantecler Chicken
http://www.wolven.ca/higgins/ratranch/articles.htm:

SINGLE COMB - White Booted Bantam hen


SINGLE COMBS - on my dark skinned white feathered project Booted Bantam females​

SINGLE COMBS - My original foundation Booteds; Millie and Guy
​

SINGLE COMB - One of our more interesting Booted males, Half 'n Half...lookit the feets! ​

DAY OLD CHOOKS....

Booted Bantam Day olds​

NOW l00kit the day olds...see the SERATIONS...look at the points! That should instantly scream at you...SINGLE COMB

Even moi with my glass pop bottle glasses...I can SEE the serrations on the single combs...instantly knowing, tis a single combed bird.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PEA COMB​

Pea comb as per APA SOP...

2010 APA SOP, page 7:

Article 1 - Combs & Wattles in the Chantecler Chicken
http://www.wolven.ca/higgins/ratranch/articles.htm:

PEA COMB - Bantam Dark Brahma male​

DAY OLD CHOOKS....

​

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ​

ROSE COMB​

Rose comb as per APA SOP...

2010 APA SOP, page 7:
(4) Rose: A solid, broad, nearly flat on top, low fleshy comb, termination in a well developed tapering spike, which may turn upwards as in Hamburgs, is nearly horizontal in Rose Comb Leghorns; or follow the contour of the head in Wyandottes. Top surface of the main part should be slightly convex and studded with small rounded protuberances. General shape varies in different breeds.

Abomination recognized colour variety wise (cuckoo barred dude), BUT good comb for a Wyandotte, eh



Leader on this left side closest to us cockerel is not correct for the Wyandotte breed, leader does not follow contour of head.
​

How does one know one has taken WAY too many clicks of the chooks?

When they fall asleep on your knee...
Good photo of "workings" on Wyandotte Rose combs​

Article 1 - Combs & Wattles in the Chantecler Chicken
http://www.wolven.ca/higgins/ratranch/articles.htm:

ROSE COMB - bantam Golden Laced Wyandotte pullet
NOTE: Smoother comb top than above male​

ROSE COMBS - Bantam Wyandotte females​

ROSE COMBS - Bantam Wyandotte males​

DAY OLD CHOOKS....

Note egg teeth (chickens have teethies?) on these cutester ones...fresh hatched as can be!

​

The KEY component to note on the IDing of a rose combed possessing chicken...the catch is the POINT at the top of the comb...helps one immensely! I personally have viewed sanctioned judges put up Chantelcers that possessed a very, very suspicious POINT on the top of their combs...that is NOT a cushion comb then...this a ROSE COMB!

Cushion comb has block end on it for a reason, eh. NO POINT--got my point?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ​

CUSHION COMB​

​

Proper Chantecler Cushion Combs​

​

Cushion comb as per APA SOP...

General definition of the Cushion Comb...

2010 APA SOP, page 7:

Chantecler BREED definition for comb...

COMBS on Chant MALE​

- American Poultry Association’s (APA) poultry Standard (both standard and bantam stock) says:

The square shape, the no point, the smooth surface...got it???

​

The TRANSVERSE GROOVE...

The ever important but not wanted for the birds to be exhibited...the transverse groove is part and parcel in a Cushion Comb...

Both males and females may have the transverse groove in their cushion comb

​

Article 1 - Combs & Wattles in the Chantecler Chicken
http://www.wolven.ca/higgins/ratranch/articles.htm:
Note the above photo of a Chantecler Partridge Standard hen…there is a genetic explanation for this comb. Do you know it? If not, that is perfectly OK, but judges need to be aware of this when judging our Chanties…and we as breeders and exhibitors also need to know about this.

Dr. W.C. Carefoot, M.Sc., Ph.D.; Creative Poultry Breeding; “Malays, of course, have a “walnut” comb, sometimes called strawberry comb, which is caused by the interaction of both rose and pea mutations, i.e. is R, P. A walnut comb is low, solid and moderately small, with several surface conformations and variations. An unusual feature of the walnut comb is that it often has a shallow transverse groove separating the rear third from the front two thirds of the comb. In newly hatched chicks there are frequently small bristle like hairs which help in the detection of the walnut comb. The Silkie has made a virtue of the transverse groove in its breed standard which requires a shortened walnut comb; shortened to allow room for the crest.”

NOTE: In my experiences thus far in assessing day old Chanteclers for perfect cushion combs, you do have to continue to make ongoing assessments. Some combs do appear as cushion and later develop to have multiple points at the top tip, or other imperfections like lumps and bumps, etc. Wattles may appear small, smooth textured and in the correct potential shape and grow into wrinkly, large (these continue to grow, especially in the males…so just show them as young birds!), misshapen pendulous flappers!

Fairly good comb with nice wattles, Chants must have wattles



Horrific comb...the three points on top...this one was culled and none of these genetics ever entered my strains!
Nasty as this line had wry tail, wry neck, miscolours in white plumage, v-shaped...
The comb expression just helped seal the deal for me on not using the line!
​

Bad cushion comb, bad wattles...what a nightmare head on this dude!

Waz with the ripple top on this comb...not smooth wattles, size is OK thou...​

Point on end of comb...got bristles and looks OK otherwise...
Could this be a sign this male is a single dose for rose or pea comb?? ​

Know that heat is exchanged via the face gear...a large comb would assist a chicken in getting rid of excess heat...but all in good moderation...because come winter, a big set of head gear is what can get frozen and hurt something awful!

Waz with the dent in the top of this Cushion...not good!​

Comb in this one is big but the shape is correct...​

Realize that you will be able to identify a cushion comb, but often past maybe the possession of a transverse groove, one of the BIG reasons why you only EVER use cocks and hens for breeding...by living to two years of age, you can validate they are disease resistant to what you have at home...they can have production aspects judged (wide back to hang meat and makes eggs from within), you can know and judge the temperament of them...can you live with a bird like this and make more...

Comb is OK, but where are the wattles?



Yup, cushion comb, hate the wrinkle in the wattles and earlobes...
Compensation for less head gear, BIG lobes??


What's with the wow in the front of the comb...big lobes on the go too.



No wattles virtually but less than desirable overall look ​

There, back to good overall shaped cushion comb
​

Like the wattles on this male, but not the comb...​

Buff hen has virtually NO wattles
Some of the Quebecers ADORE the no wattle look...but the SOP's say wattles!

Overall good comb, wattles, earlobes...good boy!

So part of the using only older stocks to breed from, the growth of the head gear may be judged properly. You are not guessing at the quality of the cushion comb and wattles...YOU KNOW because you SEE it as an adult bird possessing it.

You even see the quality of the comb and wattles on these?

​

This Chant sire has perfection in pencillings for a Party bird...and throws it to his offspring -
would you faint if I told you he has a PEA COMB? LMBO

​

My avatar's head...

​

I've kept and bred from her for her huge eggs (plenty of Jumbo winter eggs with that dark brown shell), her longevity, her shape...her personality...I could gush on for hours and oh yeh, she does happen to have a cushion comb and small round wattles...woop whoop who cares, eh?

Barely see HIS comb and wattles...not what kept him around fur breeding, eh​

DAY OLD CHOOKS....

Look for BRISTLES on the Cushion Comb at day old age




L00K for the smooth surface, the sorta bump of fleshed comb...



Note the blocky shape on this little cushion comb ​

Look for the bristles, the smooth surface of the flesh, look for the transverse groove that is genetically impossible to avoid...​

There are NO serrations, there are NO points, there are often bristles and there can be a transverse LINE on the comb...get your toolbox of must have's on the spotting of a day old cushion comb and KNOW it from day one!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ​

Article 1 - Combs & Wattles in the Chantecler Chicken
http://www.wolven.ca/higgins/ratranch/articles.htm:


I always stress...whilst the possession of the WRONG comb type in a chicken means you cannot show (disqualification) that bird, what one exhibits and what one BREEDS from are often completely different birds (of a feather). Breeding stock does not always end up as showing stock and vice versa. Double mating shouts that out in that half of each of the two pens are completely and utterly UNshowable. Keep this well in mind.


Once past possessing the correct comb type for the breed, combs may be thought to be the crowing glory AND some say if the comb and the feet are correct, the inbetweens are usually good too...have to stop and figure...there are a ton of WAY more important factors in poultry than top of head and bottom of feets. Oh please...longevity, vigour, production, fertility, temperament...all come WAY before something as superficial as outwards looks. Keep your priorities straight. What the dang chicken looks like is way less important if you HATE their attitude towards you or the other birds. A good looker that is a pain in the wazoo, usually ends up tasting really good on a platter.

In the APA general scale of points for judging fowl...the COMB shape is worth five points outta 100...so five percent value on the total bird. The wattle's shape 2 and the earlobes are worth 4 points (2 for shape and 2 for colour). Are you getting what I mean by importance regarding combs?

Bear this heavy responsibility well as the breeder and keeper of the flocks. Combs have a teeny tiny value...value but not worth tossing the whole baby out with the bath water.

Article 1 - Combs & Wattles in the Chantecler Chicken
http://www.wolven.ca/higgins/ratranch/articles.htm:

In a completely perfect world, one would like to produce and own only cushion combed Chanteclers with perfectly suited Chantie wattles. It is indeed true that by selecting only for cushion combs and nice, correct wattles in your breeding birds, you will up the chances of having only cushion combed and correctly wattled offspring. If you breed and cull long enough, you should be able to weed out the non-pure cushion comb genetics, producing only cushion combs from birds pure for both pea and rose combs (P/P, R/R). By using only perfectly wattled Chanteclers, you also up the anti on producing only the same. “Like begets like” in most cases, given recessive genetics can and do lie hidden for generations sometimes!

The basic problem with the theory that you keep and use only Chantecler head gear perfection for breeding is this: What are you culling along with the less than perfectly expressed cushion combs and wattles? The Chantecler is not solely defined only by its cushion comb and small wattles! PLUS one must factor in that it is not an overly common breed. We do not have the luxury of thousands of specimens to ensure we have a robust, healthy, and diversified population. If one does not cautiously judge all aspects of your Chantecler breeding potentials, you may well be passing over a star contributor to your breeding program, simply because their head gear is not correct to the breed standards. Far too much emphasis, in my opinion, is being paid to a very simply corrected issue. The pure fact that one can assess day old hatchlings for possession of cushion combs with a few exceptions, means when you have finally produced a near perfect strain of Chanteclers and if it does not possess a cushion, cautiously cull it from the breeding program (but always judge the whole bird, not just one single feature).

Some Breeding tips on improving combs or wattles in Chanteclers:

1) Cross larger appendage wattles with smaller hoping to produce medium small or if luck smiles on you, just small wattles will be produced.

2) While you may certainly cross pure rose to pure pea combs and get cushion combs (all will be carriers of r”+” and p”+” which means the F2 generation could produce single combs; r”+”/r”+” and p”+”/p”+”), if you cross pure rose or pure pea combs with cushion combs, it will speed up creating pure cushion combed progeny.

3) Choose perfect combs and wattles and place these individuals in your breeding pens to improve overall future strain’s combs and wattles.

Overall breeding considerations in poultry programs: vigour, amiable flock/human temperament, personality/intelligence, severe weather endurance, productivity, longevity, disease resistance, colour requirements (pattern and colour in feathers, face, and shanks), feathers (shape, texture and growth rate), conformation (feet, beak, wings, overall shape, etc.), size (balance and proportion), foraging ability, prepotency and purity for desirable virtues (throws good offspring), exhibition (qualities like the ability to be trained to show off, stand correctly for examination by a judge, temperament to be tolerant during physical exam, ability to be conditioned, timing—molting period too long or feather shape/colour/pattern correct, etc.), reproduction (as in physical egg quality, egg colour, fertility-male or female, mothering/hatching ability, etc.), etc., etc.

The list of our own personal priorities for the Chantecler goes on. Where on this list is the cushion comb and correct wattles? Somewhere around exhibition qualities and egg production and wintering ability. Not a top priority for us BUT do note, we do not have an excessive number of birds lacking cushion combs!

So that be that...think you can identify a cushion comb on day one now...hope so. But be ever so careful if that is the only criterion you have in the Chant breed...poor situation if you cul for combs and not know what you might be missing out on fur your breeding pens, eh.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

And jest a few more fuzz butt day old pics...

Three day-old cushion combed chooks



Transverse groove in chook on right...see the dent?
See the bristles on the one on the left too? Kinda grainy dotty dots of hair!



'Kay...you got Cushion comb on left, middle you got ROSE COMB and right is Cushion comb

​

It is more difficult to judge the rose from cushion...the pea comb may often have those serrations, the lines of three like a pea pod opened on up.

So jest like the differences one sees in chick down in a group of Partridges,
expression of combs is not an exacting science...
extremes on all angles

​

The dark ones...what to think of them?

Necessary to breed the MALES for exhibition - shows off Hackle Black!​

To get the rich deep reddish bay of a proper Partridge line of chooks...you need black, eumelanin pigment.

​

Balancing act...for us humans to decide what version we prefer and then to combine the genetics to make what we hope for. So long as the right components are in THE BREEDING PEN, that is what will help us to achieve the perfection of our goals...perhaps!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[drumstick diva]

If chickens had NO combs or wattles would they die from hot weather? If roosters had NO comb/wattles would hens refuse their advances? Just wondered what your thinking would be. You are logical and I am not.

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Quote:

The head gear HELPS dissipate heat...chickens are able to pant like dogs (no sweat glands in skin either), do a dust bath in cool dirt, hang out in the shade, drink cool water to chill out, and flap wings or even moult feathers off (my birds have summer or winter suits of feathers and must change for the seasons!). Chickens are able to cool themselves without just relying on their wattles, combs or earlobes.
I have heard stories about broodies fanning their clutch of eggs to cool them in places where the temperature goes above the correct incubation maximum.

Bro W exported his beloved Chanteclers internationally, South Africa, South America, France (first to import them), Spain (attending the 1925 World Poultry Congress where the Italian president of their poultry association called the Chant the "Fighting Leghorn").

In the Brother's own words, he says, "Owing to Canadian climatic conditions, the Canadian fowl must first of all, be strong and hardy." Keep foremost in your mind...temperature extremes are what the Chantecler with its tiny head gear, excels at. The down and good outer feathers insulate from both extremes...heat and cold. Summer and winter hardy. Maybe the one off's flogged by hatcheries as misleading representatives of honest to goodness real "Chanteclers" may not fare well but true breeder produced proper Chanteclers thrive in all sorts of conditions.

Chantelle​

Long lived too...this is my very first Buff Chant (her feathers are way too soft!). Chantelle was hatched June 2008 and continues to be the matriarch of my standard sized Chanteclers.

She is virtually wattleless and combless​

She is the only bird I allow to hop up on my knee for treats...I am a sucker for this old gal.

More a commercial person's concept, but here is some info...

https://www.southernstates.com/articles/poultry-care-heat-stress.aspx: ....


Chicken Heat Stress Management
Poultry producers can take a number of measures to help their chickens survive the effects of heat stress. Here are some tips for controlling poultry heat stress:

•Water is instrumental to chickens surviving hot weather. Have very cool, clean drinking water available at all times in accessible locations.

•Supplement drinking water with electrolytes. Panting alters the chickens' electrolytes, so adding electrolytes helps re-balance them. It also increases the birds' water intake, and the more water they drink the better. Make sure to discuss any supplementation with a Southern States Store or your local vet.

•Birds in heat stress are not inclined to eat during the heat of the day, so feed chickens during the coolest part of the day. Digestion naturally produces heat.

•Keep chickens in a well-ventilated area with adequate air flow. Move heat away from them by placing circulation fans to blow with prevailing winds. Remove the shutters from continuously operating fans to increase air flow. Continue moving the air as temperatures drop through the day and into the night. An ongoing cooling breeze makes a big difference in how chickens manage the heat.

•Install some type of evaporative cooling, such as a misting or fogging system. Water on the chickens' bodies helps to cool them.

•Inspect emergency generators and temperature alarm systems. Keep fans, evaporative systems and other cooling equipment in good working order to maximize efficiency.

•Avoid overcrowding the chickens. It reduces body heat, as well as the corresponding amount of heat the ventilation system must move out of the poultry house. Provide shady areas if the birds are outdoors. During the heat of the day, don't disturb the birds. Let them rest.

•Regularly remove any accumulated litter from the chicken house, as decomposition produces heat. Removal also keeps pests to a minimum.

•Reduce radiant heat in the poultry house with adequate ceiling insulation.

•Outside of the chicken house, tall grass and weeds restrict air flow, while bare ground can reflect heat into the house. Low cut grass is best as it helps to absorb the sun and heat.



A hen has the ability to expel semen from a male she does not prefer to produce progeny by. If she really does not figure he is worth risking her resources and efforts on, she can rid herself of him siring her kids. Pretty simple.

What Chantecler breeders need to note is that the study done on hens that prefer big head gear over widdle, is that if they have two males in the pen with the girls, they may not get the smaller head geared Chantecler siring any chicks. If you give the girls no options, usually you'll do better making the choice for them. Hee hee...

I don't have to be logical DD, there are studies done to make these conclusions from...head gear helps dissipate heat (and proven if you raise your young birds and the temps are too high, the head gear will often grow to the maximum it is able...trying to rid the birds of the excess heat you have them residing in). Hens like males with large combs and wattles...not guessing but scientific facts. Proof so to speak.

Beef Stew - supper last night​

Sure glad I put on a beef stew yesterday...ensured Rick, the dogs and I had a good din din.

Didn't feel much like slaving over a hot stove after the day was near done.

HOT DIGGITY...now to get them chitting it up...

​

On Tuesday, my order of taters came in-got the card in the mail so off to get it we did (pups got ice cream...DQ vanilla...loved it) and now we got everything from Russian Blues to Alta Blush...white, yellow, red, blue, gold, with mixes of colours. Should be awesome harvest this year.

Main focus will be to build up seeds for next year but we can sample some...yes, sample the bounty we hope for!

Rick tilled up our tater patch in the Ram Pasture to TWICE its size from last year...this means I better get on enriching it.

First of five loads...Foamo came along in tow on the first excursion -- then she quit and stayed home...
Old dogs can do that without a permission slip!

And what would one enrich soil with...well turkey composted poop is good...in fact last year the veg garden areas I added it to...wow was the soil ever fluffy and fertile!

Cart load number 3 of 5...​

I started in the middle and worked backwards on the one side of the plot.

Today I will haul some used oat straw to add to the mix (focussing on this half first) and then Rick says he'll come home from work today, load me a few buckets of sand from our mega stock pile (like 7 or 8 boxes--some beach, eh!) of river sand so I can top the one run back up (that's the area where we dug down past the clay to add crushed lime rock to inhibit earthworms...they are one of the hosts that infect turkeys with Blackhead, so sharp rocks discourage them earthworms). The sand will go into the East side of the Turkey Barn run and Rick will then go put the snow bucket on the tractor and I get to load that up full and he'll make a trip the next day over to the tater patch and dump her in. He watched me and the dogs make the five trips last night and well, this is gonna be easier...

I tuckered myself out, but them poor poor pooches...

Oh my...

Emmy - barking it...​

I was getting the l00ks...the l00ks from the dog pack..."What again? You were just there and you are doing that all over again...waz the point?"

When you tire out the dog pack...well then you know it's rowf, eh.

Pile of dirt from two strawberry containers...now the leaping dogs are sorta sedate

I also finished off the last of the five strawberry bucket containments...dug the last two out and took that soil to go in front of the Yoke...kinda lacking dirt there.

​

What made me giggle is something, someone has taken up or attempted to take up residence in the one side of the yoke. Recall the photos of the sapsucker on the yoke, but that is too big to fit in the hole made...or is this a work in progress then??

​

Not sure what it is but if I keep an eye out, eventually, we'll know.

Obviously, whatever it is can make holes in wood...
​

Cart load five -that be my limit fur the day, eh​

Raked out and ready for used oat straw topping

​

Then to till her all up, rake out the rocks and debris, then put the furrow attachment on the tiller and get the dirt ready for tater plantings....what fun.

Early year in the sense I have a plan and know what we are doing...especially after the great success of last year's go at this new site. Can the BIG (never been little) red hen taste the taters...the creamy just boiled up pot fulla new potatoes grown from our own sweat and labours...yeh, how's that for a carrot on the stick approach...hee hee... Neither man nor beast can resist the promise of foods like that!

Original seedling tray ​

So I peeked in the garage at the seedlings and marvelled at how very GREEN the tomatoes are. Rick has them on a timer...5 am to 9 pm...light up their life.

Second tray in the garage​

I took out the other seedlings, the tomatoes and Okra...they will benefit from these conditions and should end up looking just as fine as the first tray has.

I kinda snickered...I planted all the tomatoes at the exact same time but the one making me giggle is the one called "42 days." Why...because it might boast forty two days to produce fruit but it is one of the slower ones to germinate and become a seedling...has me wondering...is that 42 days from sprouting or ... or 42 days bragging from seed planting. I figure it is 42 days from being a seedling...wee hee hee...there is NO way to rush Mother Nature...but kinda cute calling it a short period tomato and seeing a short coming in the time to germinate and become a sorta kinda plant. We shall see...tortoise or the hare...the sprinter or the slow & steady. No matter, I figure with this many varieties (like 27 or so) to watch and tabulate...there is gonna be NO shortage of tomatoes one would hope to be enjoyed...given enough time, right conditions and whatnot's.

There was one HUGE surprise for me in the germination and seedlings...I had a yellow plum tomato...never did get round to planting the seeds...from 2007 it says on the packet (I mark mine to know this)! Far too long to expect any life but wait...I was not to give up. I planted two peat pellets and voila...got seedlings coming up. Sheesh...that's what like nine or so years sitting dormant. Kewl! Some say tomato seeds are good for like three years.

Got leftover stew for this evening's chow down...so I guess the dogs ("oh no...not again!") and I can give it again today...supper's taken care of. I can imagine them dogs getting together and sabotaging an easy dinner prep for me knowing the outcome means trip after trip.

"Get the stew! -- If'n she has dinner under wraps, we dogs have to hoof it back and forth, back and forth...for some repetitive task we see no real point in partaking of!"

"What was that...potatoes to eat...sure...we're all in...where's the GRUB!"

​

Girls, living up to their names to FAME....

De Barkers


De Biters​

Famous ACD book by Robert Kaleski...

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Well the girls let me work...

Watched and worried about, but allowed to work till I near fall down and go boom...

Patiently waiting...

​

Half potato plot is tilled; took five loads rotted turkey trottin', three loads composted chicken and oat straw cleanings and voila!

Straw and composted chook drops



Ready for tilling...



Tilling whilst the dogs bark on the birch bark out in the Ram Pasture ​

Very pleased with the results...the other half should turn out just as nice...

​

Course you gotta know the dogs had comments...even with only three trips to get straw filled carts on the Thursday...them girls SURE had comments...

"Blick!," says the Lace to Emmest, "You SEE what she's hauling to the tater patch in those cart loads? Yucko!"

Emmy, "But what do you figure makes them taters taste so GOOD?"
"Really!," exclaims Lacy, "We're eating composted poo in those potatoes? I'm gonna hurl!"

"Mom! Tell Lacy ALL the veg likes to grow IN poo...composted poop!"
"Now I am depressed...," says the Lace-a-lot.

"Yes!," I say to Lacy, "That be poo in yer tater stew!"
​

Lacy whispers to Emmy...
"That's it! I'm becoming a total MEATatarian!
"I like my poo, but not rotted, tossed & rolled in about in dirt and processed thru plants...
"totally ruins the flavour!"

"Mom...," says the concerned Emmy, "You best be planting them snow peas for ONE dog only!"

Got the taters chitting...

Bring them inside each night so they don't get frosted,
but out they go to get them green and sprouted on up...

The rest of my tender plant order arrived and Rick picked them up from the post for me. What a sweet man...past the part he teased me and said they had them IN the freezer gettin' kilt when he arrived to get them...bad bad man that one...but got me tenders! Shout out "GOT ME TENDERS!"

Raspberry, ferns, strawberries, blackberry, asparagus...

​

So first plan in order was to get them strawberry barrels fabric clothed and filled with good dirt. See, told you I had a feeling...and emptying them sure sped up the getting the place of plating ready in earnest, eh.

Had helpers...and inspections too...

​

By Saturday evening (even tho we made our annual pilgrimage to the vintage vehicle "bring out yer junk" swap meet - see below on that fun fiasco)...took some time out to attend to prepping for the strawberries in the evening.

Five barrels ready and today, soak coupla hours the plants, and into their new homes!​

Timing is tres kewl...this wild strawberry is blossoming
when the wilds do it, timing has to be right on the money!



Pincherries putting on a show of pretty in PINK



Lovely honeyberry yellow flowers opening up​

On the off chance on the Sunday (Rick's wise suggestion since this year seems to be six weeks ahead of schedule to normal), you never do know...swung by where we buy our annuals and ta da...got the geraniums, two hanging baskets one of pink petunia and one of yeller snapdragons...a flat of annuals for the hanging frogs and Man Porch display. Usually don't see these till next weekend (Mom's Day weekend is a nightmare scramble up for flowers at any seller) but grab them up...before they are gone, gone, GONE!

The get to spend the eve and night in the garage - not frosted or kilt!

​

Brute for punishment...was weak and bought two bleeding hearts...white and pink. Every so often, something with the season goes a rye and bleeding heart perennials all die. Not sure why, forget but something about too cold or not cold or...whatever...just they don't come up the next spring.

Bleeding hearts

Putting lots of our birds here outa and about...tis the season, eh! Sweet good times out and about enjoying their lovely lives!

Tufted Buff Geese



Pearl & Piper on pond​

Pearl had been a virtual EGG MAKING MACHINE this round...she has laid like sixteen eggs...she finally chose to begin setting and is on five.

​

Is Piper doing his job...guess one day, some day them two will get it figured out...in the meantime, since they live like 40 years in captivity...do we really want MORE?

Bantam Ducks in duck yard...

​

And before you know it, time to herd them duckers back to their quarters for the night.

Was laughing because I had the girl chooks out a few days ago and did the waterfowl before the landfowl return to their safe night quarters...near got stampeded by the chooker girls..."Where were you...we wanna roost already?" and "nit nit nit" and on and on. Guess I have to be everywhere's at once...or get a stern talking to. Dang chooks are way too cute and clever--even my old gal Chantelle was hurrying towards me with a stern comment or three about "chickens need INSIDE!" LMBO

Girls asking..."Sure you don't need us to help with that bevy of duck ducks?"

"Hey, HEY! Mom, get over here...them ducks left you a surprise by the fence!"

​

Been very dry, so Rick has been watering...and them girls remember the hose play...cause next thing, we are laughing because the dogs are soggy from playing with the hose that is watering the trees in the yard.

BRATS -furry soppy WET DOG smelling BRATS! ​

Very busy weekend....saw lots of stuff getting done up...

Them rotted rails I drug off the driveway fence...



They got hauled to the other gate in prep for removal ​

Sunday morn, Rick and tractor assisted me in hauling down some more items for the ewe lambs arrival. He finally found where he stashed the linemen's pliers...in the toolbox on the tractor...duh...I am gonna hafta get my own set of pliers so I can stash those ones away where you can't find them when you want them.

​

Corralled off a portion of the Ram Pasture, gonna give it a go planting beans and corn, heat loving plants...leave the main veg garden for the cooler plants like peas, spinach, greens and such...maybe even try some beets out thar...hee hee. Putting up some range panel supports using t-posts and see how this fares. May be a complete disaster as there are some pretty healthy weed seeds in that mix...but hey, no sense not giving it a whirl. One never fails when one never TRIES!

​

Gotta put up the calf slider to allow the dogs full running distance in the Ram Pasture for their play times. Slide up for dogs, down to keep out ruminants in the future garden spread.

Original chrome wheel rims on back still, new stainless on front rims​

Rick found the time and energy to put the stainless rings on the summer Dog Bus...and fiddle with the new exhaust extensions...need to have a sleeve found or made to attach them securely.

Sparkly!​

Took the Summer Bus to city and visited with our kid, early Mother's Day meet up and to celebrate a very belated B-Day with him...Rick and I were sick with bus illness and be danged if we are going to make him endure such folly. Better now and not contagious!

So as mentioned, we attended the vintage vehicle swap meet on Friday and Saturday. Rick and I go every year...last May we bought the summer bus for the dogs...this year, we aced two service manuals we could not find in our search at the swap last year...one for the 1980 Suburban and one for the 1988 Suburban (plus a brochure and trailering guide...kewl!). AWESOME as these manuals are pricey, originals AND expensive to have shipped...heavy lotsa pages suckers.

Asking $180 for this vintage duck
​

Interesting to me items...this duck is off a vintage European bike, license plate decoration...plate was on the front and some used these to fancy it up...how tough is a biker to have a duck mounted on the front of his cycle, eh? Well...how tough...duck tough??

​

Got a whole whack of these water well pulleys on my ewe barn...young fella has spiffed his up and put a tungsten light fixture in it...price, the bigger one thar is $350. Yeh...now I know what to do with my pulleys...got a whole whack of them and even the wooden ones too...tidy sum, if'n anyone steps up and pays that eh.

​

We have an original of this reproduction...so if'n the reproduction of this fuel pump Miracle 99 is $250, how much is our original worth, eh?

So for the past two years...seen this KFC salt and pepper shakers...yeh, plastic and all but I wanted it to match my KFC bank. They bin asking $25 for the shakers and I just could not swallow that price.

BINGO...I bought both the vintage pocket etch n sketch (sells new for $49) AND shakers for...tada...twenty five bucks!

Me happy

Also got a really sweet deal. Noted there were two stings of four swiss sheep bells...asked the vender, "How much?" and he says, $50...but if I buy both, $80. Then he hummed and haaa-d and said, "$70 and both are yours..." I came back and offered sixty and got all eight on the two leather straps. Value...well there is net sellers for $20 US each...and I paid what I think was like sixty here for just one.

​

Doing the head math...eight times $60 = $480 for eight...and I paid sixty for all. Yeh, vintage vehicle swap meet and you never know what you'll get a sweet deal on.

Yeh, thar's that one Swiss brass cast bell on the right side of the round vintage bell​

And no, no bells on sheeps...or any noise making drives them insane noise makers! Can you imagine being collared with a DING DING bell for your entire life...blah. For special occasions, like parades in draft harness, sure...but no ding ding permanently driving beast batty.

So that's a wee bitta catch up (ketchup)...but I must (turd?) rejoin the land of the living in reality and get them strawberries planted in those barrels I done got readied...amongst other living being plantings...away, away, away and giddy...such fun indeed...way too much fun to be had...and shorts and sandals to be worn and dirt to grind into yer hands...and muscles and bones to make ache...and yeh...spring and never enough time fur all we wanna get completed...whee hee hee...

My

with you here is over...fur now that is!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Planted 35 strawberry plants yesterday. T&T Seeds was most generous...I ordered their strawberry collection and it was listed as containing thirty plants and bonus...had five extras.

Yes, only the best tacky lawn ornaments abound here...got something negative to say about it?

Could be worse...could be garden gnomes instead of birds!​

Got Kent, Seascape and Fort Laramie...very

Them barrels are planted fulla promise!
​

Gonna be spending a surprising amount of time in the New Orchard area...

​

Since I was running the hose already, moved the water tub from the front of the greenhouse to the back wall and filler her on up. Now I got this big area to fill and thinking the two kiddy pools I have in there may make a great planting spot where the tub was for squash and other sprawling plantings. Should be fun seeing how to best use the available space in the greenhouse.

SNORKING up the scents!
​

Warm today and the next few...so that incites me to get any labours done up when its cool out.

Every fall, pull the rails back and remove the metal wire panels...in case SNOWMagedon happens,
Then Rick can use tractor to take snow away after I haul it off the roofs
​

Got the rails slid back in place...looks way nicer that way!

Sweetgrass Turkeys - Antiquity Heritage Turks ​

Girls are helping me with the birds I let out.

​

Here they are holding their own to block the entrance to the turkey run. Good girls, eh!

​

So with the warm weather and more to follow, talked to Rick and we decided if I do up some cold salads (potato and macaroni), will be good dinner for the next few days. So got steak and hotdogs out (my FAV meal of all time...hotdogs or burgers, that means Man Porch time...sit around, enjoy the dogs frolicking with plushies and not heating the house up...porch cooking! Yee Haw!).
Dinner on the Man Porch.

Had this liner for the barrel for like 30 years and works awesome​

So Rick is visiting out in the New Orchard and asks me, "Gonna put some fish in the barrel this year?" Hadn't really thought about it, but well uh, yeh. Kid gave me $20 in Mother's Day card...so what better way to spend that cash!

Here's those two manuals we got on Friday and brochures on the 88 Winter Dog Bus ​

The girls are alot alike...but some ways, totally different...

Emmy likes to just smell the flowers...



Lacy, she smells and then hasta taste too
​

But that's fine...Lacy might taste flowers, but guess which girl helped themselves to a strawberry plant that was yet to be PLANTED? Now I gotta watch Emmy like a hawk to make sure she is not UNplanting what I plant. Reminds me of HyBlade and him helping me way back in 1999 when I was putting in the caragana. He'd help alright...help pull them after I planted them and yet, they seemed to be doing OK. Ha ha ha...dang dogs...gotta have eyes in back of head.

​

Got the pots that sit in the Man Porch ready to be de-dirted (till old worn out potting soil in the veg garden).

​

Lifted the garage hanging frogs down and will dump this dirt too and refill with new potting soil.

Revamp to do on this bed​

So short term work in progress plans...the Purple Asparagus will be added to this bed but gotta move the bigger perennials back and supplement the dirt in here...tired and want to get her all plumped up and ready for new asparagus so it can grow and prosper.

​

Plant up the two blackberry canes and two ferns (leaving the bleeding hearts until a bit later...too tender yet).

So after my p.m. run tonight...Rick and I have decided we are gonna pack up the dogs and head to town to get the stuff to complete the salads for dinner this week. Course it goes without saying the dogs will need to have a pitstop at DQ to get vanilla ice cream topped up. So should be fun, fun and more FUN...in the sun!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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