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

[scottcaddy]

Could you ship eggs if you even wanted to?
Scott

 

[CanuckBock]

Could you ship eggs if you even wanted to?
Scott

Of course...I can "ship" practically ANYTHING an airline or cargo boat would be willing to carry... now the question is IF their country border authorities would allow it into THEIR county. We all know these "outta the blue" e-mails are scams ... use any lure they are able...next to follow is where for a small FEE, you send them $...not born yesterday, eh.

I can ship eggs to any border...the country accepting them is the one to have all the stipulations and THAT is where the expensive, time consuming hooplas begin.

About 15 years back, older fella in the USA contacted us VERY excited about our Booted Bantams in the White variety. He was quite excited indeed and Rick and I said, "No problem!," in making his dream come true! He had been searching for years and thought his only source would be from Europe. He was so pumped, that Rick and I said, "We'll give you the birds for free, no charge on our part!" Was nice to see such interest in them. I love them, but they are just a self-white with a single comb.

Since he was an old guy, I did all the research (what a bother indeed--even so much so to bother my own best vet about it...see if he could do all required...bother, bother, bother!) and concluded to meet THEIR requirements to accept the chickens...it would cost $1,500 in inspection fees (vet inspections, testing, appropriate paperwork, etc.) to be allowed to ship NINE birds I had bred up specifically for them. Even when I was about ready to send them...I was told how ready the fella was and to go about getting my vet to come here to do the inspection and to begin doing tests, etc...but when I asked, there never was any money forwarded to cover this and that, that was THEIR part...not Rick or mine! Our part was we made the nine birds for FREE for them and were giving the birds outright to the person. Now we have NO need for our vet to come all the way here and do all the tests to prove what we already know our health status to be...so that is where our charity ended and they had to step up.

Needless to say, THEY ducked out when it was time for them to START paying for what they needed regarding border crossing ...thus leaving me with nine birds I had no use for. I took them to auction (skinny white bird with a single comb...sure they lay great eggs, but not popular here at all!) and continued to lose money...where we would have been smarter to have rung their necks as we continued to lose resources on this go no where project we never began past trying to assist someone make a life long dream reality.

So, we are all game to be kind and generous...but that incident be where now I can say, "You want birds, it costs roughly $1,000 to $1,500 for a good start." This "cost" is old for border crossing "paperwork" and did not include any transport fees, like getting them the two hours to the international airport or the airport transportation costs...flying, fees, any duties, inspections or testing they have to do at the border in the States.

Pay me about $170 a bird up front, non-refundable to cover the bother and I'll go about making you three trios. Course about now, I'd likely want to be paid for the actual birds (freebies...that fleeting "no good deed goes unpunished" part is a distant memory) before we set them on the plane...charity begins at home...and what money I chose to lose is money we don't have for lining our retirement days. Some day, one day, Rick and I will be on a set income...permanently reTIRED

.

Free trade...waz that? Never seen it do anything for sharing our birds amongst our nearest neighbours...can't miss something that has never existed in the first place, eh.

Oh yes, and another gimme was when some group in Holland wanted me to ship Hookbills to them...all eager until they realized I was not going to tradzee's birds for birds. I don't need more birds thanks...self contained and good, thanks. You want birds, I'll breed them up, you cover your country's fees to allow them inside the country. And another wanted Buff American geese...again, no tradzee's as we're good thanks. Funny how when they begin to realize they have to make THEIR own country authorities happy and that costs THEM money...they disappear into the woodwork...from whence they came?

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low & WOOT!!!!:

Kentucky fried...chook...heck no!

Asked and yes...YES...

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The big blue beast of a truck...BABE is on the train...the railways...he's on his way here...Alberta bound from Kentucky.

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I am so happy, so elated...beginning of February...he should be at the dealership...getting his box liner sprayed on...on my WOOT!

That be saying...we need to plan on making a trip to get him home...and then, then, many a happy luxurious trip with them girl dogs in their crates located in the second row. Oh my....

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Some more good breeding concepts I have posted here, but perhaps need recalling...

Page 84 of this thread posted by me on 3/21/15...

:

An inbred line of HEALTHY birds is not something to be terrified of. I suggest persons get three pairs from a reputable breeder and keep at least three males on the go for breeding purposes...that keeps up the diversity and for those with several varieties, another good suggestion is to cross varieties (not breeds...I myself rarely cross a breed unless for a specific purpose like making large Chants into bantam ones!) of similar foundations to give the strains a boost of hybrid vigour in a positive way. All strains will hit a point in time where inbreeding depression seems in play, if you can breed through this point instead of rushing out and getting new blood (and along with that, whatever may be bad in that line will come in with that new bird too); the birds produced will end up being even stronger for having pulled through this trial and test period.

Mentioned is "double mating" and I am often surprised when someone contacts me, asking for say breeder birds for "Exhibition Pastel Call Ducks" and I reply back, do you want to breed for MALES or FEMALES for showing or both? You get the HUH...good gack already! We have lost so much common knowledge in poultry...we are not only having to reinvent the wheel, we are seeing persons completely and utterly clueless about what was once thought common knowledge in the fancy. Ask someone to examine a bird in hand...yeh, that simple a task and you get HUH? Touch a bird you are not intending on HUGGING? Whatever for!

Just by handling the birds, you are doing investigative research NO amount of just peering at them will EVER do...crooked breast bone? Instantly feel that...in your hand! Split wing...instantly see that when examining the wings with bird in hand. Even a wry tail can hide itself well and show up when you are just about to celebrate you have that magical breeder bird ready to begin making more of...use that wry tailed one and heaven help your strain in removing it in future generations.

Touch the birds...hold the birds, quit hugging and kissing them...and treat them like the potentials to do great good or great evil...be as picky as you are able to choose the BEST to make more from...build up, not stagnate and slide down.



https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...onservation-farm-in-alberta/830#post_14978123:

Number of hatching eggs required to get you a trio worth breeding from...if shipped hatching eggs, best average expectations is that half will not hatch, so to get the top three percent for a prospective breeding trio that you will raise to age of an adult-hen/cock of one year of age (seven percent of all hatched day olds will expire, expected death rate in a good line of birds--not all birds hatched are hatched to be expected to survive to adulthood)...you need 214 hatching eggs shipped to you (I know...who is gonna have that many to ship but bear with my scenario, because this is what hatching eggs must be compared to when a good start of a trio of birds is compared to...apples compared to apples, eh). So half the shipped hatching eggs won't hatch, leaves you 107 day olds, 7% pass on before reaching adulthood, leaves you 100 grown out birds to select down to best TOP three as breeding prospects. 107 day olds - 7% mortality rate = 100 birds at 3% retention = one trio as breeding prospects.

What do hatching eggs sell for...two bucks a piece I will guess to suggest? So you ordered 214 hatching eggs (no idea the shipping on that gross) at two dollars each = $428 cost of hatching eggs plus estimate of what, $100 for shipping and packing (probably WAY wrong and too cheap cheep...dunno), so gives us, what round it to like $530 for hatching eggs to arrive at our place, usually fee to incubate a chick 21 days in an incubator is two bucks a hatched bird, half won't hatch, so 107 day olds x $2 to incubate = $214 plus hatching egg cost/shipping of $530 = $744 for 107 day olds...

How much you think it costs to feed day old to beginning of their second year of life (chick->pullet/cockerel->hen/cock 1 year old)...365 days at what feeding costs?

http://www.nutrenaworld.com/knowledge-center/poultry/how-much-does-a-chicken-eat/index.jsp:

Ten pounds of starter at $25 fer a 50 pound bag = fifty cents a week x ten weeks = $5.00 for first ten weeks of life for chick.

Then 1.5 pounds per week to one year of age when pullet/cockerel becomes HEN/COCK = 52 weeks less 10 weeks ($5), 42 weeks x 1.5 pounds = 63 pounds @ $0.50 / pound = $31.50 plus first 10 weeks @ $5.00 = $36.50 for a female/male chicken to reach one year of age. Ready to be used as a prospective breeder bird.

So when I fly off with an estimate of $35 for a POL hen...I am also saying that YOU could have included in that figure other REAL costs to raise that bird. You are using some bedding (oat straw here), some brooding heat (electricity and heater lamp that will eventually have to be replaced when used up), something put by for deprecation on your buildings, facilities...now nothing EVER is tallied up in the expenses for my time, labour and love...that's a given out in a hobby, eh.

So I like to round down and keep things moderately cheap so make it $36.50 to an even $35 for a year old chicken would be a good valid expense if we look at the simple fact you should not be using a bird for breeding until you can actually ASSESS its breeding characteristics.

So 107 birds, seven die some time along the way, ends up to get one hundred (100) birds to one year of age at $35 per bird = $3,500 in feeding costs alone (no bedding, brooding, no depreciation on buildings, equipment, no LABOUR for you whatsoever<--yer dumb love made it so you really shoulda got that job at McDonalds on minimum wage, eh!).

So hatching egg cost of $744 dollars, feeding of 107 for one year at $3,500...$4,244 for a breeding prospect TRIO of birds from hatching eggs shipped to you...that's $1,414.67 per bird...round to $1,414 per bird in yer trio.

Now does that sound high...perhaps and makes you ponder how some prefer these hatching eggs over hand picked breeding prospects from breeders, eh! Cheaper...comparing apples to apples, is that cheaper??

How does that ALL compare to fifteen years ago when we bought our breeder foundation chickens.

Fifteen years ago, we paid $100 per bird for breeding prospects (ignoring the shipping and four hour round trip plus our time and lost wages to go get them at the airport). One hundred dollars bought us a chicken for breeding ... 15 years ago. Price of a fifty pound bag of layer ration was $7 per bag in the feed store back then. Now if you go swing by the Feed Store...same bag of feed is $24 per fifty pound bag. I use feed which is the biggest cost in raising birds (ignoring the cost to put up facilities, wear & tear on equipment, bedding, etc., and that labour we do outta LOVE) so...

$100 per bird at $7 per 50 pound layer ration = increase in feed is 3.4285 x $100 purchase price of breeder bird = $342.85 per one year old breeder bird at today's feed prices.

Trio is three times that amount = $1,028.57 for a trio of breeder birds as of 2015 (no expenses to get them here included and that runs about $150 airfare). So add in $150 to get them shipped to our yard...trio is $1,178.58 per bird that's $392.86 in 2015 dollar using the cost of layer ration to estimate cost changes.

Pretty much costs you 3.6 times MORE for one trio produced from hatching eggs compared to the same costs of a trio of one year old breeding prospects from a breeder for us 15 years ago.



Now if you want to IGNORE the difference between fifteen years back and jest say you pay a breeder $100 per bird (with a fly in fee of $50 per bird), then the cost of one trio of birds from a breeder is $450 for the trio. Compared to the same quality of breeding prospects from hatching eggs, $4,244 for the trio, price is 9.4 times MORE than breeder birds from the breeders ($450).

The cost of getting the same quality of breeding birds from hatching eggs just simply make NO sense. I would far sooner purchase adult birds (two year olds are divine...by simply living that long, they have already proven their worth) from a reliable breeder that I had built up a good rapport with than deal with all the hassles and potential diseases found in hatching eggs. Most often if the breeder has any scruples about the betterment of their choice in breeds and varieties, they are not at all interested in sending you hatching eggs--that avenue usually results in people thinking they may get something for very little and we all know nothing good ever comes easy for nothing invested (besides, if it is the top three percent you retain, we just saw HATCHING EGGs are expensive, yes?). Quality needs to be worked at because hard work and working smart nets rewards! A real true breeder would want to set you up with what they deem is a good start and see you succeed and continue the existence and progression forward with their cherished lines. Many of us breeders do this as a passionate labour of love and we all know that love knows no bounds.

There are no 100% guarantees for no diseases when acquiring new stock. What lives in my yard here might outright harm & kill your yard fulla chooks. It is what it is and the reason why many of us breed for natural resistance to the factors & situations our birds are exposed to on a daily basis. You have to decide for yourself if the risks warrant the acquisition of new blood.

I have heard the excuse that there are no parasites in hatching eggs but holy Hannah, if you have parasites in birds from a breeder, you have definitely chosen the WRONG breeder to be getting birds from.

As far as hatching eggs not transferring disease, what a load of rot that one is...here is a list of disorders transferred IN HATCHING EGGS...

From the Chicken Health Book by Gail Damerow, page 215:

:
Diseases Transmitted to Eggs

There are many infectious organisms that can be transferred from the hen to the egg that may cause the egg to die. In some cases, the infectious organism may infect the egg, yet the embryo may continue developing, and may even hatch, carrying the organism at hatch time. If an organism is passed from an infected hen directly into an egg, and then into the developing embryo, this is called vertical transmission. The term vertical transmission is also used to describe transmission of an infectious agent from a parent to an egg during fertilization, during egg development in the oviduct of the hen or immediately after oviposition. Once the egg is laid, some infectious organisms can pass through the eggshell upon contact with contaminated feces, urates or bedding. This is also considered vertical transmission if infection occurs immediately after laying. Some organisms are transmitted from the ovary to the egg, and this is called transovarian transmission. Infectious organisms harbored in the oviduct can also be passed into the egg prior to the shell being formed. Some organisms can infect eggs if contents from the cloaca contaminate the surface of the eggs, and then penetrate the egg. The other method of transmission of infectious organisms is by horizontal transmission. Some ways that horizontal transmission occurs are by preening, inhalation, copulation, insect or animal bites, ingestion, contact with contaminated equipment or fighting.

It seems obvious that prior to the egg membranes and shell being applied to it, the egg would be susceptible to infection by numerous infectious organisms. Even though the eggshell appears solid, it contains microscopic pores that can allow liquids and organisms of small enough size into the egg. The pores allow the transfer of gasses, as well.

Her article goes on to discuss diseases transferred in hatching eggs such as:

- Bacterial diseases like Chlamydia psittaci, Salmonella, Staphylococcus bacteria, and E. coli.
- Mycoplasma is a HUGE concern for poultry persons...this one is uncurable according to many here on BYC.
- Viral diseases like Newcastle's Disease, Herpesviruses, etc.
- Parasites like adult ascarids (roundworms) can even be passed on in hatching eggs.

Whilst this quote above is more an avian type based source for pet birds, Margaret A. Wissman, D.V.M., D.A.B.V.P. is a very good resource since she is an exotic bird vet. Her explanation is educated, concise and easily understood. I have chosen this small quote as an example of her good advice...you may go to the link I have posted to read more should you wish to.


Some of the disease are zoonoses which simply means they are diseases that humans may get from animals...and birds. Chlamydia is one of those as are E. coli and Staph. Good hygiene is a great deterrent after being around any poultry and livestock...never mind the family dog or cat!

This is also a great source to have a read up on...

Common Poultry Diseases
University Of Florida IFAS Extension - Authors: G.D. Butcher, J.P. Jacob, and F.B. Mather

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/PS/PS04400.pdf


The most worrisome hatching egg disorder to me personally is the spread of the Chronic Respiratory Diseases. These are called stress diseases and are long, noxious, debilitating diseases that affect production of meat and eggs and generally make poultry like chickens and turkeys unthrifty and often quite a miserable existence for them; eating but not gaining weight, ruffled up and unhappy to say the least. While some may tout that these CRD problems are curable...I have yet to see any scientific proof to these claims and many of the supposed off label cures render the eggs produced unfit for human consumption and the bird itself should never be processed as food either. Personally, if I had to treat a bird (which thankfully, I have never had to do), I would solemnly vow never to eat its eggs, its meat or any of the production from the next generation it produced either. Might eat the F3's production perhaps...

I would only medicate a line of birds (Ampro is fine in turkey and chicken starters but never for waterfowl!) as a very last ditch effort to save the strain if it warranted such dramatic and drastic measures. I did not get birds to taint what they produce for my family with antibiotics and other unsavory and scary remedies. Factory farms might feed antibiotics to get their products to market, but we choose not to and want healthy good foods from our happy and healthy birds.


It is hardly any wonder why we bought our birds from breeders that also only retained top three percent for breeding prospects from lines that were kept and worked upon for literally decades--old line of old birds constantly worked upon at improving them. One needs that many for selection from if you are to begin to make and retain any improvements within a line of poultry. Jest because US humans decide some trait is desirable don't always mean the birds agree and will oblige us with our desires, eh. Murray raised up 290 birds to send us nine, Hughes always hatched out 300 White Wyandottes for three trios to show and breed from every single year for decades and he did the same with his Buff bantam Brahmas--300 hundred day olds to retain 9. The added bonus that true breeders are working on true breed type and decent variety expressions...that they naturally will select using years of experience, a well mated trio of birds for your good start. I simply cannot fathom how someone bothers with hatching eggs when you factor in the same quality of 3 percent kept back as potential breeders!

Interesting calculations, eh.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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


So when Fred says he has 300 Campines laying eggs for nine months and only includes the cost of feed...did those 300 females magically appear to lay those eggs?

NOPE...he needed to also add in the costs of RAISING those females to the whimsical term POL (point of lay...when the female begins to lay eggs!).

POL estimate:

So POL I will go with first ten weeks is $5...then because the females are suppose to begin laying at what....

Fred said:
So half his flock was 18 to 20 weeks, let's say 19 weeks in the middle; 19 less ten weeks ($5)...9 weeks x 1.5 pounds per week costs $0.50/pound is $6.75 = $5 (ten weeks) + $6.75 (nine weeks) = $11.75 per 150 pullets @ 19 weeks and at POL = $1,762.50 for 150 laying pullets fed to 19 weeks of age and are at the POL state...

The rest of Fred's laying flock was older hens, so to bring them to lay, we will stash them all into one flock of 150 POL hens @ $36.50 each... = 150 hens x $36.50 = $5,475 for older birds.

Now those females of 150 birds should have offset their POL costs of $5,475 with eggs, so at his results of 14 eggs per female per month and a year of laying to get to a new beginning... gives us 25,200 eggs (150 birds x 14 eggs per month x one year) worth sold today (we'll say a dozen eggs sold is $3.50 so per egg rate sold is $0.29 per egg, 25,200 eggs x $0.29 = $7,350) less feed costs to make the eggs ($3,240.53 for nine months needs to be for a full year...so cost per month is $360.06 and therefore cost per year is $4,320.71) = $3,029.29.

150 hens that cost $5,475 to get to POL LESS egg sale value of $3,029.29 = $2,445.71

150 pullets at POL cost in feed $1,762.50 + 150 hens at $2,445.71 = COST of 300 pullets and hens combined is $4,208.21

Now if you are a keener, you would have noted that Fred said that his hens came from England. Not produced by him but his partner from England...well that would be some cost then...because those birds would have been sent from England over to Ontario Canada...I am expecting that cost a pretty penny, eh. But we just want to ignore that aspect...and just pretend that Fred raised the hens to have half his 300 layer flock members contributing eggs to his hypothetical example of whether Campines are money makers...White Leghorns soon debunked ALL heritage fowls that were egg layers...from Minorcas on thru. Commercial swill eggers were produced from even the Leghorns...so that then debunked all heritage birds...for the factory farmed created commercial type layer. Kept for one laying cycle and gone...all burnt up from churning out outputs from inputs. Oh well....

That be enough for a Friday...sure I have zip zapped some calculation but that can wait for me to clear my head and go back and review...later....got a truck to be happy about rejoicing on.

Later, eh!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[CanuckBock]

Here's one last post...repost from this thread on page 88...How to examine a chook in hand.

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PS...NO real chook harmed...twas Clarabell!

This is why ClaraBELL was acquired...she is a great DEMO bird.

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Here's her feeties...

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You have alot of control with your fingers evenly spaced out, under the bird's belly.

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Now if this was a REAL LIVE chicken...about now, there would be animal cruelty persons screaming in the WINGS...

"Put her DOWN right side up!!! Walk away from that Chook...away!"

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Hurly bird...whirly hurly bird...

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Even plushy ClaraBELL looks a tad relieved to be right side up again.

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See how nicely nestled she sits in the palm of yer hand...

Is that a glare, stinky eye ClaraBELL...am I making even a plush bird ANGRY BIRD...better break into a relaxing enjoyable sing song and sooth the angry birds...soothing song...of SIXTEEN CHICKENS AND A TAMBOURINE...eh...

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Buck Shot & Benny - Sixteen Chickens and a Tambourine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5l4s_bNdFI

Sixteen Chickens and a Tambourine
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Sixteen Chickens and a Tambourine
by Roy Acuff:

As I run across the tater patch
To see if my ole hen had hatched
She jumped up a singin' a tine
Sixteen chickens and a tambourine

CHORUS
Sixteen chickens and a tambourine
Singin' tru-ra a rootie da day
Funniest sight I ever seen
Sixteen chickens and a tambourine!
Groslin' paint and a gander rod
A hump backed mule a plowin' up sod
An old hound dog and a lighter not
A guzzlin' quill and a dabblin' pot

Wake up Jake up Kindle up your light
See Grand Mammy and a pole cat fight
Gobblin' pig and a jumpin' bean
16 chickens and a tambourine
(Chorus)

A throbbin' stub and a knocked kneed cat
A bobblin' shank and a dingle bat
A cross eyed goat in the Gall-Berry bush
A roxlin rod and a sniffle tush
(Chorus)​

So dat be how you hold a chook, examine a bird in hand too...

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[scottcaddy]

Tara, you do have your fun, don't you!

Thanks for the re-posts and reminders.
Scott

 

[CanuckBock]

Tara, you do have your fun, don't you!

Thanks for the re-posts and reminders.
Scott

Had a great weekend...always having fun.

That is what living is suppose to reward you with...fun, after work (and you can make that fun too...as per Rick says), you can play and have even more FUN!

Rick checked and filled the red Chev's tires...took her to town to wash her and get the oils on up
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You'll note a different COLOUR thar behind hanging off the Parking Building...

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The green tarps, suppose to be heavy duty...not sure in what decade they were ordered and kept folded from...but last, NOT! So Rick was busy hanging tarps up with the conducive warmer weather this weekend...

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That and installed the bolt bins and rewired the light switch. Good man...continuing to work on the grand PLAN...

Weather and roads were in great shape. Weekend before last, Rick took out the '89 one ton for a run to get the aluminum jewellery back home for the 2017 one ton...and then he drove the red Chev and then the Boo Suburban (we came for that run) and the White Sub on the Sunday. Later on here about that long long, seven hour return home trip down South on Sunday...but let's not skip jump ahead.

Jan 27, 2017..."Let's get the show on the road, eh!!" Dogs waiting..."Let's GO!!!"​

Lots of fun drives with the dogs...Friday night to buy some grocery in the White Sub after my pm bus run.

Boo Sub...parked in front of the White Sub so dog crates could be transferred ​

Then to town on the Saturday...

Jan 28, 2017 - in the Boo Sub​

Very important trip...Rick had read in the local flyer...sale, sale, sale!

YES! This is hanging on my son's wall...yes...​

We did a bacon and a T-bone run...kid laughed because Dad told him that on the Saturday..."Yer mother and I have to go to town on a bacon run..." No need to explain that to him!

Sunday drive time - Jan 29, 2017
Girls loaded up and AWAY we gooooo...in search of good eats and decent treats!

We are in the search of good food to have on our loser laps so tried out one place. Suppose to be touted as the best burger in Alberta...well on my scale, it was a 3 out of 10...not good! Found the patties way too spiced up to tell if the beef was any good. Too much garlic and think it may have been Worcestershire sauce and from the way I felt a hour later, MSG is likely in thar too...I guess we could have been eating sawdust for all the ability to taste the beef. Why do restaurants do that? This beef is farm raised, no hormones, steroids, etc...and you cannot TASTE THE BEEF! Oh well...seven hour trip...the drive was nice, we agreed to that...the food, costly and not what we had hoped for.

Rick's with fries​

Mine with soup (and some fries being delivered by Rick as I clicked)

For two house burgers the bill came to $35.60 (just burgers at $17.80...the coffee or tea was $3.25 so we just had water). You had a choice of fries, soup or salad, so I had the beef barley soup...way way too salty...I always make my soups WITHOUT salt or pepper...you can add that to suit your own taste, eh, but other than added shredded potato, there is NO way to remove too much salt when added to a dish...

)...and Rick he had the fries which he said were nice...he put three or so on my burger so I could try them too. What a brat! We left a ten dollar tip, so all in all, we could have had T-bone steaks at home on the Man Porch times three...

Two T-bones, $16.54....​

So the yolk was more or less on us...not the worst, but we sure hope this is not the best we can find...sigh.

We are gonna keep looking...​

We did stop and get ice creams in Cochrane...you guys recall the bronze statue with the lady feeding chooks, near that place, eh.

So we are not dead yet and we are not done loser lapping...I have already done some research and we do have another trip down to southern Alberta to do...I have sheep tags to buy (so excited about lambies for June & July!) and two new sets of hoof pliers (my original pair is really used up)...so a trip indeed. Suppose to be a take out burger place there and even a raved about Pizza joint. We'll see...we shall see. Don't want to punto our home meals...those by far are still what we love best...dogs, Man Porch, Rick's monster of a BQ...yeh...summer is in our thoughts...and lazy dazy porch dazes!

She no longer runs a kennel...but doesn't mean she don't still have it​

So since we were on the South side of Calgary, dropped by to visit a lady that helped to start up the Alberta Australian Cattle Dog Club which then became the National club...for Canada.

There she is on barrels and her spouse on calf roping​

Very into the world's greatest outdoor show in the world, the Calgary Stampede.

Her China cabinet reminds me of my own...only I don't have sliver belt buckles
and rodeo trophies and trays...

Her husband (never did meet him) STILL holds the most Calf roping tiles of anyone for the CSS. Eight Canadian Calf roping titles and was named Canadian Champion Team Roper three times...he rode bulls and broncs, and was a pickup man at the Stampede for many years.

This is her and her horse Bill



This is Bill​

Her husband is inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame by the CPRA, into the Red Deer and District Hall of Fame and also the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Pioneers. He also held Roping clinics. She worked her Cattle Dogs on cattle...part of the rancher's life. Raising and feed beef...need good cow dawgs to do that, eh.

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We had a lovely visit...

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Her ranch is beautiful, nestled in the Rocky Mountain Foothills...she is still active ranching and raises about ten head every summer to keep active. WHAT A VIEW!!!

Her dog Dee Dee​

Another of her bronzes of one of her equine favs ​

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I did have to laugh...once I knew she was home and ready for us, I went and got the girls. We had a lovely chit chat in her kitchen until...until the girls (and I use that term loosely!) decided to get a tad too comfortable laying under her kitchen table. I said to her, "Well I know that is NOT me and I know it is NOT you...OK girls...time to go back out to the truck!" Rick had saved a few choice pieces of burger for the girls and I guess about that time, it had gone right thru them...because it sure smelled like burger waifing up from under the kitchen table. Some GIRLS! Way way too comfy laying under that kitchen table, eh.

So today, doing up a chicken stew...got the veg in the crock and the broth on the slow low boil on the stove. Harvested the white meat and will dice that up into chunks to add later. Don't want it to disintegrate. Used three types of our taters, all the banana waxy kinds that stand up well to long slow cooking. Should be good!

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Oh and yes, things are quite back to normal here (whatever normal might be)...here in Pear-A-Dice on the ranch...doing chores with them chore dogs.

Tote a load, tip a pan...look up and OH MAN!

Jan 28, 2017

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Oh and lookit the feet...Emmy's feet say it all! Who needs flowers to say it when puppy paws jest say it all & sprawl!

Good gack girls...really!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[drumstick diva]

I know what you mean about your hamburgers Tara. The restaurants all do that here but, so much spices and sauces and garbage on them you can't taste the meat. Same goes for steaks. However if you dropped down to USA you can find much cheaper food with all that junk piled on it.

Noticed two things in your doggy pictures - they swap crates - sometimes Lacy is in the taller one, and other times it is Emmy. Then in one photo where is a thin white (poster board ??) between the two crates - are they misbehaving?

 

[CanuckBock]

I know what you mean about your hamburgers Tara. The restaurants all do that here but, so much spices and sauces and garbage on them you can't taste the meat. Same goes for steaks. However if you dropped down to USA you can find much cheaper food with all that junk piled on it.

Noticed two things in your doggy pictures - they swap crates - sometimes Lacy is in the taller one, and other times it is Emmy. Then in one photo where is a thin white (poster board ??) between the two crates - are they misbehaving?

Keep in mind DD, your dollar is 1.35 times stronger. That meal at $17.80 Canuckbucks is only $13.19 in USBuckaroos, eh!

I am glad I am not the only one going, "Where's the ding dang BEEF!??" Cripers...is the meat so old you hafta disguise the taste...good GACK! YUCK!!!!!!

The most used vehicle right now is the White Sub because that was what it was bought for
Running about in winter
No furry bed blankets in this photo so you can SEE the crate bottoms
Lacy on left, Emmy on right...always, always...never switched
The rolled up blue thingy is for if the sunshine is too bright...they need a shade cloth perhaps??
Water bowl and leashes under the platform, spare beds and spoons for ice cream...!!!
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The girls stay in the same crates, no matter what truck. Lacy ate the bottom of her crate...so hers has a horse mat cut for it and it is the shorter by 1.5 inches tall than Emmy's...luck of the draw. I bought Emmy's crate after the fact and Lacy cannot go in Emmy's crate because it still has the original crate bottom...NOT eaten by Em.

There's the LOVE bug Lacy, getting pretrip HUGS from Dad
These are the same crates in the Blue Sub...the Summer sub we took to town on Saturday
The bacon & t-bone run!! ​

The white thin item is puckboard...yes, used in ice arenas to protect the boards from hockey pucks and slamming bodies...so a thick white plastic. This is always the divider...the girls love each other BUT in order to travel, they should be able to be in their crates privately. Same goes at home...they have their pens in their room but divided down the middle by a wall...they can see each other if Lacy goes to the end of her pen but I have always figured that they deserve their own privacy. Rick built two platforms so far for the three trucks...because that allows both to see outside, but lay down and have privacy too...alone time. Think on it...Sunday the drive time alone was SEVEN HOURS...so they sleep, beat up their blankets, chew the nylabone in the kong, or like Lacy, roll around with feet kicking in the air...or stare at the sights as we drive around the country side. Just do dog stuff!

There's Emmy going, "OK Lacy...you HOG of the hugs...I am waiting to load up in the Boo Sub..."​

The girls are not misbehaving because both Rick and I watch for them...one treat, never, half a treat so one each...always. Like two kids, your kids are the SAME and as parents, never a favourite and you love them the SAME...some days though, one is loved more than the other, perhaps...but I am not admitting to any of that...EVER.

Speaking of dogs...sun is going down, dog run run time and then chicken stew time...for all of us...yum...gotta go, eh.

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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

 

[drumstick diva]

Thanks Tara, now I can rest easy