- May 22, 2011
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My Better Half, Kasii, found this site a short while back and introduced me to it. Couldn't stay off for long; there's just too much to learn here. In addition to our deverse (perverse?) flock, we have goats (3 adults, including purebred LaMancha and Red Boer bucks and a Boer/Saanen/Nubian doe, who is a wonderful mom and 3 weanlings), a lamb, who thinks he's a dog, two horses (one here, one on an indefinite "cost of care" lease), 5 dogs (all pedigreed mutts, ranging in size from 18 to 180 pounds), several cats (kittens, anyone?), and rabbits. Anyone care to guess what my 3 worst allergies are?
Our flock began with a beautiful Bantam rooster, Rocky, and then our second (current) rooster, The Magnificent Rusty, also a Bantie. Rusty came to us when a neighbor found him on their porch and assumed he was ours ("nope, but we'll hold him for now."). When we had to choose between Rusty and Rocky, Rusty's personality won us over. Chick day came along and we got 8 hatchlings to, hopefully, give Rusty some girlfriends. We got one hen. Snowball turned out to be a wonderfully broody, sweet little frizzle Bantie, who raised two wonderfull broods, before an owl got her. We still have 4 of her babies, 3 hens and a spectacular little rooster (Stew got his name from his attitude, that's where he was heading).
Currently, our flock includes four of Rusty and Snowball's chicks, all feather-legged and 5 toed, a Wellsummer, an Ameraucauna pair, a Polish Crested Pair, a Jersey Giant Pair, a Blue Andalusian, and a mess of mixed babies, including White Leghorns, Buckeyes, Silver-laced Wyandottes, Red Stars and some "hatchery's choice" babies that we can only guess at.
We also have a fledgeling Embden goose and an Indian Runner duck (whose mate died this morning).
The majority of our gang are doing well, but I've lost 7 babies in the last 2 weeks (including the duckling) and I'm getting worried and frustrated. These are not livestock; they are beloved pets and every loss we take personally, so I am here, hoping to learn how to not lose any more (and also to find a new mate for Ping and maybe one for our Embden).
Our flock began with a beautiful Bantam rooster, Rocky, and then our second (current) rooster, The Magnificent Rusty, also a Bantie. Rusty came to us when a neighbor found him on their porch and assumed he was ours ("nope, but we'll hold him for now."). When we had to choose between Rusty and Rocky, Rusty's personality won us over. Chick day came along and we got 8 hatchlings to, hopefully, give Rusty some girlfriends. We got one hen. Snowball turned out to be a wonderfully broody, sweet little frizzle Bantie, who raised two wonderfull broods, before an owl got her. We still have 4 of her babies, 3 hens and a spectacular little rooster (Stew got his name from his attitude, that's where he was heading).
Currently, our flock includes four of Rusty and Snowball's chicks, all feather-legged and 5 toed, a Wellsummer, an Ameraucauna pair, a Polish Crested Pair, a Jersey Giant Pair, a Blue Andalusian, and a mess of mixed babies, including White Leghorns, Buckeyes, Silver-laced Wyandottes, Red Stars and some "hatchery's choice" babies that we can only guess at.
We also have a fledgeling Embden goose and an Indian Runner duck (whose mate died this morning).
The majority of our gang are doing well, but I've lost 7 babies in the last 2 weeks (including the duckling) and I'm getting worried and frustrated. These are not livestock; they are beloved pets and every loss we take personally, so I am here, hoping to learn how to not lose any more (and also to find a new mate for Ping and maybe one for our Embden).
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