HnkyDnkyZZFarm
Chirping
Hallo there,
I have been lurking and surfing through topic searches for quite awhile. Every time I've had to google some strange new behavior on the funny farm, I've ended up reading here, so I decided to sign up.
We currently have six hens, three wynadottes, A gold old lady of some description, two barred that share a name, they are both "Gibbs - as in NCIS", collectively, "The Gibbs" since they seem to share a personality - both are very outgoing, and the first laying of the bunch, the colder days don't seem to phase them as much and give the three Blue Swedish Ducks a run for their dinner, two ladies, one is "mud duck" in spite of being given a lovely ladylike name that I have long since forgotten. The drake is Pastor and he is just gorgeous and we hope he figures out how to make small ducks before long, alas he seems hopelessly doomed to awkward duck puberty. He is super pretty, but about as graceful as a walking cinder block. They fly like thrown bricks. Not well indeed. They boss everyone around, the goats and chickens and have even led a full flock charge when the cat got too close.
We also have three nubian/nigerian dwarf cross goats, sugar and spice are our girls and chip is the resident guy, also hoping everyone is in a family way and we'll be neck deep in little goaties roundabouts April.
We have lionhead buns, but they are less than friendly. They were full grown when we got them and they were being raised for meat and they are in fact stocky little things. They like to eat. That's about the long and short of it. They aren't fearful but they aren't engaging either, and the back end is always poised to kick into shredder mode. I haven't decided whether to breed them at some point and try to socialize the next generation - or if it could be done. They are very pretty, one gray, one blue harlequin, but just not very nice. They're entertaining in their own little way though, throwing empty food bowls and burrowing around in their hay.
Then of course we can't forget to mention the two dogs, cat and three fish.
We keep our chickens for eggs, the goats for yard work, the ducks to discourage neighborhood animals, the rabbits for potential, and the dogs in spite of themselves. We have a spare pen, so sometimes we host a few sheep for a couple weeks if we're getting grown over with weeds.
I've already found a lot of helpful tips all over the place just surfing, and I look forward to finding more! Not sure what projects 2016 will bring, building rabbit sheds, goat proofing fences, trying to persuade ducks to sit and more I'm sure. I don't see us adding roosters, mostly because I'm collecting not only for eggs, but aesthetic appeal and I like my stripey and spotty ladies, and it might be simpler to get chicks of breeds that I'd like to have, rather than breeding to a yard limit of about 12. Ducks, I'm thinking 5, if they figure out how to get their duck on this year.
Pleased to meet everyone and looking forward to lots of good reading!
Z||Z
I have been lurking and surfing through topic searches for quite awhile. Every time I've had to google some strange new behavior on the funny farm, I've ended up reading here, so I decided to sign up.
We currently have six hens, three wynadottes, A gold old lady of some description, two barred that share a name, they are both "Gibbs - as in NCIS", collectively, "The Gibbs" since they seem to share a personality - both are very outgoing, and the first laying of the bunch, the colder days don't seem to phase them as much and give the three Blue Swedish Ducks a run for their dinner, two ladies, one is "mud duck" in spite of being given a lovely ladylike name that I have long since forgotten. The drake is Pastor and he is just gorgeous and we hope he figures out how to make small ducks before long, alas he seems hopelessly doomed to awkward duck puberty. He is super pretty, but about as graceful as a walking cinder block. They fly like thrown bricks. Not well indeed. They boss everyone around, the goats and chickens and have even led a full flock charge when the cat got too close.
We also have three nubian/nigerian dwarf cross goats, sugar and spice are our girls and chip is the resident guy, also hoping everyone is in a family way and we'll be neck deep in little goaties roundabouts April.
We have lionhead buns, but they are less than friendly. They were full grown when we got them and they were being raised for meat and they are in fact stocky little things. They like to eat. That's about the long and short of it. They aren't fearful but they aren't engaging either, and the back end is always poised to kick into shredder mode. I haven't decided whether to breed them at some point and try to socialize the next generation - or if it could be done. They are very pretty, one gray, one blue harlequin, but just not very nice. They're entertaining in their own little way though, throwing empty food bowls and burrowing around in their hay.
Then of course we can't forget to mention the two dogs, cat and three fish.
We keep our chickens for eggs, the goats for yard work, the ducks to discourage neighborhood animals, the rabbits for potential, and the dogs in spite of themselves. We have a spare pen, so sometimes we host a few sheep for a couple weeks if we're getting grown over with weeds.
I've already found a lot of helpful tips all over the place just surfing, and I look forward to finding more! Not sure what projects 2016 will bring, building rabbit sheds, goat proofing fences, trying to persuade ducks to sit and more I'm sure. I don't see us adding roosters, mostly because I'm collecting not only for eggs, but aesthetic appeal and I like my stripey and spotty ladies, and it might be simpler to get chicks of breeds that I'd like to have, rather than breeding to a yard limit of about 12. Ducks, I'm thinking 5, if they figure out how to get their duck on this year.
Pleased to meet everyone and looking forward to lots of good reading!
Z||Z
