The Old Folks Home

[tnspursfan09]

Sorry, SCG, I'll try to get some today. The only problem is we had a cold front come through last night. It rained and the temp is dropping as I type, currently it's 45* and will be in the upper 30's this afternoon. I will have to see how much they settled/washed and if they still look as good as they did when I went to bed last night. I transplanted a clump of Snow Drops (at least that's what I think they are, they came from my grandmother's house and she always called them Choral Bells but I don't think that's right.) I put them in the corner of the bed and filled in around with the rocks. I hope they live, they are always the first thing to show up in the late winter/really early spring. I bet the rain beat them down.

I appreciate the weekend we had, I know today's weather is more indicative of this time of year.

I think I found it in Wiki - We were both wrong, they are called Spring Snowflake, if this is the plant I have. It looks like this, anyway.

I have some of these...I've always called them snowbells.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Thank you guys for the great ideas on my walls. We did a similar thing at work - plastic on the area where our crash carts are because they rip the wall to shreds. Can't believe I didn't think about using that in the coop. On the floor in our coop we have the 1 inch rubber stall mats for horses. Our coop is raised off the ground (up to about 20 inches in one part) and with the wind blowing under it we wanted it more insulated so we got the rubber mats. I'm really glad we did - keeps the wood dry.

These are the only "early" plants I have planted, and I won't be seeing them until almost May. Last year the goats ate them.



I got "deer resistant" tulips, too, but they were not chicken-resistant. Last year only a few came up only to be immediately destroyed.

This year we're planting heirloom apple trees and a few more blueberry bushes. That's my contribution to the bees.

Negative 10 for us predicated tonight. At least the snow is staying away. My parents in Virginia have about 4 inches and it's still snowing.

 

[dsqard]

Arielle and Bunny, it may be some kind of flycatcher but definitely not a shrike. It is about the size of a sparrow. I tried to find out what it is but ran out of time this morning. I haven't had time during the day, I am at work (sssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh

) The other bird is actually a Canadian goose. I know it is hard to tell from that picture. Wish we had loons around here (the bird kind, not the people kind, got lots of those

) I love the sound they make.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Wish we had loons around here (the bird kind, not the people kind, got lots of those

) I love the sound they make.

Well come visit here in the summer and sleep with your window open (if you like it in the 40s and 50s at night). You'll hear them out on the lake shrieking all night. Funny how that bothers me but not a yard full of roosters.

 

[ozexpat]

Greetings earthlings.

We are wrapping up another quick trip to cocobeach . Eggs are set, piggery foundation is laid out and trees are planted.

50 hours on the farm is just not enough.

In five hours I start the journey back to los Angeles.

 

[Wisher1000]

Well come visit here in the summer and sleep with your window open (if you like it in the 40s and 50s at night). You'll hear them out on the lake shrieking all night. Funny how that bothers me but not a yard full of roosters.

Oo! Oo! Me! I want to do that!

 

[dsqard]

Quote: Count me in not this summer but next?

 

[Wisher1000]

No, DiDI, that is the summer we are going to the Phils to Chicken Mish with Oz, it will have to be summer 2016.

 

[Bunnylady]

SCG, sounds like you may need to build a guest haus for visiting Old Folks next.

 

[CanuckBock]

Like minds.

You posted while I was composing.
Not a seed eaters beak.

Oh I laughed at this. Do you KNOW how much razzing I got once when I referred to a wild bird as having a "bug beak" as opposed to a "seed beak!" Rick will remember that to the day he dies...

BUG beak

SEED beak

I often wonder what kinda raz I woulda got over referring to a raptor's beak as in MEAT beak?

He once came in while I was recouping from a long stint of chores, looking not just (re)TIRED but that my get up and go had just up and LEFT...

He says to me with that husbandy smirky voice, "Ah, does Tara need a COMFORT ROAST?" I notice he only says those kinda things when I am dead tired and can't reach up to box his ears...

canuckbock

You have swans? Cool.

Yessiree Bob...I believe my sig file says we do...so we must?

Kidding...we have had the Aussie Blacks since 2009.

This is Fire Ember and Black Pearl, the pens.​

This is Smoke Stack and Stove Pipe, the cobs.​

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Rick and I have always wanted swans and we like Australian critters; got the Australian Cattle Dogs (I headed the petition to have the Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club in Miscellaneous classification--saw my first coupla dogs shown fully recognized at a local dog show, a few years back), had a Rosy Burke for a looong time (really kewl cage birds!), these swans are wild Down Under, and friends of ours have an Australian Cockatoo, Corky that really, really LUVs eggs...brought some of our excess winter eggs and Corky, he immediately took them over as HIS...

Pretty cute, eh?​

For our 15 year anniversary of owning this property, we imported two unrelated pens up from the Southern States.

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I spent the most fabulous summer this year with the two in quarantine for 8 weeks...Fixins and loved our special times with the swans.

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Pearl would follow the dogs and I everywhere, so if I forgot to shut a gate like when I was fencing this summer, there the two would be...hilarious how close they wanted to stay...like puppy dogs...very LOOONG necked puppers...

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Spent a lot of time pool side...took thousands of photos and I did DNA gendering tests (blood on the boys and feathers on the girls) for the first time on birds. I also did fecals since there is hardly any winter kill down South. So when there was no signs of parasites and after the eight week quarantine wait, we breathed a huge sigh of relief. We run a biosecure Conservation Farm, so follow many strict protocols about adding new beings to what we have here.

Quarantine setup (sleeping quarters--otherwise they were out and about in a quarantine area where no other birds were kept) for the two swans for eight weeks.​

Swans are certainly not for everyone...if geese or a tom turkey scare you...I would recommend you not get swans.

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The cobs can be very aggressive in the Blacks; not the best breed for parks as they love to chase and attack small children. I am a very strong tempered person that loves taming the wild ones like Heelers and Shelduck/geese (known to kill others of their own kind and even domestic geese), so I just laugh when Smoke (the oldest cob) puts on a big show...wing slams and bill bites...he's after MEAT, eh? Well so am I...roast swan tongues anyone....I hear it is a Victorian delicacy or was that peafowl tongues?? I forget! I'm allowed, I'm OLD!

Ember is younger than Pearl and not as forward as she is. Pearla Girla does tricks for me...no end to the amusements...



She balances romaine lettuce leaves on her nose...

She shines up my black chore boots...​

Pearl will even head bop and count 1 + 1, 2 + 2, ...​

Very useful creatures these Black Swans...

Doggone & Chicken UP!

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