Quote:
I posted this on the BCM thread but am posting this here.....
here are the eggs from my Black Copper Marans. Next to a Leghorn
The hens, taken with my iphone, late at night so excuse the fuzz....I finally got the hen and rooster that meet the standard......one lady had over 200 plus chicks and kept the best from them (Thom Dean lines) from over four plus years of breeding....wide bodies, nice vents, dark eggs, feather legs, stout, no white, hen don't have color below neck....tons of info I learned when I was at her place...most of my lines are from Thom Dean or Bev Davis/Wade Jean (close up, not many generations ago!)
I am enjoying this journey....these hens are so calm and docile.
Diane Pagel
Carnation, WA
Aww! I love hearing about everyone's pets! I am so glad you are cancer free! That is so awesome! Sorry to hear about your sweet Yaeger's arthritis and health decline.Quote:
got him from the German Shephard Rescue folks. He'd been neglected & abused. Was an adult, so don't know how old he really is. He'd been taken from somewhere that had left him chained to a tree. His teeth were all cracked, some had to be removed, prob because of chewing on the chain. His ears had been chewed up by flies. He won't play ball, he flinches when anything is thrown at his direction -- we worked forever - he'll finally catch a soft plush toy tossed from a foot or two away - but that's all. He was very anxious, nervous when we first got him, but quickly settled in. Went from 75 to 95 pounds in no time. He's not fat now - just a healthy weight for him
Our previous dog had to be put down at age 17 years - a golden retriever - she thru a clot, or something - the same day I got notice I had breast cancer. The next spring, we got Yaeger - (German for Hunter) - while I was driving 2 hours a day, every day, for radiation treatment. He rode with me, waited in the car & rode back. So he was my 'therapy' dog. Gave me a good reason to go on walks.
Long story short - that was 6 years ago, he's now got many old dog issues - arthritis in his spine - so sad to see the decline. He can't get into the car so well, so his joy-riding days are pretty much over. That's sad, as he still anticipates when he knows I'm leaving - but he just can't jump in - & refused the ramp (to get in - he will use it to get out - go figure).
He was always good to our cats - a requirement for us - and he's been super with the chickens. People say Yaeger won the lotto when he found us -- but we feel we did too. German Shephards are very good dogs -- they are very smart- sometimes to a fault - as in they occasionally need to be reminded that 'mom or dad knows best'. no special training - some basic obedience is a requirement for these big guys - which is actually as much or more for the person to be trained to be consistent..
o - & no further cancer scares - treatment works - key is to find it EARLY - for all you out there procrastinating on your screening tests!!
& thanks for asking - always like to talk about my pets!The fetch thing is a little overrated I think, my dog will fetch but not return, and my previous dog Chance would play fetch with himself but not with me, unless of course if he chucked it over the fence, then he'd look at me like "go get it woman!"
I miss that dumb dog. He's a husky/malamute mix, and I never ever intended to let him go, but his prey drive was much too high to handle the 9 cats my neighbor brought home one day (ok well he brought two home, but they were preggo. UGH!!!!). So anyone, two cats later, and $1000+ in fence replacement costs, I couldn't keep up financially and emotionally. Having to bag up someone elses pet, even if you disliked them with a passion, and throw it away, then tell the neighbor, "sorry your cat was in my yard when the dogs were let out"... ya couldn't do that again! BUT! He has an awesome home with an awesome family, with three teen-adolescent boys, and a mother who runs daily! Perfect! Ooh! Funny story: She called me the day after she picked him up and told me she took him for a 5 mile run, but he only made it 2.5 miles before she decided to take him home (granted it was during that hot spell last summer, he was probably dying!). Then a few hours later she picked up the leash from the floor to put it away and he ran into her bedroom and tried to hide under her bed, because he thought she was going to make him run again!
How funny would that be to see a 100lb dog trying to hide under a bed!? Apparently only his head fit under the bed...
Trying to sleep on the little dogs bed, only his elbows fit!
Tori hiding under her protector, Chance
Sharing Mr. Buffalo...
But! If I still had him, I wouldn't have been able to get my kookie chickens, and I wouldn't have the pleasure of getting to know all of you!
