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Moose Manor Farms

Welsummers Are Feathered-out!

6/27/2010

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Buffy’s babies have grown so much!  They’re all feathered out now and running all over the property chasing bugs and scratching in the grass.  I’ve got to say that it’s a million times easier to let the chickens raise up the babies! 

A couple of weeks ago she moved them into the henhouse with the rest of the chickens.  I was surprised to see them all perched way up high and thought, “how in the world did they get up there?”  I guess they’re light enough and those little wings can carry them pretty high.  I should dig out the ramp I used to have in there when my layers were just little pullets.  I took it out when they were big enough that they didn’t need the ramp.  Once those Wellie girls start to put on some weight I think they’ll have a harder time hoping up that high. 

I guess I’ll be getting my first eggs from these girls in November (or maybe even October).  How egg-citing!

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101 degree heat index? Say it ain’t so…

6/27/2010

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Muscovy takes a dip
The baby ducks and geese are growing so fast!  They’re all getting feathers, learning to quack, and swimming in their “pond”.  It’s been pretty hot so keeping lots of water in their run is a high priority, between swimming in it, drinking it, and generally making a mess with it, I’m finding it tough to keep the buckets full – LOL!

My three juvenile Khaki Campbell’s were put out to roam for the very first time this weekend.  I worried mostly that they wouldn’t know where to go in at night because for all their little lives I’ve carried them back and forth from grazing pen to the barn in a Rubbermaid tub.  So early one morning I put them into the duck enclosure while the Harlequin were lazily sleeping-in inside the duck barn.  The Campbell’s weren’t sure what to do with themselves at first but found the little pond in the enclosure and set up shop.  When the Welsh Harlequin came out and saw these strange ducks in their pond they chased the Campbell’s out of it.  Those little KC’s were determined to make friends with their new found barn-mates and were undeterred by the wing flapping and squawking.  The Harlequin were not overly mean but certainly didn’t think they needed any new additions to their little group.  So when they set off to forage out on the property the determined Campbell’s waddled along behind.  Soon they were accepted at the lunch table with the cool kids... but at the bottom of the pecking order.  They still won’t go in the duck barn by themselves yet.  It seems like the Harlequin have made it known that the duck barn is their domain, but there is soooo much room in there!  The Campbell’s can have half all to themselves, for goodness sake.  So every night I gather up my little brown ducks and stuff them in the pop-hole to sleep in the in safety with the others.  Eventually they’ll get it figured out.

The Muscovy have become even more friendly… when I sit on the ground out in the barnyard taking pictures they come right up, almost in my lap, to see what I’m doing.  I was surprised a few times because I had my eye up to the viewfinder and didn’t see them all sneak up on me.  They’re probably looking for a treat!  I came out with some wilted asparagus the other day and as I was tossing sticks of asparagus to them they were running over to get some and stealing it from each other.  Poor things… that stuff was wilted but it still has such a tough outer skin that they had to chew and chew and chew. 

I’ve got my eye on three Muscovy that I’d like to keep for my own flock.  The whole group is friendly and extremely curious but some of them are genuine characters and a couple of the girls are very pretty.  One of the really big boys likes to eat the feed right out of the bucket when I’m filling the feeders.   So I pour some in the feeder, then hold out the bucket for him to grab a few mouthfuls, then fill the other feeders.  He follows me around and it’s like “one for me, one for the rest of you jokers”.  He likes to be petted too… he’s pretty cute so I’ll probably keep him.

I lost a juvenile Harlequin drake and a Muscovy duck to aerial predators this week while I was at work.  Either a very large hawk or an eagle, based on the size and weight of the ducks.  It’s very sad when this happens and it really freaks the other ducks out.  They all stayed inside for the better part of 2 days after the attack but they’re finally back out free ranging cautiously.  Though the Muscovy are sticking very close to the barn and trying to stay out of the open.  The dogs are very good at keeping the ground predators away; I’ve never had trouble with birds of prey during the day so this is new to the dogs.  I know blue jays, robins, and crows are great at keeping the airspace clear of aerial hunters so I’ll need to be sure to provide plenty of feed for those birds too.  Having geese and turkeys usually works well also, maybe I should hang on to those 2 sweet American Lavender-ice geese…


Black Cayuga Cutie


Rise & Shine! It’s morning time!


Muscovy Pair (Angel Wing & his girl)


Welsh Harlequin doll faced girl


Goose Yoga


Muscovy take a stroll

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Chicken Tractor is complete!

6/19/2010

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Chicken Tractor
Well, it was a race against time to get the Cornish out of their brooder before it became overcrowded so I buckled down and spent all my available time designing and building a Quonset hut type chicken tractor.  It had to be light enough for me to drag around the yard, but it had to be strong enough to take the abuse of dragging it all over the yard, and big enough for giant sized chickens to be comfortable in.  I decided I didn’t want any more structures on the property that were “man sized” so I went with a low, squat version of a picture I saw online.  When it comes time to get them out of there I may regret that decision.

This is constructed of one 16 foot cattle panel cut in half, bent into an arc and attached to 2x3’s to create a 6'x8' enclosure.  I stretched poultry wire over the whole thing to keep predators out and attached a tarp to the back portion to give them shelter from the rain.  There’s also a narrow strip of tarp running over the crown of the structure to keep the feed dry when it rains.  I suspended the food and water on a sliding mechanism so I don’t have to crawl in there to take care of that chore and it stays off the ground to facilitate one-step moving.  It’s just a track from bypass closet doors with a couple of hooks attached.  Seems to be working fine so far. 

This is a good beta test to see what I may want to do differently when I house the next batch of Cornish Cross.  I kept that in mind while I wielded the pneumatic staple gun… I may have to disassemble this thing if I feel a need to improve on the design, so I was more sparing with staples than I usually am.  I also still need to attach wheels and a handle to make it drivable (manually, of course) instead of brute force dragging around with a piece of rope.  But I wanted to get these guys out on some grass right away so I'll do that another time.

I had to carry those 21 fat Cornish outside in a Rubbermaid tub 4 at a time.  Man, they’re heavy already!  I felt sorry for them in that stuffy barn, it was pretty hot in there even with several fans going.  And they kept tipping their giant waterer over and making such a mess – I think they were perching on the lip and they’re so heavy that it just emptied out all over the brooder.  I could clean up their bedding but their feathers were still always dirty.  Maybe now they’ll try to clean themselves up.  I’m  just happy they’re getting much  needed fresh air and putting them on grass will cool them off considerably.  I also hung a weather-proof box fan from the back of the tractor to keep the air moving constantly.  They seem a lot more active and far less lethargic from the heat.  That’s good.

Chicken Tractor
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More Ducks?! I must be quacking up...

6/17/2010

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Black Runner & American Gosling
Black Indian Runner & American Lavender Gosling
These little guys are my some of my latest additions from Holderread Waterfowl Conservation Center.  There are 13 various ducklings: 2 Khaki Campbell's, 3 Black Cayuga, 3 Indian Runner, 3 Welsh Harlequin, and 2 American Lavender-Ice Geese. 

They were sold as a single lot so I obviously got more fowl than I really needed here, which means I have to make the difficult decision about which of these little fuzzies I want to sell!  It's always hard when they're so cute and entertaining.  But I can already see that I don't have anywhere near enough grass on my property to support these two geese.  They're rather sweet little gals but they eat grass as a primary source of food and if they eat all my grass the other birds won't have as many cool places to forage for bugs.  But these are Holderread geese that fetch a premium price as hatchlings so I shouldn't have any trouble selling them for half their value when they're fully started.  They're sure sweet tho...

They really seem to be thriving and so happy.  I've got them out on a large patch of grass in a movable enclosure and I repurposed an old doghouse for a "Duckloo" shelter.  This big group is actually a lot of fun to watch - it's my evening duck TV.  They really have such a flocking nature and are, as a whole, so much more excitable than the Muscovy.  That's not saying much though - LOL!   The geese are rather calm but the others... not so much.  The flightiest of all are the Indian Runners.  But aren't they a hoot? They stand straight up, like a person, and boy can they move!  They don't have a ducky waddle like the rest, when they stand up they run across their enclosure and everyone follows in an excited, peeping stampeed!
Along with the babies I also acquired a group of 11 beautiful Welsh Harlequin.  Two are laying now, which is a bonus, and 4 will begin laying this fall.  There are more drakes than is truly optimal so I'll offer some of them for sale - and if they're not in a new home by next month they'll go into the next harvest. 

I gave the grown Harlequin the entire duck barn and duck enclosure all to themselves until they get settled in.  They're still figuring out their new home and aren't used to my schedule yet - which is evidenced by the fact that I've only collected 1 egg from the 2 layers in 4 days.  Convincing them to go inside the duckbarn the first two nights was hard - I finally had to scoop them up one by one and stuff them inside. They're catching on more every day so I think by this weekend I'll let them out onto the property to free range.  They've finally learned to go back inside through their little pop-door when it gets dark, which is excellent (or at least one has learned and the rest are following).  No more duck-chase at bedtime :)   I just wanted them to know where to come back to every night before I let them roam.

The Harlequin are still very unsure of me so it's hard to get photos. I can watch them splashing in their pool and chattering to each other only if I hide behind something and peek around - LOL! As soon as I'm in their line of sight they all scurry into the duck barn.  Which is the opposite of the babies... when they see me coming to lock up the Duckloo for the night they all come pouring out and I have to gather them up and put them in by hand.  They've got the first part figured out: go inside at dark.  I hope soon they understand they need to stay in until I get the door closed!

I'm now up to 6 seperate enclosures to feed and water twice a day (if I don't count Buffy's broody-box)... Whew!  Boy, my little farm is growing every time I turn around!


Penciled Indian Runner


Black Indian Runner


American Lavender Goslings


Feeding Time!


Khaki Campbell & Black Cayuga


Adult & Juvenile Welsh Harlequin

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Scruffy Cornish

6/14/2010

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Scruffy Cornish Cross
scruffy \ˈskrə-fē\ (adj) unkempt, shaggy; "a surge of ragged scruffy chickens"

Oh my!  At only 2 1/2 weeks these little guys are just plain growing faster than their feathers can keep up with!  They seem to be none-the-worse for wear but they're not wearing much these days - LOL!  Half naked little birds... as hot as it's been they're probably more comfortable this way, they certainly seem to be producing a lot of heat.  I picked one up to get a better look and he was really warm so I guess I shouldn't worry about them getting a chill.  I keep a fan in the barn to move the air around, they seem appropriately active, and they're definitely eating plenty.

Hope they get some feathers soon... it's just scandalous for them to run around looking like this!  

Naked Cornish
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Summer is in full swing!

6/12/2010

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Muscovy Girl
Today is Saturday, so this morning after I did my feeding and watering chores all around, I sat down at 7 or so with the Muscovy to drink my coffee and eat a snack when these very sedate ducks suddenly became very active.  They were running from one end of their enclosure to the other like kids on a playground and playfully nudging each other with their beaks.  Normally they just laze around the yard and preen or wash up in the water.  This flurry of playful activity in such bucolic birds was pretty funny to watch.

They spent a lot of time around the pool all morning but didn't get in.  Then I noticed that right around lunch time, when it was really hot, they were sort of taking turns submerging themselves and getting thoroughly soaked in the pool.  It's big enough for a couple of them but they seem to prefer to bathe alone.  I was glad to see them using the pool to cool off instead of just drink out of it.  I also noticed that their feathers don't really seem waterproof like other ducks... they got really wet instead of beading up.  Interesting.

The Campbell's almost never stop moving!  During the hottest part of the day they did lay down in the tall grass though.  But for the most part they're on the move constantly!  They dabble in their bowl, run over to the corner of their enclosure to eat some bugs, run over to this corner to put their beaks in the mud, then play follow the leader around the perimeter to start all over again.  All the while they're gossiping quietly to one another.

I did notice that the Muscovy seemed to be pairing off already.  Some of the females have chosen a male to spend time with.  The little gals nibble under the boys feathers and playfully nuzzle at their necks.  The boys hardly seem to notice though (sound familiar? LOL!).  But I see that the same girls are feeding next to and sleeping next to these males so I can only assume that they're sweethearts.  The girls are also companionable with one another but do have their little hierarchy.  They're very diplomatic about the whole thing but it's easy to see when they find it necessary to assert themselves.

I have one Muscovy male who's developed "angel wing" which doesn't cause him any discomfort but because it sticks out oddly some of the others pull at it until it starts to bleed.  I don't think they're doing it to be disagreeable, they honestly don't seem to be able to help it.  I've separated him during the day by putting him in with the run with the Campbells - he's not terribly pleased to be hanging out with those busy little birds but they don't bully him and vice versa so it's working out OK.  When the Campbells rest they like to snuggle up with him in the grass but at night he refuses to sleep with them in their bed so I've decided to let him sleep with his pals rather than have him injure himself trying to escape.  In the next couple of weeks he'll get all his flight feathers in and it won't be such an issue anymore.





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OMG! It's so hot & humid this June... err... I mean: Garden Update #1

6/12/2010

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Refreshing Beverage
I write this post relatively early in the day because it's been so hot and humid (mostly humid) that my clothes are soaked through and I'm just pooped so I had to knock-off today at 5pm... that's pretty early for me when I have all these chores.  Time to get the beach chair, a glass of cold wine and watch a little "duck TV".  There's a lot you can learn about these creatures if you pull up a chair, sit with your favorite beverage and just watch.

duck, duck, moose... Oh, yeah... the garden! 

Ahem, this is a little embarrasing to admit for a veteran gardener with so much space and black gold soil, but I finally had to plant my vegetables in tubs and buckets this year.  The baby watermelon will have to grow vertical this summer instead of sprawling wildly across the ground the way I like it. 

I have this lovely, rather large market garden plot, mostly tilled and ready for my small sundry plantings (I was able to remain reasonable in my plant purchases this year - for once).  The trouble is that I had to fell two large trees this spring and they needed to land right in that open space.  Needless to say, I haven't completely cut them up yet, in fact, I'm only at about 50% complete on that job.  Alas... tomatoes I carefully selected and giddily ordered from catalogs in February needed to get in the ground by June instead of languishing in their little pots on my picnic table.  So, I remain my practical self and used whatever containers were cheapest and could be repurposed once my garden was back in use again.  But I do I have plans to experiment with a winter garden using a hoop house this year so the plot should be ready for a fall planting.

Right now everything seems to be growing very well in my little bucket city, especially since I put the containers within duck pool dumping distance.  So they get water and fertilzer in one dose and I put that dirty water to good use. :)





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Cornish Fatties!

6/11/2010

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These little guys are a week old now and they're already getting feathered out so they look pretty scruffy. 

Boy are they growing fast!  Most of them are this plump, rounded shape with two fat legs sticking out - LOL!  They're pretty flightly right now and I don't expect them to become terribly friendly in the future - just considerably slower.  They always run and pile up in the other end of the brooder when I have to put my hand in to change the bedding or fill the food & water.  I imagine I must look like some giant monster to them.

I mostly try to stay at a reasonable distance from the brooder so I don't stress them unnecessarily.  It helps that I have the big feeder and drinker in there already so I don't have to fill it every day.  I just make sure they have clear access and that everything is flowing like it should.  Of course, they need new bedding more frequently as they get older and they're not happy about me leaning over the brooder to take care of that task... they sure seem to love it when there are fresh shavings to lay on though :)

I reckon I'll be moving them out to the chicken tractor in about 2 weeks at this rate.  That should make them happier.





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(6/7/10) We're growing feathers!

6/7/2010

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Hardee Campbell
It's been a busy, busy week here on the farm as well as a hot and very humid start to June - yesterday it was 87 degrees with 93% humidity.  It's like doing your chores with a hot, wet blanket over your head... *bleh*

The ducklings are going through their "ugly duckling" phase as they start to get feathers over their fuzz.  But the new feathers coming in look so nice... they're getting to be very handsome.  The Campbell's are getting their little tweed coats with that nice, herringbone brown coloring and the Muscovy have just a little bit of yellow fuzz poking up around shiny white feathers.

The Campbell's are very active and running around finding bugs, dabbling in their water pan, and chatting amongst themselves companionably.  They rest a lot in the tall grass during the heat of the day and I wish they'd dunk themselves in the water but they don't seem to be interested in swimming.  They just stick their heads underwater and messily splash and flick it all around, but they don't get in.  Oh well.

The Muscovy are growing so fast!  They remind me of my mastiffs they way they lay around and want me to just step over them rather than move.  As they've matured they've really quieted down too.  They used to make their little duckling peeps but now they're growing into new vocalizations... or lack thereof.  The males just make a sort of panting sound and the females are making a soft purr-squeek.  They really only "talk" when I pick them up or they're upset about something. 

We've had some serious thunderstorms lately and they all got caught in a terrible downpour last Thursday - the the rain drops were huge and the thunder was tremendous!  I had a couple of shelters for them outside but since the whole group couldn't entirely fit into a single shelter they wouldn't go in at all.  I was afraid it might hail again like it did last week and I felt terrible seeing them marching all tucked together back and forth from one place to another so I got a big tarp and went out in the pouring rain to make a single shelter for them.  

                            Let me just say right now... that was a terrible idea. 

When they saw me unfolding this big brown thing they totally freaked out and stampeded.  Poor ducks!  I eventually collected them all up and put them on fresh, dry straw in the barn.  Those Muskovy were mad at me for 3 days after that... they would all crowd together in a corner and glare at me when I came in to feed them.  But by Sunday they were back to their usual ultra-calm selves again and they decided it might be OK to go back outside.  Or at least half of them did... the other half sat on the barn door threshold and just looked out.

The Campbell's were totally over it in, like, 10 minutes.  LOL!

Muscovy girl

Hardee, Messie, and Splashie Campbell

Muscovy are feathering over their fluff

Hardee & Messie Campbell

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My Welli gals are so active!

6/7/2010

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This weekend I had so many chores to do but I kept finding reasons to head over to the henyard.  Buffy's Welsummer babies are so fun to watch!  She's teaching them where to forage for all the yummiest foods and they're learning fast.  I even noticed one of them was already trying to dust herself.

They love it when I salt the yard with fresh straw... they all run right out to eat up the seed heads.  Must be like hershey kisses in the chicken world!  Then they scratch around under it to see if any bugs might be hiding down there.  One of those chicks caught herself a cricket or something and I heard this ruckus of complaining cheeps then I saw her running across the yard with this bug sticking out of her beak.  All the babies were chasing her, complaining the whole time, and she was playing a good game of keep-away.  The early bird catches the grasshopper!

They're doing a lot of hopping, flapping and general running around and I can tell that Buffy feels that they're safest when she has the henyard to herself.  So I let everyone else out - except the two juvenile birds who are still too young to wander - and Buffy just lets her babies run like crazy all over. 

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    Dana

    About Farmrgirl

    Small town Calif. farm-girl leaves the ranch behind for many years of adventure at sea, travels the world, then moves to Washington DC in 2007 where she finds the perfect homestead to settle down: acres of secluded Southern Maryland woods where she goes granola by raising her quality of life, Mastiffs, ducks, chickens, and tomatoes {& one Bengal kitty}... sustainably.


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