Late Hatch

Last September, Caribou, a Buff Orpington hen decided to go broody. ~Incidentally, just in case you're wondering, I don't name all my chickens! With thirty plus birds and some of them almost identical it would be impossible. But when one stands out with a certain feature or personality, a name invariably pops into my head and the chicken is christened. Caribou came by her name because her comb was missing a couple of spikes, nothing happened to her, she hatched that way. Anyhow the resulting comb looks like the antler on a caribou and so she was named.~

I thought Caribou's timing was a bit off. September is not a great time for little chicks but she was not going to get off that nest for love, money or chicken feed so I put her in a broody area with ten eggs. While the time for raising chicks was not good, the timing to extend her lifespan was impeccable. Caribou was destined for the freezer with all the other year and a half old hens. So she dodged that bullet (or axe, whatever the case may be).

On October 14, nine of the eggs hatched. I was pretty impressed with the hatch rate, especially when I considered some of the frosty nights Caribou had to keep those eggs warm through. All nine thrived, I didn't loose one. Cariboo is an excellent mother, and this was her first time at it. Gotta love a Buff Orpington's natural instinct! The chicks are about nine weeks old now and the cockerels are trying to crow and end up strangling on the noise. I put Caribou back in the main coop and she seems be doing just fine. Sometimes I find her on top of a straw bale looking at her chicks but she doesn't seem upset that she's not with them.

So my first fall hatch turned out very well, I think. When it comes time for broodiness, the hens know much more about it and I think I'm going to trust their judgement.

Roosting just like big chickens!

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

There's no snow but the trees are bare. The temperature is in the single digits (C) but not to the freezing point. The squirrels scamper through the yard with their cheeks bulging but the call of the Canadian Geese are silenced, they have packed up and headed south. The colours are washed out, like a favorite pair of jeans that you hang on to even though they are thin and ragged. Winter's coming, he's just dawdling. It's not like Winter to be so sneaky. I suppose he's having way too much fun in other parts of the country to make his way here yet.

New Turkey

As it turns out, my two turkeys are both females. I really wanted a trio because I'm hoping to raise turkeys for the freezer next spring. So I contacted the lady who gave me the turkey eggs. I knew she raised them to sell at Christmas time. I asked her if she would sell me a tom just not butchered, I needed it live. She was happy to oblige me and so now I have my trio of Beltsville Small White Turkeys. I had no idea what to call them. P, teenage son, came up with Snap, Crackle and Pop. That works well.

Introductions were a little difficult. I had the tom separated for a week or so. He could see everybody and everybody could see him. I was hoping that they'd get familiar and comfortable with each other so there wouldn't be any problems. False hope on my part. I put him in the main coop. The chickens couldn't have cared less. The smaller turkey was fine with him. The larger hen was not. She went over and started yanking on his wattle with her beak. So I separated him back to his quarantine area. Then I decided to put the hens with him so there wouldn't be the territorial thing going on. That worked much better. She grabbed him by the wattle, he grabbed hers then they both quit it. In five minutes everybody were buddies. After a few days, I put the three turkeys back in the main coop with no problems at all.

I think the world would be a better place if its leaders had to pull each others' wattles for five minutes and then decide whether the argument was really worth the effort.

Pop showing off!

Visitors of a Feathered Variety

A while back, I glimpsed out the window just in time to see two unfamiliar birds land just outside the chicken pen. I had no idea what kind of bird they were. Going out to investigate and taking my trusty camera with me, I heard both of them calling to my chickens and turkeys, "Arp, arp, arp." Now that's a familiar sound! That's just like the sound my turkey hens make. OK, so now I know they are turkeys of some sort. They didn't like me getting too close, but I did manage to get a good look at their heads and necks. Yup, definitely female turkeys. After a little research, I think these two girls are Eastern Wild Turkeys. I have no idea if they are wild in the true sense or if someone is missing a couple of them from their farm. I called around but nobody knew of anyone who raises turkeys, except for me. That fact was pointed out to me by everyone I talked to about this. Well, yes; I know I grow turkeys.

The next day the two hens managed to figure out how to get into the chicken pen. I didn't know if that was a good idea or not. I have no clue if they, being wild, could have diseases they could pass on to my birds. These two certainly looked healthy enough and my birds didn't seem to mind them hanging around.

So I figured I'd just let them hang out and may-be they'd stay and become part of my flock. The next day they were gone and I haven't seen them since. I think I'm a little disappointed.

Empty Nest Box Syndrome

I started with rabbits four years ago. Having had a pet rabbit, I knew the basics of rabbit care. But I knew nothing of raising meat rabbits. I read a lot, joined groups and asked a lot of experienced breeders a lot of questions. Armed with a bit of knowledge, a bit of support and a lot of nervousness I began my journey. Beginner's jitters, I told myself, it will pass as you figure it out. And so it has. Litters come and go here with little fanfare and a lot of "ooohs" "aawws" and "so cuuuuute". But still after four years things happen that are just real strange and convince me that rabbits have a sense of humour that is far more advanced than their place in the evolutionary scheme of things would dictate. Not only is is their humour well developed, it can be cunning and rather sneaky, in short it has a touch of evil.

Flare, a perky, friendly little doe two years of age was bred a while back. I like Flare, she's the granddaughter of my beloved Sunfire and loves to follow me around doing the 'Bunny 500' (rabbits, when they're really happy will do things to show their feelings; "Binkies" are when they kind of flip in the air, "Floppies", that's pretty self descriptive, they flop down in a contented heap, the "Bunny 500" is a curious activity involving the rabbit running furious circles around a persons' feet). Unfortunately, for all her charm, Flare's birthing record is less than perfect. She's great when she does become a mama, medium sized litters all healthy kits with no runts. But Flare misses more times than most which means no litter at all.

Last summer I bred her and marked the calender with her due date, August 26. About ten days before she was due, I noticed she was digging around in a corner so I put in her nest box. Usually they recommend you don't put the nest box in until two or three days before delivery date otherwise the rabbit will use it as a potty station. I haven't found that the case in the colonies at all. First of all, the nest boxes are much, much bigger that the standard ones used in cages. Secondly, I designed them (Don built them) very long to resemble a burrow more. I also designed them very high so newborns would not fall out, chill and die. Moms just don't use these boxes to toliet in. When the babies are about two and a half to three weeks old, the mama will start building a ramp-like mound out of woodchips and straw in front of the nest box. Then the kits can get back in when they venture out.

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Flare happily jumped into the nest box and went to work, chewing up the straw and making everything comfy and homey. Her due date came and went and no kits showed up. I waited a couple of days, but no little hairless squigglelies in the box. Ah, well that happens. I was meaning to take the nest box out but that task kept on getting bumped to the bottom of my list.

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A week after she was due, I found Flare had been very busy lining the box with her own fur. In the rabbit world this usually means babies are putting in an appearance in the very near future, anywhere from 20 minutes to two days. I had rabbits go past due date by a day or two and I've heard they'll be up to five days late. I have never heard a rabbit going a week. Now I'm getting a little worried. I'm hoping I just got my dates mixed up. But there is a chance she has only one kit and it's grown to a humongous size, which happens sometimes when there's no competition for room space and nutrition. So I watch her carefully. She's perky, she's happy. She eating, eliminating fine. Everything's rosy in Flare's world. I wait two more days then I take the nest box away. Flare is unconcerned, studiously washing her left ear. As I leave, I'm pretty sure I caught her winking at her colony mate. Rotten little rabbit.

A beautifully made complete with fur-lined bowl nest and nary a kit in sight.

Pumpkins on a Gate

The title sounds like something on the menu of one of those restaurants where the "ambiance" costs more than the food. You know, the type of restaurants that spring up in touristy areas promoting down home, old fashioned cooking (usually with imported food). But I have to admit, the pumpkined gate gives off an ambiance all of its own without any hype or spin. It's quaint, old-fashioned and charming. It's also totally unplanned and truly did spring up on its own.

A long, long time ago (last spring), Don made new pen for the baby chicks from the three broody hens. He bought a very large and deep storage shelf from work so he turned it on its side, stuck doors on it, made a few air vents and ta-dah! a chook coop! Worked well, too. We kept 24 chooks in that thing. Of course, they were only in it at night, but still it was roomy and airy and sooooo easy to keep clean. Don even put a window in one of the doors for the chicks so they could look out in rainy weather. The only problem was the afternoon sun. Except for right behind the coop, there was no shade at all. So I made a little strip of a lasagna garden by the fence to cut the sun's blistering heat and create some shade. I planted snow peas, sunflowers, corn and nasturtiums. The snow peas and sunflowers never stood a chance. They were planted right by the fence and the chicks ate the young plants as soon as the little plants poked out of the ground. The corn is ragged, having their lower leaves torn and shredded by little curious beaks, but the corn is tall and strong and their yield is good. I suppose there are a couple of nasturtiums in there somewhere, overshadowed by the broad pumpkin leaves.

I never planted pumpkins; they were pop ups from the compost I used. I'm used to having pop ups now. I enjoy them, actually; it's like Nature is adding her own special touch when I plant gardens. Pop ups confirm the co-operation between myself and Nature. So when I noticed the pumpkin plants, I thought, "Oh, that's cute, kind of like a miniature Three Sisters Garden." Pumpkin plants by nature are a curious lot, always exploring. They grow and stretch and stretch. These found a gate that was beside the pen and started growing through and up and over it. The gate is sturdy and strong and I knew the pumpkins wouldn't wreck it, well not much anyhow. I think it looks really interesting. I can't wait to see what it looks like once the pumpkins turn orange.

Standard Rex Rabbits

I have two new rabbits. I don't 'need' two new rabbits but that's besides the point. They are both young does about 3 months old. I had to have these two rabbits because they are Standard Rex and have just amazing fur. You can't really tell in the picture but the fur is the softest soft, the plushest plush, the velvetyest velvet and is beyond thick. Their fur is that way because their guard hairs are very fine, straight and the same length as the under hairs. If I ever get into tanning the hides, Rexes make the best pelts. While Mini Rexes abound, the Standard Rex are hard to find. In fact, I got these two from New Brunswick. The Standards are considered a good meat rabbit. They weigh about 7 pounds, like the Creme D'Agents I have. Most meat rabbits are bigger, but I like this size, still enough for a meal and easier to pick up.

The one on the left is a chocolate otter colour. She's a dark brown with a triangle of light brown on her neck just behind her ears. It also looks like she is wearing light brown eye liner. Her tummy is light brown going to white at the center. The other one's colour is Lilac. They're both considered solid colour rabbits. Rexes do come in 'broken' colours which simply means they're white with spots that can be black, brown or whatever. I like the solid colours better, I think.

They are in an isolation cage right now, just as a precaution. The barn were they came from was immaculately clean and it's obvious these rabbits were well taken care off. Other than "This One" and "That One", they still have no names. I was thinking of using names from old rock ballads like Ruby Tuesday and Maggie May. That way, if I ever do get a buck, I could call him Rebel, Rebel. But these names don't suit these rabbits at all; old rocker types they ain't. And the two girls are from different lines so they need to have different theme names. I'm kind of leaning towards calling the brown otter after a tree. She's dark and earthy and has a presence of calm sturdiness. The lilac one is a lighter in colour and personality so I'm thinking either moon names or mist names.

So I'm up to eight permanent rabbits, a far cry from the four I started with. That's it, no more rabbits, none. Doesn't matter what breed they are (Harlequins and Chinchillas would be nice), how cute they are or how perfect they would be. No. More. Rabbits... probably.