Sebastopol Geese

I have eleven geese now. That’s about nine too many. I think I have 4 pairs, and 3 extra males. I need to get out there and seperate them into breeding/nesting areas and sell the extras. They interfere with each other, and most of the other animals here. If the Muscovies try to breed, the geese run over and disrupt them. Yelling and pecking and pulling the drake off the hen. They have tried to do that with the turkeys, too, but I think the turkeys fought back.

Update 3/15/08: Well, I HAD eleven geese, now I have ten. I don't know what happened to the other. Coyote? Drive-by? hmmm. I was also incorrect on who was what. I have three males and seven females, very nice! As of today six females are setting and one has just started laying. I also have lots of eggs in the incubator. Can't wait to see how that turns out.

Update 4/19/08: Well, the lots of eggs in the incubator didn't survive being out in the cold garage with freezing temperatures. The geese setting in the barn managed to hatch out four goslings, which I promptly sold. They kept trying to share nests, and the eggs managed to get broken or weren't kept at an even temperature, so they didn't hatch. Now I need to clean out the stinky geese nests and see if they will try it again. This time, the incubator will be inside the warm house.

Muscovy Ducks

I like the Muscovy duck. They are a beautiful duck to look at, once you get past that red caruncling they have on their head They have pleasing personalities and it is interesting to watch them interact with each other. They are very quiet and not nearly as messy as they could be, and can be quite prolific with the ducklings! They like to perch on the fence or fence posts. They fly very well, especially the hens. They also taste very good! I have a problem eating a nice bird, though. It’s easier to just sell it than utilize it for what I bred it for. If they were mean and nasty, we’d be eating them every day! I need to get better at harvesting my duck crop.

The Critters get a Toe Job

Geronimo needed his shoes pulled and a trim, and the Burros needed a trim, so I gave my shoer a call. I managed to find the one dry area around the barn under the lean-to and lured the three of them in with fresh hay. Rain and muck everywhere... but at least we were covered, dry and not sinking. C. showed up around 10am and started in on the horse. Geronimo fussed quite a bit at first, but settled down by the second hoof. After each hoof C. would rest a bit and tell a different story. We discussed his Haflinger mules, how to rope a Llama and the different behaviors among horses, mules, burros and hinnies.
Geronimo's farm job is to eat as much grass as I can grow. He is also to carry me on my inspection rounds of the property and fence. Jenny and Paco, the Burros, as well as Bramble, the Llama, investigate and run off Coyotes and other four-legged predators. They also do a wonderful job eating blackberries, thistles and other weedy brush. Bramble earned his name because he is usually dragging a long strand of blackberry vine around with him that gets tangled in his hair. He is getting much better at standing still while I untangle the thorns. He really does not like it when I am working around his hind end. Lots of tail switching and foot shifting going on.