Newest Freeloaders

The big white duck on the right was previously the only duck living at Prairie House.  We have a hard time keeping ducks here as something in the night finds them delicious and they disappear, sometimes without even leaving feathers behind.

The one who had managed to survive had figured out it was best to go into the chicken house at night where it was safer than out under the stars.  It was rather cute to watch when these 4 were added.  I originally put them into the chicken house.  They carried on quacking and fussing, as did the original duck on the outside.  Eventually the new additions found their way outside.  When it was time to go in to the safe area of the chicken house it was cute to watch the original one lead them inside.  It reminded me of the pictures so often seen where the Momma duck leads her babies across the street all in a row...only on a much larger scale.

I am guessing I have 2 drakes and 3 hens but only time will tell.  Hopefully we will have some duck eggs in the spring for eating, baking and hatching.

Foster Kids

We are fostering several newborn kids today.  Thor is really good at giving them a bath but he has very limited success at feeding them.  He can't understand why the milk is for the kids and not for him too.

 

This little guy is The Man from LaMancha.  He barely has any ears. This is a common trait of the LaMancha breed.  He is really a sweetheart and the temptation is there to keep him, but I am using all my willpower to refrain from that.

Grandma Again

I just got a call informing me I am a Grandmother again.  Cream, the Nubian that had the breach requiring the vet's assistance last January went to stay with Sherry when I sent her kids away. (Sherry will milk goats and I won't.)  She had 3 little ones this time with no problems.  Sherry didn't say if she was going to let Cream feed the kids or if she was going to take them to be bottle babies so she can milk Cream again.  Since she has another goat who just recently had kids and Sherry is feeding them I suspect Cream will get to keep hers with her.

One of Sherry's billy goats is staying at Mark and John's house performing a "service".  He will be dropped of at my house in about 3 weeks.  John caught me at a weak moment and said he and Mark would come and band the bucklings and help me get the extras to market so I said I would let the girls have kids again.  It probably wasn't very hard on his part to get me to agree because those little kids are just so doggone cute when they are young.  They would arrive sometime in June so I wouldn't have to be out in -20 degree cold making sure they won't freeze to death this time.

What a great little community where everybody shares and helps each other out.

Dry dog food? I won't eat no dry dog food!

Thor somehow managed to chop off a chunk of his toe.  He got blood all over the yard after the snow storm which is just oh so in keeping with the holiday decorating scheme.  Unfortunately he spread it around the house quite a bit as well.  He wouldn't let me look at it and I was beginning to wonder if he would die from loss of blood before I could get it taken care of.

I felt sorry for him so I mixed his dog food with warm water for him.  It made a tasty looking broth and he obviously found it quite tasty.  I fed him this tasty porridge a couple more times while his toe improved.  Alas! Another good idea gone bad.  He now looks at his dry food with great disdain. 

When he gets hungry enough he will eat it...unless he outlasts my stubbornness and I give in and feed it to him the way he thinks he deserves it.

 I

I'm not fat....

SUMO PETE

I'm just big boned. And really really tough.  Don't cross me or I will sit on you.