Diary
April 2008
The world has a new super-hero. Max fell in the pond today and got
caught in the brambles. I couldn't see him at all being a mostly black dog
in the dark under the bushes round the pond.
Nick leapt into the water and grabbed Max in his arms. Luckily the dog
hadn't swallowed any water and suffered no ill effects. Sadly Nick was not
so lucky and his mobile phone drowned (it had been in his pocket) and could
not be revived.
We think Max had been chasing the Moorhen when he lost his footing. We had
been planning to clear the pond and put decking round it. That has now
become a priority job for this year.
This is a picture of Nick building a fence with Max
earlier this year.
March 2008
We
had a very upsetting start to the year. We had a visit from a fox who killed
four Brahma hens. As foxes tend to do it only took one away with it and left
three bodies for us to deal with. So now I have three males and
two females.
Now for some better news. I have another dog. He wasn't exactly planned but
he is gorgeous and gets on so well with Max that when he came for a visit
today he just had to stay.
More pictures on Our Dogs page.
November 2007
Another
very busy autumn, despite the weather and my best bit of news is my baby
Brahmas. These were hatched and raised by their mother who taught them how
to help me dig potatoes out of the raised beds and to scatter any piles of
leaves I raked before I had chance to bag them for the compost. Its amazing
how many creepy crawlies there are in the garden so they had a very good
protein enriched diet to supplement their chick crumbs. More of them on my
Brahma page.
June 2007
The mail problems reported at the beginning of the
month have been sorted and I am again getting questions and messages coming
through.
June is my birthday and I had four new birds for the
aviary and some indoor
dog tunnels for Max. No pictures of the latter yet as it has been too wet
over the last couple of weeks to take them outside with the rest of his
agility equipment we are slowly building up.
Mayur (right) is my other new arrival.
May 2007
The
three cockatiel babies have now left the nest. There are two grey and one lutino.
The parents are now looking into all the other nest boxes to decide which one to
use for the next clutch of eggs, but are still looking after the babies very
well.
We took some movie clips of Max at his agility class
last night. These are on his page but this picture shows him practising his
contacts on the A frame. This early training helps prevent them jumping off as
soon as they reach the top. If the dog doesn't touch the white area, in
competition, he will get penalty points.
I have bought some more Zebra Finches and Bengalese Finches to restock the aviary, but I want to breed them before releasing them into the main aviary. One interesting point was that the breeder also uses dowsing but in his case it is to sex his Begalese. He doesn't need to sex his eggs as male finches are no noisier than the hen birds so he wasn't aware that eggs give the opposite readings from birds. I'm not doing too well with my dowsing results this year but I haven't hatched many eggs either (68%).
The Cockatiel chicks are feathering up nicely and will soon leave the nest. I thik there are three, but didn't want to disturb them too much when I peeked inside the nest box, so we'll have to wait and see what emerges.
April 2007
The chicks are all growing well but it is still too cold to put them in my large outside brooder tank so I have put them in a slightly larger one inside. At the rate they are growing though I may need to split them into two tanks. They are on my computer desk and it is a squash with one tank sharing the space with me. If I have two on there I wouldn't be able to see the screen at all, though my keyboard and mouse are wireless and work quite well through the glass.
I also bought half a dozen Zebra Finches at the weekend. They are inside on top of the bookshelves, out of harms way, until the weather warms up as they were originally kept in a heated shed. The carpet needs vacuuming two or three times a day. I don't think they leave a single seed husk in their cage. I'll be glad when they are outside though and can stretch their wings better. The cockatiels are nesting but they won't mind a few finches sharing the aviary.
The finches outside in the sun. The other one is more independent and does her own thing, which at the time this picture was taken meant pecking around in the soil under the conifer bush.
March 2007
My first chicks since 2005 hatched yesterday. I've got four white Yokohamas and five Gold Dutch, though I had to help the last one out of the shell so it may not make it. It has a twisted foot which I have straightened using sticky tape. This is probably why it couldn't break free by itself.
The one mentioned above did not make it unfortunately. In our experience they never do so I've made a late New Year's resolution not to help chicks out of shells.Every time I publish the site I get space warnings so I have expanded it so I can now add my other pets.
February 2007
Just when we thought things were settling down after last year's bird flu scare we get a major outbreak almost on our doorstep. Let's hope the measures taken have prevented any spread. Like many friends we did not breed any birds last year. I am now down to a quartet of Gold Dutch, and White Yokohamas so I have set a few eggs in the incubator to prevent the lines disappearing. Fingers crossed they are fertile. My trio of Sumatra's haven't laid any eggs for months now, probably because they are getting on a bit now. Our birds are beginning to lay again now so I don't have to buy eggs any more. I even got the first goose egg today!
My latest additions are a family of Large Brahma's. The idea is to have them keep my kitchen garden free of slugs and snails and the gravel free of grass and weeds. The wall around it is more than enough to confine them and they look quite majestic strutting round. They don't like the rain much so I have cleaned out the garage to give them somewhere to shelter.
November 2006
It is a long time since I updated this web site, but I have now retired and have time to do the things I want to. I had the best leaving present ever - a pygmy goat! We tried him with the sheep but they were not very friendly towards him, so as goats are social animals we had to get him a friend. In fact we ended up getting two - Keira, the spotty white kid and Jack , who reminds me of a pirate. Micky is is a little older and much friendlier than the two new ones, but they are learning from him and are already eating out of my hand. They have their collars on and follow Micky round when I take him for a walk (you can just see his lead on his picture. They are just like little barrels on legs but are excellent climbers and escape artists. We've had to put 6 foot fencing around their yard so I've had a busy retirement so far.
It was hard to get enthusiastic this year with the worry of Bird Flu putting a stop to any breeding we had planned and all shows were stopped at the beginning of the year. Hopefully things are improving now. Our chicken club held a very successful show last month and we did very well with the birds we found to enter. Most are still in moult, they don't seem to know what to do with the weather being so mild. No-one is laying at present so we had better start extending the daylight hours so we get some deceny birds to show next year.
We are also busy extending our indoor chicken sheds with outdoor runs on the side away from the neighbours. I want to get them all planted up before the birds are allowed out so they can get established over winter.
The end of September was quite disastrous for our chickens. Seventeen birds were killed over just three days before we found the culprits and put an end to the carnage. A family of rats had moved into the garden from the nearby cornfields and taken up residency under the bonfire. We destroyed the nest by lighting the bonfire and, on the recommendation of a friend who had a similar experience the year before, we bought lots of sonic vermin scarers which has succeeded in seeing off any remaining, unwanted visitors. This is the down side of keeping pets and it is always upsetting to loose one.
However on a brighter note, Tilly has hatched five Muscovy ducklings and has proved a much better mother this year.
I also have three chicks asleep in the tank at the side of me and I've started incubating again (not that everyone is back laying just yet). With all the fuss over bird flu we are in the process of moving all our chickens inside for the winter slightly earlier than we would do normally. Also with seventeen less birds than planned we have more pens to play with.
September 2005
Mother, Auntie and their ducklings mix with the other Muscovies in the main field during the day but still sleep separately in case a baby gets trodden on and squashed. Ducks aren't very careful about where they put their feet..
Taking the ducklings for a stroll.
Note: the other five were in front of the party but I couldn't fit them all in the picture.
Auntie watching over a group of sun-bathing ducklings.
An Abacot searching for worms - one sampling my skirt - and a Cayuga tying itself in knots
The older ducklings are all in the separate breed pens now. The young Abacots are much more colourful than their parents who have gone very pale. All the streaks in their feathers seem to have moulted out.
August 2005
Auntie has three runner ducklings and I have had fourteen chicks hatch in the incubator. The last of the batch just pipped and is squeaking in the incubator, but she's not due until tomorrow. My Pyle Dutch has hatched five chicks, one of which looks pyle so I'm keeping my fingers crossed as I don't have a male. I didn't douse the eggs she was sitting on so I don't know what to expect. My Colombian Yokohama is sitting, but I don't know when they will hatch; likewise with the Gold Dutch, three of which are now sitting (two in the same box!)
Mother's second batch is due in four days' time, and I have another Muscovy sitting on a rather large batch which I will swap for the last Cayuga eggs of the year. Fingers crossed she doesn't forsake the nest when the number of eggs goes down. I haven't really got room for any more Muscovies, amusing and friendly though they are.
The two hens now have eight chicks between them and I have put 6 eggs in the incubator. They still have at least a week before they hatch and the hens would just leave them to look after the chicks And here is my full complement of ducklings. Auntie, on the right, and her three Runners, now a week old, and Mother, in the background with four Abacots and three Cayugas, that hatched last night.
July 2005
Rather a big gap between updates but we've been busy in the garden and were on holiday last month. Anyway with the nice weather its more enjoyable sitting in the paddock with a bag of brown bread, surrounded by my ducks. The geese keep chasing the muscovies off, but are very nervous when taking the bread off you. Anser and Xander take little nibbles, but Buffy and Drew just take bits off the ground. Surprising as they were hand raised.
Mother, a Muscovy, has done well hatching me a clutch of mixed duck eggs so with my own meagre contribution I've now got ten ducklings running round making a mess everywhere. Mayday and Coco are now almost fully grown and are in with the adults. Mother and her friend Aunty are sitting again. The eggs should hatch next weekend and the one following.
There are three Abacots, two Appleyards and five Runners. The Runner right in the middle is the one I hatched.
May 2005
This is May-day who hatched on the 1st May, not very original I know. She is a Trout Runner and was two days early so she sleeps most of the time on my knee - at least until the next egg hatches. My other ducklings are much too big for her to play with yet!
Coco hatched only a matter of seconds before this picture was taken. She is obviously exhausted from breaking free, and still too weak even to hold her head up. An hour later I heard her scrambling over the other eggs in the incubator so took her out to put her in the brooder. May-day was a little frightened of her when I first put them together, but I've had them nestled up together on my knee and she is now alternating between preening herself and preening Coco.
I've also updated the Dowsing page after I realised it hadn't been done since July 2003.
April 2005
We now have a selection of chicks and ducks. They are currently co-habiting in my old fish tank. I had a new one for Christmas and have turned the old one into a broody tank. All the chicks are older than the two ducklings, but they will soon overtake them in size so I will need to get the seedlings in my greenhouse planted out so the growing ducks can take it over again. Green houses are ideal places for ducklings as it is easy to hose down the mess and keep them clean. I have a mesh screen for the door in the daytime so they don't overheat, but can close them up at night to keep predators out and keep them warm with a light.
Lots of wild birds are nesting in the garden. The Moorhen uses our large fish pond and has already raised one brood and is on her second now. We also have a pair of Mallards that have taken over my bonfire as a nest site!
March 2005
We have been very busy over the last few weeks, putting up new fences and sheds to accommodate our breeding stock. The birds are also doing their bit by laying lots of eggs now the days are getting longer. Anser is laying again and now I have enough Geese we are eating the eggs. They are huge, one is plenty for an omelette. I haven't tried boiling one yet - I'm not sure how long you'd have to leave it in the water but I guess I'll only find out by trial and error unless someone out there knows the answer (I like my yolks runny by the way, but not the white). The white is just like a hen egg, as opposed to the rather firmer white in a ducks egg.
You boil a goose egg for 10 minutes for a runny yolk and firm white - and you need lots of soldiers for dipping!
January 2005
A new year and a successful start to the local shows, though we were limited to ducks for this one. Perhaps we concentrated too much on duck breeding last year at the expense of our chickens we hadn't got any suitable birds for the show. My ducks currently outnumber the chucks! We must concentrate on building the chicken side up this year.
One very sad piece of news is that Willow had a tragic accident and died. The other two goslings are doing well though and are now outside. They are still in a separate area from the adults, but are able to socialise through the netting. I'm off work next week so its a good time to let them out in the main field as I can keep an eye on them and make sure there is no bullying.
November 2004
Newsflash - Anser and Xander have three goslings Go to the Goose page for pictures.
A rather fraught end to the summer with our first encounter with red mites. This seems to have been a particularly bad year with the heat and humidity encouraging the pests. We had lots of work rotating birds and spraying housing and burning bedding.
The only Silver Appleyard I hatched came second in the annual hen run at the Suffolk and Essex AGM! This is a very friendly event with few rules. Titch won the duck heat because she was running away from the other ducks, who frightened her. She was raised with chickens and just ran after the hen that came first, to be friendly.
August 2004
Whatever happened to May June and July?
Well we had lots more hatchings in the form of chicks and ducklings plus Chris bought me a lady goose for my birthday. Anser and 'Xander are now inseparable so I'm hoping for lots of goose eggs next spring. Some neighbours also asked if we would give a home to their duck who had lost her sister. She settled in very well until one day we couldn't find her anywhere. We looked in all the long grass, in the buildings and under hedgerows. Chris went for a walk down the road and eventually found her back at her original home. I think she'd gone back to see if they'd got any spaghetti for her! She's obviously a homing pigeon in disguise. She's had her primaries trimmed now which will keep her our side of the hedge at least until she moults and grows her new feathers. She is now incubating a clutch of eggs so spends most of the time in the Muscovy stable. I hope October is warm as its getting rather late in the season to raise ducklings.
My ornamental ducks also laid some eggs this year. They were fertile but died in shell after about a week. I left the eggs with them last year but they broke them all so I'm not sure what to try next year.
April 2004
We now have a break from showing for a few months so we can concentrate on rearing new stock and I am keen to build an outside run adjacent to our main block of pens. All our chickens are good flyers so they can't just be let out to wander about the field like the ducks. We did have one family that lived outside but they insisted in roosting in the trees. The cockerel would then sit on the kitchen roof to announce it was time to get up - at 4:30 every morning; and the hens would disappear only to come back three weeks later with a dozen or more chicks in tow. The plants in the garden didn't stand much chance either. My bedding plants were always the first to be eaten or worse still just scratched up and left to die because they didn't taste good enough.
Breeding season is now upon us. The birds are starting to lay as the days are getting longer and the weather improves. The ducks have been separated by breed so we can guarantee parentage, which meant building a few more pens. I had a new shed for Christmas which is now occupied by the Cayugas, and a friend bought us some new apple trees to provide them with shade in the years to come plus windfalls, as well as fruit for us. I have my first two Cayuga eggs in the incubator now. Xander Ghandhi (the goose) was upset when he was forced apart from his beloved Cayuga friends so we had to move him in with them too!
I have several Yokohama and Sussex chicks running around now. The Dutch are later starting to lay as they are in outside runs and don't have the advantage of additional lighting. Now the days are getting longer I expect that to change.Late April - None of my duck eggs hatched! I don't know why. I didn't do anything differently from previous years, but they all died in the last week of incubation. Talking to friends there seems to be a lot of it about at present! Apple is sitting on 14 eggs so we'll see soon if she has any better luck and I have set another batch of eggs in my incubator - mostly Cayugas this time as I'll be inundated with Silver Appleyards if Apple's all hatch.
Even later April - Apple has hatched 10 ducklings and I have my first baby Cayuga out of the incubator. Things are looking up, but it will be mid-May before I get any more.