MaC-T critter corral

SHOCKING!!

2008-06-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

I was not expecting these guys so soon! I got home at 10:30 pm and went to add some water to the bottom of the incubator and Lo and behold what did I SEE... :) 2 baby guineas freshly hatched.
I still had the turner in there. I was not expecting to remove it till about the 23rd of this month. Well I promply called Clara and asked for her assistance. We removed to turner and the 2 babies and then put the eggs on the floor of the incubator. I got a box ready with food and water with a heat lamp and then put the 2 new babies in it. I'm hoping more will hatch. they are such tiny little guys. NEAT!

pigeon coup

2008-06-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

My new pigeon coup that I'm not quite finished with but they seem to like it. I have nest boxes inside and I guess I have 3 new baby pigeons. I will try to get more pics posted later.
And you can also go to one of the links that I have on the right side of this blog and it will take you to my Dad's Flickr site and you will see more pics of everything.
It is above the picture of striper under the title Family and Farm

new babys

2008-04-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well the second go around and Mr and Mrs pigeon had a couple of babys. Not sure when they were born. Looks like they would both fit in my hand with not much room to spare. I will try to get better pictures later with my camera instead of my camera phone. It doesn't take good zoom photos.
I was looking in on them tonight and noticed that the mom pigeon was moving but not by herself. something was moving her from under neath. when I came back with some water for them she was outside the nest and I got a good look at them. kind of neat.

New Baby's

2008-03-02T06:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of my newest arrivals. They are the kind with the funny little top hats. I think the term is creasted. Just got them last night at Orcheln's farm and Home.
I hope to get a pair of Muscovy Ducks the first of the week. I am in contact with a lady in Chillicothe that has several of them. I will get a pair so that I can have some baby muscovy's. She told me they are getting ready to start laying before long.

Mrs. Pigeon is setting on an egg. Been there for about 4 days I think know. Hopefully before to long she will have a baby pigeon. I've been real busy lately and so have not got a pigeon coup built for them. They seem to be doing alright where they are at. I've go most of the things I need to build it. I just need to get some barn metal screws and a piece of 3/4" treated plywood for the floor. will try to get it the first of the week. If I can get it done before she hatches I probably won't move them till she has. Don't want to disturb her.

I has have to the entrance to the bird yard at the gate filled with concrete so that it isn't so darn muddy. waiting till it drys up and doesn't get below freezing at night.

Snowmobleing time??

2008-02-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

This is what it looks like outside this morning. I'm not even going to attempt to try to head out to install some more carpet. Funny thing about it is that were I'm suppose to be hasn't gotten much from what I heard. Oh well it is not worth going into the ditch for. I would need a snowmobile to get there at the moment.

It is still coming down. Looks like 4 or 5 inches in places, and it is blowing so that will likely close the road. Maybe if it stops this afternoon I will get the tractor started and blade everything off... so the wind can fill the road back up again. I enjoy using the tractor to blade even it is is cold and blowing. I guessing it is about 20 to 25 degrees outside at the moment.

Well I guess I better get something to eat and then go check on the critters.

Fido

2008-02-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

here is some pics of the new pup. We are naming her "Patches". Snowed some today and when she was up she would follow me around in the snow crying cause she is cold.
I has slowed me down on getting a small house built for the pigeons.

bed time

2008-02-02T18:00:00.002-08:00

Yea I know I don't write much. guess i'm to busy readying other peoples blogs. :) . My wife and daughter have been telling me that I need to update the blog.

I've lost 2 of my turkeys over this winter. not sure but think they just got sick. it was the mom and a youngster. But I believe I have 3 young hens and a tom out of the youngsters. The tom just loves to strut around his flock. Guess he has been getting to close to one of the goats that has just had twins. He has gotten butt a few times or come close to it.

I went to an auction today cause it said it was going to have small animals, and pigeons. Guess what, I ended up home with a pair of pigeons. The ad said pigeons but all they had were 2 of them. bid started out at $10 and went down from there. when it hit $1 I bid and got them. All they had for small animals were 2 buck rabbits and some puppys. OH yeah and I ended up home with a cute little rat terrior female puppy. She is a doll. I'm thinking about naming her "Patches". I will try to get a picture posted tommorow of her.

I've got 11 guineas left. started with 12. One of them commited suicide. Hung him self. The rest of them are active little buggers. they are fun to watch. they never seem to stay in one place for very long. and they travel mostly as a group.

Our inside cat "emmy" has since come to live outside. I think he likes it better. He was going nuts in the house. biting feet and acting like a dog. got up one morning and found the trash can in the bath room spilt all over the floor and also there was a boot have way down the hall. I think he still thinks he is a dog. But he is a nice cat.

Striper is doing fine along with the 3 little pigs... I mean sheep. When striper gets fed they have to be there also. All 3 of them jumping up on each other and me, begging for hand outs. I've had Brita follow me out in the pasture when taking the manure out. she wants fed or scratched under her chin. then other 2 are a bit standoffish. Though there have been a few times that I've sat down on the ground with my back against a bale and while scatching Brita under the chin amber will jump up on the bale and nussle me behind the ears, like she is saying Hey I want some to.

2008-02-02T18:00:00.001-08:00

Some pictures of the critters

2007-11-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

here are some more pictures of the critters. I've been a bit lax in getting them posted. Either been busy or to darn tired to get them posted.

One is Striper the donkey wondering what is going on inside the fence.

Some of the young turkeys looking for food in the pan in their house and then of the Tom outside his house who just loves to strut about.

Just to the left and attached to the Turkey shed I plan on attaching a lean-to for the sheep. For now they can bed down with the Goats which is near by. The big building behind the turkeys is the garage/Barn. I plan on storing hay inside it. excess feed is stored there now. Will post pics of the grain bin I just got put up last week in the near future.

Getting ready for some new critters

2007-11-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well this afternoon I designed and built a little 4 X 5 box to go onto my small flatbed trailer. enclosed it and built an angle iron door and covered it with expanded metal. It ought to hold a few sheep. Planning on going up to the twin cities next weekend to get a couple Shetland sheep. their names are Brita and Amber. Brita is a white ewe and Amber is a musket ewe lamb. Amber has brown tips and is light grey under neath. They both will make some nice wool to spin with. It will give me something to do in the winter time when it is too darn cold outside to be out. I'm wanting to get some spun up to make socks.

The guiniea eggs that I was trying to hatch didn't, but I tried. I installed a taller roost in the turkey and guinea house and the guineas seem to like it. It is neat to see them all purched on it. Well I got to get a few things done before dark. oh it is almost dark.. later

A new day dawns

2007-10-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Well late last night I pulled the automatic egg turner out of the incubator. I'm trying to hatch some guinea eggs. they are from different colored guineas. I'm hoping by the first of the week to have some new baby guineas. Don't know if anything will become of them but they have been fun babysitting them.
Today I let one of the young guinea Keets out of the nursery into the main part of the turkey house. Will let it get used to being out and that it is safe. will slowly introduce the rest of them that way.
The cornish cross don't care were they are as long as there is food. they seem to be growning nicely. I told my wife that they are to big for their britches. They don't like to be picked up but they will stand there and let you rub their chests.

Well I finely got the posts put in the ground for holding the small grain bin off the ground. It is the kind of bin that has the funnel shape on the bottom. I have to make the bottom part of the cone and then will mount a grain auger to it. Dad and I are going to run it into the chicken house so as to make it easier to access. better than cranking it by hand and standing knee deep in snow with a cold wind blowing up you back. Hope to be able to get it finished and filled before the snow flys.

first ever blog

2007-10-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

This is my first ever blog so I'm not sure what is expected of me. I have been reading a lot of blogs on shetland sheep, turkeys and such. So I decided to try my hand at it. I seem to be collecting a few small critters as I like to call them. It seems to have a calming effect with me. Especially after working all day with flooring or some other work related thing even if I enjoy it. I enjoy my turkeys, guineas and donkey. I also have 4 Cornish Cross chickens that I have named chicken dinner, foghorn,leghorn and drumstick. funny thing is I can't tell them apart but they should be good eating come sometime in november. The turkeys arn't big enough ( that is the young ones) for eating 1 this thanksgiving.