Big Bird Voices

I wanted to pop by and give you a quick update on the baby birds. They they aren't babies any longer, my kids are growing up. (sad pouty face) I wish they would stay cutesy babies forever! It seemed only yesturday that they could fit in the palm of my hand. Compaired to that they are huge now and have almost all of their big feathers.

Remember how I told you we got runner ducks, well man are thye fast! When I let them out in the morning they make a b-line to their kiddie pool, wathcing their legs go that fast cracks me up. Have you ever seen the episode of the Big Bang Theory where Sheldon is dressed up as the flash and "running" around the appartment, yeah think of that but a duck doing it. These aren't our runners, but this video shows their supper fast moves. The ducks are also starting to quack, all but a handful have lost their baby peeps. While they sounded so adorable as babies it is awesome sitting on the pourch listening to them quack. With fifteen of them I have a feeling it could get quite loud on the acres!

Thelma rules the flock right now, she is the biggest by far. Like the ducks she has most of her big girl feathers. Mr. B said she is going through the phase where she isn't peeping but it's not quite a honk just yet. I haven't noticed. I know, I know I'm a horrible mother! The Toulouse geese were born a little later than everyone esle they are still fuzzy wuzzy and still have their supper cute babiness to them. Which makes this mama happy that she still has wittle wones to snuggle. 

Sorry for the lack of picutres. My camera isn't that great, it's older so there is a delay and the zoom is worthless. The birds are still skitsh outside and don't like us to get that close. I will try and see if I can brib them with food in the next few days to get some good pictures. 

Hummingbird Moth

We were haning out on the back pourch Monday with some friends and one of them pointed out this crazy bug at my flowers. At first we thought it was a huge bee, but after closer examination Mr. B proclaimed it was a hummingbird moth. We figured Mr. B just made that up, but it did look like the love child of a bird and a moth. Hey what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico, or in this case makes its way to my back pourch in rural Wisconsin.

 

I did looked it up, it's for real there are hummingbird moths and they aren't secret love children.

Umm...Margaret

You know it's never going to be good when Mr. B starts a sentence with those two words. This time was no exception. He took the pot outside to dump the greasy brat water, yes we preboil our brats in beer. He must of gotten carried away with the flinging, the handle snapped right off. 

So sad too, I like that pot. It has been with me ever since I moved out on my own. I cooked allot of Kraft mac n' cheese in that pot those first years. In our time together it has seen some nasties caked on the bottom and cooked some amazing yummieness. But now I think it is time to retire this old girl. 

Not to worry though, I have another one exactly like her.

The Goose (and duck) Coop

Last year, when we first started with three geese, Mr. B converted part of our shed into the goose coop/run. There was a section on the shed the we think was a corn crib. It is a little over four feet wide by about twenty-two feet long, with a concrete floor. Concrete floor means no critters can dig their way it. It has a people door from the outside and because it was a corn crib there is space between the boards so there would be enough ventilation in the summer time. It would make a perfect spot for the coop. All that we needed to do was bust out the saw and cut in a door. Mr. B was in charge of that. He also built the step out of a reclaimed pallet, the door was a tad too high for little goosie legs.

We put plywood on the bottom half of the walls last winter to keep out the draft. Geese and ducks are very hardy birds, they have a built in down jacket. As long as they can get out of the wind they are just fine, so no need to go all the way up with the plywood or insulate. We decided to leave the boards up for the summer as they keep out allot of the water when we get a nasty rain and there still is enough ventilation on the top so nobody gets too hot. Before the new batch of babies moved outside Mr. B added the hardware cloth to the top of the walls and across the ceiling. We lost a duck last fall because something, a mink or weasel, was able to get into the coop.

I also wanted a run attached to the coop. A place to corral the birds while are gone. Mr. B really stepped up on this one and built a nice sturdy fence. As an added bonus we have two crab apple trees growing in that space. It helps keep the little ones safe from the hawks without the use of poultry netting. When the apples drop they make a nice snack. Last fall Patty and Bernie's beaks were stained red for a week from all the apples!

It is not as elaborate and beautiful as some of the coops you see at back yard chickens. You really need to check that sight out. I am totally envious of some peoples chickens. But then again they all don't have this totally awesome sign!

Gus

 He celebrated his fourth birthday last month, man has the time flown. You know what they say about dogs, three years a puppy, three years a good dog, and three years and old dog. We are in our three years of good dog, well except when he gets in the trash! But don't worry Gus and I discussed it and he is going to live forever.

Check out that lip!! He has the best expressions for photos! You should see his under-bite-tong-hanging-out-on-the-side grin.

Garden Guest

We found this little guy hanging in the drive way. Mr. B rescued him from the threat of being run over by a car and placed him safely in my garden. I think he makes a nice addition. Check out the antennae on this moth!! Not sure what he is but he is huge and  neat to look at. 

New Arrivals

With Bernie's elopement and Patty's disappearance it was down to just Thelma in our gaggle. Now Thelma probably would have been content just hanging with the ducks and ruling the flock. Not this mama goose! As I told Mr. B, we can't just have one. 
Craig's List is an amazing place. I was able to find someone an hour away selling Toulouse goslings. We took a drive on Saturday and pick up five more. Let me telling you I was glad it was nice out and we were able to have the window rolled down. Nothing like five goslings in the back of the Jeep to stank things up. 
We did think about ordering them from the hatchery again, but it would have been expensive with the shipping cost and then you have to order a minimum of ten birds. I would have been happy having ten more geese to run around the acres but Mr. B had to put the kabosh on that. 
It seems like everyone is adjusting nicely to the new additions. They are a week or two younger than the birds we have so smaller than Thelma and about the size of the ducks. The pecking order is still being established. It is kinda humorous watching the ducks try and boss the geese around. Little do they know that it won't be long and they will be way bigger than them, and bigger than Thelma. A Toulouse goose is one of the heavier breeds of geese, we are talking between 13 and 20 pounds of goose! When we picked them up you should have seen the gander on their farm. Ginormous!! 
We are not sure on names just yet. Mr. B has decided that we need a Bruce, Bruce the Toulouse goose. And I think we need an Olga. We shall see.