The Muscovy drakes are becoming men so to speak. Each morning they are more and more aggressive with the females. Poor Gras Embden seems to be taking the brunt of the attention, so I've moved three of the four drakes into the penalty box.
Yesterday one of those males took flight upon release and landed in some bushes. I was not so inclined to traipse through the brush (and poison oak) to recover him. Half an hour later he found his way back.
I'm getting one egg every 4 days now. Not like the 3 dozen a week this past summer.
I have a second compost pile in progress... it has been at about 130 degrees F for the last month. It'll be good for the garden, trust me. Take all that you want!
2007/12/08
2007/11/25
Looking for greens
My favorite farmer at the Mtn. View Farmer's Market was not there today. The birds are begging for greens!
[update]
A reader asks, "What are greens?" Any leafy vegetable serves. Fruit too, as long as it's soft like watermelon. Geese are grass grazers normally, so they don't really need lettuce or anything that nice, but there isn't any grass here for 9 months out of the year so market leftovers are second best.
Today the favorite vendor returned, so we are back in action. Lots of happy ducks, geese and guineas today.
[update]
A reader asks, "What are greens?" Any leafy vegetable serves. Fruit too, as long as it's soft like watermelon. Geese are grass grazers normally, so they don't really need lettuce or anything that nice, but there isn't any grass here for 9 months out of the year so market leftovers are second best.
Today the favorite vendor returned, so we are back in action. Lots of happy ducks, geese and guineas today.
2007/10/19
A cat named Bob
Bob attacked a guinea early this week. Came out of nowhere (as usual). There was very little outcry, oddly enough, just a bit of scuffling which caught my eye. So I ran out and saw Bob taking out a guinea. I yelled, and it let go, then attacked a duck. I yelled again, chased it, and it finally ran away.
The guinea was bleeding everywhere and did not make it.
The next day the same thing happened. This time a muscovy duck was the target. I ran out, tried to scare Bob away, but it wouldn't have any of it. So I took off my jacket and started hitting it. Bob wouldn't budge. So I picked up a fishing net I use to catch difficult birds, and caught Bob. He still didn't let go. I finally got his attention by smacking him around a bit. The duck died even quicker than the guinea.
That second death shook the flock up a bit. Since then, they have been hovering near the coop door, skipping their bathing rituals, and making nary a peep.
We are switching to a morning playtime schedule with hopes that Bob finds something better to eat during his nighttime hunt.
The guinea was bleeding everywhere and did not make it.
The next day the same thing happened. This time a muscovy duck was the target. I ran out, tried to scare Bob away, but it wouldn't have any of it. So I took off my jacket and started hitting it. Bob wouldn't budge. So I picked up a fishing net I use to catch difficult birds, and caught Bob. He still didn't let go. I finally got his attention by smacking him around a bit. The duck died even quicker than the guinea.
That second death shook the flock up a bit. Since then, they have been hovering near the coop door, skipping their bathing rituals, and making nary a peep.
We are switching to a morning playtime schedule with hopes that Bob finds something better to eat during his nighttime hunt.
2007/10/05
New Sheriff in town
A couple months ago the gander bachelor group was running rampant killing defenseless ducks. But Pate kept them in place when he could -- he'd chase them here and there. But one in particular was his favorite target -- they fought nearly every day. One day Pate beat this one up so bad he lost a bunch of feathers at the scruff of his neck and was bleeding. So I separated them. This was about the same time the bachelor group went into the fattening pen. The underdog didn't go into the fattening pen, but was instead put into the female dormitory where he could recover. Someone has to be at the bottom of the heap. It's a bird's world out there.
Every day when I'd let them out, Pate would perform a domination ritual: he'd lower his head, charge the underdog (who would then run away), then raise his head as high as possible, flap his wings as wide as possible, and belt out a honk (you guessed it, as loud as possible), then hop into the kiddie pool for a bath.
Today there was the biggest fight I've ever seen. Pate and the underdog were going at it, biting each other in that favorite spot behind the neck, and flapping their wings at each other. (They have a knobby protrusion on the tips of their first joint that they use for fighting. I've been hit by them before. They are surprisingly strong, easily able to raise a bruise or two on me when they want to.) The fight went on for at least two minutes (they normally last a few seconds). Longtime readers will recall that Pate's sons are big like their mother, and his daughters are small like he is.
Today the son beat up his father. Size over experience won.
I saw an immediate change in the flock. After chasing Pate into the farthest corner of the yard, the son jumped into the favored kiddie pool, did a victory bath, jumped out, and for the sport of it, chased Pate around the yard again with the typical head lowering, wing flapping, and honking afterwards. His siblings gathered around him, vocalized quite a bit (gave him a high-five?), and generally followed him around like he walked on water.
This underdog was not really the underdog; he was in fact the challenger to the throne, the only one who had the guts to put up a fight with the top dog. And now he's the new boss.
Poor Pate. He is smaller than his sons, afterall, it was inevitable. But, luckily for Pate, his children have no names. You know what that means.
Speaking of which, three of the new Sheriff's siblings became pate last weekend. Their livers did, that is. It was delicious. Two carcasses went to co-workers' houses, and one stayed here to become confit.
In other news, the muscovy ducklings are coming along. They no longer have that uncoordinated walk that young teenagers have. Some are almost leaving the ground when they exercise their wings. Looks like there's an even 50/50 male to female ratio. It's very obvious with muscovies because the males are significantly bigger than the females. And just like teenagers, they eat quite a bit. I used to add food (25 lbs at a time) to the feeder about every other week. Now it runs out every 5 days.
The two geese I recently acquired from Jose in Hayward are doing well enough. "Fred" is a Pilgrim, which are not normally known for their great size, but Fred is quite large, bigger than Foie and Gras Embden even. He's the biggest bird in the yard, in fact. Oddly enough, he is the most complacent of them all, and nibbles grain out of my hand most daintily. The drama of the fighting doesn't phase him one bit. And his buddy? He turned out to be male, not female.
For future reference, instead of calling the no-names "food", I'll call them redshirts .
Lastly, sorry about the Koop Kam not being accessible. I've torn it apart because that's what boys do. I'll make a link in an obvious location when it's back again.
Every day when I'd let them out, Pate would perform a domination ritual: he'd lower his head, charge the underdog (who would then run away), then raise his head as high as possible, flap his wings as wide as possible, and belt out a honk (you guessed it, as loud as possible), then hop into the kiddie pool for a bath.
Today there was the biggest fight I've ever seen. Pate and the underdog were going at it, biting each other in that favorite spot behind the neck, and flapping their wings at each other. (They have a knobby protrusion on the tips of their first joint that they use for fighting. I've been hit by them before. They are surprisingly strong, easily able to raise a bruise or two on me when they want to.) The fight went on for at least two minutes (they normally last a few seconds). Longtime readers will recall that Pate's sons are big like their mother, and his daughters are small like he is.
Today the son beat up his father. Size over experience won.
I saw an immediate change in the flock. After chasing Pate into the farthest corner of the yard, the son jumped into the favored kiddie pool, did a victory bath, jumped out, and for the sport of it, chased Pate around the yard again with the typical head lowering, wing flapping, and honking afterwards. His siblings gathered around him, vocalized quite a bit (gave him a high-five?), and generally followed him around like he walked on water.
This underdog was not really the underdog; he was in fact the challenger to the throne, the only one who had the guts to put up a fight with the top dog. And now he's the new boss.
Poor Pate. He is smaller than his sons, afterall, it was inevitable. But, luckily for Pate, his children have no names. You know what that means.
Speaking of which, three of the new Sheriff's siblings became pate last weekend. Their livers did, that is. It was delicious. Two carcasses went to co-workers' houses, and one stayed here to become confit.
In other news, the muscovy ducklings are coming along. They no longer have that uncoordinated walk that young teenagers have. Some are almost leaving the ground when they exercise their wings. Looks like there's an even 50/50 male to female ratio. It's very obvious with muscovies because the males are significantly bigger than the females. And just like teenagers, they eat quite a bit. I used to add food (25 lbs at a time) to the feeder about every other week. Now it runs out every 5 days.
The two geese I recently acquired from Jose in Hayward are doing well enough. "Fred" is a Pilgrim, which are not normally known for their great size, but Fred is quite large, bigger than Foie and Gras Embden even. He's the biggest bird in the yard, in fact. Oddly enough, he is the most complacent of them all, and nibbles grain out of my hand most daintily. The drama of the fighting doesn't phase him one bit. And his buddy? He turned out to be male, not female.
For future reference, instead of calling the no-names "food", I'll call them redshirts .
Lastly, sorry about the Koop Kam not being accessible. I've torn it apart because that's what boys do. I'll make a link in an obvious location when it's back again.
2007/09/20
goings on
Not a lot to report. The muscovies I picked up have grown quickly. Still ducklings, but big enough to run with the big birds. They adapted quickly, and are not nearly as afraid of me as before. I also picked up two more geese: a male Pilgrim, and a female mix. The male is bigger than any other gander I have, and he isn't even full grown. The two have integrated easily and quickly, no drama. I also lucked out with three new female Indian Runners, all from the same guy giving away the geese. It seems the city of Hayward does not approve of livestock in residential areas. His loss, my gain.
There is an new outdoor aviary, now being used to house the mean bastard geese that killed the ducks. This is the "finishing room". For fattening that is. A co-worker has a pate recipe, and I have the main ingredient. Will let you know how it tastes.
There is an new outdoor aviary, now being used to house the mean bastard geese that killed the ducks. This is the "finishing room". For fattening that is. A co-worker has a pate recipe, and I have the main ingredient. Will let you know how it tastes.
2007/08/18
Koop Kam is back!
There are a few adjustments to make yet, so expect some disruptions... but the Koop Kam is back! It's an Axis 207W, with audio!
2007/08/12
new birds
With all the losses lately I figured I should replenish the flock. I picked up three new geese (3-month olds): a Pilgrim, Toulouse, and Tufted Buff. Three became two after just two days. I saw a puff of dust, ran outside, and found the Pilgrim missing. It's always the new arrivals that go first. Seems they are on the edge of the flock as they acclimate, and so become easy pickins for the coyotes. I'm now placing a rifle in strategic locations to better catch the culprit.
I've also picked up eight 2-week old muscovy ducklings. They are positively petrified of me. It's not like the day-old hatchlings that bond to you; these have already bonded to their mother. I'm the predator. With some effort they should calm down. Amazing what a difference 2 weeks make. Looks like 4 white, 3 brown, and one black. They are indoors right now. Ahhh, the smell of duck poop inside the house. I had forgotten how nasty it is. And they seem to stay up half the night playing in the water like it's a bad heroin habit. It's enough to make me close my doors so I can get some sleep.
I've also picked up eight 2-week old muscovy ducklings. They are positively petrified of me. It's not like the day-old hatchlings that bond to you; these have already bonded to their mother. I'm the predator. With some effort they should calm down. Amazing what a difference 2 weeks make. Looks like 4 white, 3 brown, and one black. They are indoors right now. Ahhh, the smell of duck poop inside the house. I had forgotten how nasty it is. And they seem to stay up half the night playing in the water like it's a bad heroin habit. It's enough to make me close my doors so I can get some sleep.
2007/07/14
sad news
I had a rash of deaths last month. Over the course of about 3 weeks, 5 ducks died. I went through the standard procedure to figure out what the problem could be: rotten food, tainted water, poor air circulation, etc. I did a necroscopy; there were no signs of disease, worms, etc. Crop was full, bird was not egg bound.... I finally figured it out when I heard a terrible noise one morning. I ran out and found Gras Embden covered in blood. She had most of her feathers torn out from her back and her neck. The new yearling ganders were hovering over her. What I could gather from my books is that gander bachelors get into these packs and attack other birds. It's part of being that age apparently. They are now being permanently separated from the others, staying in the outdoor aviary. Gras didn't look like she was going to make it at first, but now a week later she's up and about and on the mend.
Among the deaths are one of the Michelle's. She was one of about 12 ducks I picked up from a woman named Michelle who wanted to raise just one for her daughter. Metzer Farms won't send fewer than around a dozen because they need to share body heat to keep warm during shipment. The twelve ended up being way more than she needed, and even one was more than she needed, so I got the whole batch. I don't have a picture of a Michelle handy.
The second was a rescue Pekin I picked up just 3 months ago at the San Jose Wildlife Rescue center. She had what looked like a leg injury and wobbled around, but she was otherwise in good shape. Tame too -- I was able to pick her up without too much drama.
Third is Click Pekin, sister of Clack and Jack. The two girls were named Click and Clack because when they quacked they sounded just like the Tappet Brothers on NPR when they laughed. Quuaaaaaa, quaaaaack quaaack quack quack!
Next is Cocoa Chocolate Runner. She was one of a "variety pack" of Runner Ducks from Metzer farms sent as day old ducklings. Runners are very active foragers, laying greenish, medium-size eggs. They are very productive for their size. People get white hair when they get old. Turns out ducks get white feathers. Here's Cocoa looking middle-aged.
Finally, the queen of all ducks, Sally Mucovy. She was my favorite. She went exploring more than once (flying to the neighbor) and so had her primary flight feathers trimmed. She was always front-and-center when the worms were being dug up, first to get the wheat berries, and was the fiercest of them all, even though she was the smallest. She even took on Foie Embden who is at least 4 times her size, eventually winning sitting duty on Foie's eggs. What a great mother. Sally was one of seven Muscovys picked up as week-olds from a gentleman in Redwood City. They demonstrated their natural climbing ability the first day while taking them home. Kerrie and I visited a friend, leaving the ducks in a box in the car. When we came back, the ducks had escaped! They were scattered about the floor, hiding. They have this ability to climb because Muscovy ducks nest in trees, not on the ground. They need to climb out of their nest to get into the water. Snowball Pekin, first duck I hatched, was her boyfriend; he protected her from all comers (though Sally didn't really need help -- she ruled over all).
Among the deaths are one of the Michelle's. She was one of about 12 ducks I picked up from a woman named Michelle who wanted to raise just one for her daughter. Metzer Farms won't send fewer than around a dozen because they need to share body heat to keep warm during shipment. The twelve ended up being way more than she needed, and even one was more than she needed, so I got the whole batch. I don't have a picture of a Michelle handy.
The second was a rescue Pekin I picked up just 3 months ago at the San Jose Wildlife Rescue center. She had what looked like a leg injury and wobbled around, but she was otherwise in good shape. Tame too -- I was able to pick her up without too much drama.
Third is Click Pekin, sister of Clack and Jack. The two girls were named Click and Clack because when they quacked they sounded just like the Tappet Brothers on NPR when they laughed. Quuaaaaaa, quaaaaack quaaack quack quack!
Next is Cocoa Chocolate Runner. She was one of a "variety pack" of Runner Ducks from Metzer farms sent as day old ducklings. Runners are very active foragers, laying greenish, medium-size eggs. They are very productive for their size. People get white hair when they get old. Turns out ducks get white feathers. Here's Cocoa looking middle-aged.
Finally, the queen of all ducks, Sally Mucovy. She was my favorite. She went exploring more than once (flying to the neighbor) and so had her primary flight feathers trimmed. She was always front-and-center when the worms were being dug up, first to get the wheat berries, and was the fiercest of them all, even though she was the smallest. She even took on Foie Embden who is at least 4 times her size, eventually winning sitting duty on Foie's eggs. What a great mother. Sally was one of seven Muscovys picked up as week-olds from a gentleman in Redwood City. They demonstrated their natural climbing ability the first day while taking them home. Kerrie and I visited a friend, leaving the ducks in a box in the car. When we came back, the ducks had escaped! They were scattered about the floor, hiding. They have this ability to climb because Muscovy ducks nest in trees, not on the ground. They need to climb out of their nest to get into the water. Snowball Pekin, first duck I hatched, was her boyfriend; he protected her from all comers (though Sally didn't really need help -- she ruled over all).
2007/06/16
A new breakfast cereal?
A few weeks ago I heard what sounded like raindrops falling from the Coast Live Oak in front of the house. Didn't think much more of it until a week later, when I noticed it all piling up on the ground. "It" being what you see in the picture.
No, it is not a new breakfast cereal. It's known as "frass", which is another word for "feces". Poop that is. Lots and lots of caterpillar poop. Turns out it's an infestation of the Oak Moth. Below are the caterpillars of said moth.
The tree is nearly bare now, having had its leaves converted to poop pellets. When I took the caterpillar picture above, there were literally hundreds coming down, like it was a caterpillar highway. They climb down, or just drop out of the tree onto you, your car, and whatever birds happen to be passing underneath. Then they find some nice safe place to form the chrysalis.
My house was covered with them the following week. Somehow, they also found their way inside the house. The ceiling is covered with them. And they are hatching, so I also have a couple hundred moths flying about the place. The spiders are doing their best, but there are too many. I'll wait for them to die and just vacuum them all up. In the meantime, those of you with flying bug phobias should stay away. The trees will recover, by the way. This is a cyclical pattern, with some years worse than others. On the bright side, if there is a drought, the oaks will probably be better off as they have no leaves from which to lose moisture.
In bird news, there is an interesting and unexpected outcome to the Embden/African hybrid geese experiment: they are sex-linked, meaning you can determine gender by color. Embden's can be sex-linked for the first week after birth, but when full grown they are the same -- all white. Africans are not identifiable by color at any time. But the offspring of the female Embden and male African are easily identifiable. Males are larger than both parents, and grey/white. Here is mother dressed in white in the background, and son in the foreground:
The females are smaller than both parents, and brown, more like their father. Here is daughter in the background, father in the foreground:
To forestall those who might say yes you can determine gender of adult Embdens and Africans, there is no argument there. The males of both breeds are bigger than the females. There are also some differences in their voices.
2007/05/25
gosling news
First things first. 1) "PJ" is not a gander, she's a goose. I am not certain that "junior" applies here. She's fully healed from the mystery injury from a few weeks ago. 2) The goose nest that Sally Muscovy took over has been removed, due to excessive gosling death. (It gets a bit stinky.) Two months of setting is long enough; she's looking a bit ragged. If anybody tells you animals don't have feelings, they are wrong. Sally was sad. She made chirping noises that I hadn't heard before. If you want to be scientific about it, I observed her pacing, rummaging through the (now empty) nesting material, and chirping at a tone lower than I've ever heard. It looked like "sad" to me.
For those of you who have broadband, here are two movies. You'll have to turn your head sideways for the first -- sorry about that.
The geese seem to love to nibble on things -- hands, clothes, whatever is available. (movie) They have no hands to grab things with, so it only makes sense that their mouths are their primary learning tool.
There are two hatches this year. The first batch of seven are about fully grown, somewhere between 10-15 lbs. There are six more, still growing. You can tell by the voice: the younger are still making chirping noises.
An airplane is flying overhead in the second clip. Birds are always wary of flying objects in the sky -- looks like predators to them. (movie) They regroup at the end for safety.
For those of you who have broadband, here are two movies. You'll have to turn your head sideways for the first -- sorry about that.
The geese seem to love to nibble on things -- hands, clothes, whatever is available. (movie) They have no hands to grab things with, so it only makes sense that their mouths are their primary learning tool.
There are two hatches this year. The first batch of seven are about fully grown, somewhere between 10-15 lbs. There are six more, still growing. You can tell by the voice: the younger are still making chirping noises.
An airplane is flying overhead in the second clip. Birds are always wary of flying objects in the sky -- looks like predators to them. (movie) They regroup at the end for safety.
2007/05/10
PJ slowly getting better
PJ was in the house for a few days to recuperate. He wasn't getting better though, always sitting, unable to stand. I admit to looking at goose recipes on epicurious.com because I didn't think he'd recover. I took him out one day to give him a bath, and surprise surprise, he perked up, made lots of happy noises. He really did miss his buds. So that night I put him into the gosling pen, so he'd both have company, and not get trampled by his hatchmates. Next day he stood up! And the day after, hopped on one foot. Today he touches the bad foot to the ground, tries to put weight on, and mostly hangs with his buds but still needs to sit a lot. So, he's on the mend, and is safely out of my dinner plans.
Sally Muscovy seems to have won ownership of the goose eggs. However, not is all happy in the nest. Today I found a dead hatchling. Just one. Maybe there was too much going on in the coop, and with only one bird hatching, how could she know it was time to stand up? Who knows what's going on in their heads.... There are still about 9 unhatched eggs.
Sally Muscovy seems to have won ownership of the goose eggs. However, not is all happy in the nest. Today I found a dead hatchling. Just one. Maybe there was too much going on in the coop, and with only one bird hatching, how could she know it was time to stand up? Who knows what's going on in their heads.... There are still about 9 unhatched eggs.
2007/05/02
Koop Kaos
Came home today to see a goose/gander, not sure which, let's call it Pate Junior, or PJ, sitting in the coop not getting up while the others are already out by the pool enjoying a bath. A quick look showed the left leg dangling, not sure if broken, but not moving at least. Blood on the nostrils too. So I bandaged up the leg, brought him inside, and here he sits, whining, though quietly. Best I can guess, judging by the blood on the feeder, is that he caught his foot in the feeder and couldn't get out. Hard to know exactly.
The indoor kiddie pool, formerly home to the 3-week-old goslings, is now the recovery ward. So the 6 goslings that got booted were moved to the drake dormitory, but not after the drakes were let out of course. Do you know what happens when you let out a bunch of drakes who have not "seen" a duck in 2 months? No they don't go on a wild rampage. First thing they do when they see the ducks is: fight! That's right. No time to waste! Who's the boss?! Seems that pecking order comes first, sex second.
So with all the ducks running about fighting, Pate turns into Sheriff Pate and tries to break up all the fighting. He tore a few chunks out of a Rouen, who then ran into the coop and hid in one of the nests (boy I bet his buddies were laughing at him).
This pecking order thing carried on for about half an hour at which time it was nighty-night time, so I moved them all inside. But this reintroduction of the drakes was a bit too much excitement for everyone, especially Sally Muscovy. She and Foie have been sharing nest duty for the last several weeks as you recall. Both Sally and Foie were taking their turns at beating up the drakes as they'd pass by the nest. Finally Sally just couldn't handle it anymore and chased (much bigger) drakes around the coop and raked her claws into them, pulled feathers out, and basically showed who the boss was. I removed these drakes, putting them into their former home now occupied by the goslings. This settled things a bit, but not enough. The Sheriff still wanted more law and order, so I decided he had to go and put him outside for the first time with the first-borns. It's now 11pm and I can still hear him screaming up a storm.
And inside? Also unsettled. Every time I move out of visual range, PJ starts crying/whining. Probably misses his companions.
The indoor kiddie pool, formerly home to the 3-week-old goslings, is now the recovery ward. So the 6 goslings that got booted were moved to the drake dormitory, but not after the drakes were let out of course. Do you know what happens when you let out a bunch of drakes who have not "seen" a duck in 2 months? No they don't go on a wild rampage. First thing they do when they see the ducks is: fight! That's right. No time to waste! Who's the boss?! Seems that pecking order comes first, sex second.
So with all the ducks running about fighting, Pate turns into Sheriff Pate and tries to break up all the fighting. He tore a few chunks out of a Rouen, who then ran into the coop and hid in one of the nests (boy I bet his buddies were laughing at him).
This pecking order thing carried on for about half an hour at which time it was nighty-night time, so I moved them all inside. But this reintroduction of the drakes was a bit too much excitement for everyone, especially Sally Muscovy. She and Foie have been sharing nest duty for the last several weeks as you recall. Both Sally and Foie were taking their turns at beating up the drakes as they'd pass by the nest. Finally Sally just couldn't handle it anymore and chased (much bigger) drakes around the coop and raked her claws into them, pulled feathers out, and basically showed who the boss was. I removed these drakes, putting them into their former home now occupied by the goslings. This settled things a bit, but not enough. The Sheriff still wanted more law and order, so I decided he had to go and put him outside for the first time with the first-borns. It's now 11pm and I can still hear him screaming up a storm.
And inside? Also unsettled. Every time I move out of visual range, PJ starts crying/whining. Probably misses his companions.
2007/04/19
current gen, next gen, future gen
There may be three generations of geese this spring. Two months back I posted a short movie of the first generation of the progeny of Pate and Foie. Today I have six 1-week olds learning the ropes in the kitchen. Here are three of them jockeying for position for the warmth of my neck (see below regarding pooping -- yes the little darlings pooped on me while getting this picture):
The first generation you've seen already are well on their way to become food. But one has a condition called "angel wing", where the flight feathers stick straight out from the body. It can be corrected if caught early, but for meat birds it doesn't really matter. Still, it doesn't stop me from trying to fix it. Some say you can repair it by wrapping the wings close to the body. I tried this, and had partial success -- one wing is now close to the body. The other is requiring more work. Today I wrapped it with thin cardboard. S/he complained a lot, and I don't blame him/her. On the other hand... this is food.
In other news, Sally Muscovy has gotten the itch and wants babies, again (still?). How can one tell? She sits on eggs of course. The natural progression is that the birds lay a bunch of eggs (number depends on species), then stops laying and starts sitting. It appears that Sally gets the itch to sit about three times a year, starting in spring. Chicken eggs you get in the store come from birds that have had the sitting urge bred out; they lay and lay and lay, never sitting. That's how they get 300+ eggs per year from them. The normal cycle is to get a "clutch" of eggs, basically enough to sit on, then stop laying and start sitting (or "setting" as it is also written). Birds that sit on eggs is bad for production. And so the best layers are the worst sitters. Fortunately there are breeds that haven't had this urge removed from their gene pool. Muscovy ducks are one of them. Most goose breeds are also good sitters.
So what happens when you put two sitting breeds in one coop? They fight over sitting duty! Here we have Foie sitting on the nest, with Sally desperately trying to claim some eggs for her own.
Sally will have her day, but not with the goose eggs, they belong to Foie.
2007/04/13
Guest blogger: baby goslings
Six goslings arrived on April 11. They are the guest blogger for the day -- ed.
CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP... hmmm, water. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. Hmmm, food! CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. Tired, so tired... Zzzz... chir..chir... ZZZZZzzzzz..... POOP! CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP! RUN INTO WALLS! Eat sticks! Zzz.... ah, sleep..... POOP! EAT! Poop into water! Drink water! Zzz.... CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP! Daddy! DADDY! CHIRP DADDY CHIRP DADDY!!! Where are we going? Chirp? Warm body, ahhh... armpits, very warm... ahhh.... warm neck, ahhh... chirp chirp chirp, ahhhh... POOP POOP POOP! Aiieeee! Back in cold, leaf-covered pen, CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!
CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP... hmmm, water. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. Hmmm, food! CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP. Tired, so tired... Zzzz... chir..chir... ZZZZZzzzzz..... POOP! CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP! RUN INTO WALLS! Eat sticks! Zzz.... ah, sleep..... POOP! EAT! Poop into water! Drink water! Zzz.... CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP! Daddy! DADDY! CHIRP DADDY CHIRP DADDY!!! Where are we going? Chirp? Warm body, ahhh... armpits, very warm... ahhh.... warm neck, ahhh... chirp chirp chirp, ahhhh... POOP POOP POOP! Aiieeee! Back in cold, leaf-covered pen, CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!
2007/03/23
It all about poop
Any parent of a child knows that you have to deal with poop. In goes food and water, out goes poop. Same with birds. But birds can't hold it in. Kids you can teach; there is a time and place. Not with birds. You see, birds are designed to fly. You can't have a bunch of poop stored up because poop weighs you down; you can't fly with excess poop. Birds have no social graces. When they have to poop, they poop, now. Gotta fly away, get away from predators. Food in, water in, poop out.
Birds don't have a large intestine like we have where water is reabsorbed. They figure if they have a ready supply of water, a lake, river, what have you, they can poop freely. If they are thirsty, they drink. No water, they die -- oh well.
So when you take over mothering duty and keep the birds inside the house, what happens? They eat, they drink, and they poop. Everywhere. The bigger they get, the more they eat, the more they drink, and the more they poop. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that you soon have a poop situation on your hands. Water is not smelly. Food is not smelly. Watery poop is beyond smelly.
In the wild, geese nibble and move, nibble, move. They are always taking bites of grass here and there, always moving. Poop does not pile up.
In my house, the seven cute goslings are contained in a kiddie pool about six feet across. I have fed them nearly 50 lbs of food now. And quite a lot more water. That is some serious poopage.
You can hide poop by piling on more bedding. That works for about the first week. The second week you give the goslings to Lissa while you learn all about guinea fowl at the annual Guinea Fowl Breeder's Association meeting. The third week you add bedding daily, to no avail. The poop piles on faster than is humane.
Want to know what happens when you fill a small pool with water for them to play in? They first take a big gulp or two to quench their thirst. Next they hop in to take a bath. Once in? They poop. Water seems to be a laxative to geese (and ducks).
There seems to be a similar response with geese and carpets. I can walk the geese across my kitchen floor on the way to the yard, where fresh grass awaits. As long as they stay on the linoleum, they hold their poop. But if they wander for just one second onto the clean carpet? They let out the most noxious pile of poop you care to see and smell.
This evening I moved the poop machines to the outdoor aviary. They should be fine, especially because I tossed Sally Muscovy in with them. Although the nights are still cool, they'll still be warm -- they are covered in goose down, afterall.
Poop, be gone!
Birds don't have a large intestine like we have where water is reabsorbed. They figure if they have a ready supply of water, a lake, river, what have you, they can poop freely. If they are thirsty, they drink. No water, they die -- oh well.
So when you take over mothering duty and keep the birds inside the house, what happens? They eat, they drink, and they poop. Everywhere. The bigger they get, the more they eat, the more they drink, and the more they poop. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that you soon have a poop situation on your hands. Water is not smelly. Food is not smelly. Watery poop is beyond smelly.
In the wild, geese nibble and move, nibble, move. They are always taking bites of grass here and there, always moving. Poop does not pile up.
In my house, the seven cute goslings are contained in a kiddie pool about six feet across. I have fed them nearly 50 lbs of food now. And quite a lot more water. That is some serious poopage.
You can hide poop by piling on more bedding. That works for about the first week. The second week you give the goslings to Lissa while you learn all about guinea fowl at the annual Guinea Fowl Breeder's Association meeting. The third week you add bedding daily, to no avail. The poop piles on faster than is humane.
Want to know what happens when you fill a small pool with water for them to play in? They first take a big gulp or two to quench their thirst. Next they hop in to take a bath. Once in? They poop. Water seems to be a laxative to geese (and ducks).
There seems to be a similar response with geese and carpets. I can walk the geese across my kitchen floor on the way to the yard, where fresh grass awaits. As long as they stay on the linoleum, they hold their poop. But if they wander for just one second onto the clean carpet? They let out the most noxious pile of poop you care to see and smell.
This evening I moved the poop machines to the outdoor aviary. They should be fine, especially because I tossed Sally Muscovy in with them. Although the nights are still cool, they'll still be warm -- they are covered in goose down, afterall.
Poop, be gone!
2007/03/09
first week
This next picture was taken 6 hours after the previous one which I asked you look at closely.
Their feathers are a bit less wirey in the above photo. Turns out there is something on their feathers like a protective coating that they rub off within the first few hours. Once it's gone, they can fluff up and hold in their body heat.
Here's a closeup of the stuff that rubbed off during those few hours.
Lastly, here's a movie of their first outing.
Their feathers are a bit less wirey in the above photo. Turns out there is something on their feathers like a protective coating that they rub off within the first few hours. Once it's gone, they can fluff up and hold in their body heat.
Here's a closeup of the stuff that rubbed off during those few hours.
Lastly, here's a movie of their first outing.
2007/03/04
And then there were seven
There was a late-comer to the party, so now I have a 100% hatch rate!
For those of you who have broadband, here's a movie of the day-old goslings.
Take a close look at the picture. Tomorrow I'll show another. You'll see a subtle change. I'll tell you what, then.
For those of you who have broadband, here's a movie of the day-old goslings.
Take a close look at the picture. Tomorrow I'll show another. You'll see a subtle change. I'll tell you what, then.
2007/03/03
A watched egg never hatches
I went on errands for a few hours; when I returned, I found three out-of-the-shell goslings, and one half way out. Two more are completing their escape hatch, and will likely push out before evening.
You may relax now.
I've already beaten the typical 50% hatch rate according to Metzer Farms. If all goes well tonight, I'll have an 86% hatch rate!
You may relax now.
I've already beaten the typical 50% hatch rate according to Metzer Farms. If all goes well tonight, I'll have an 86% hatch rate!
Nervous parent
Yesterday there were four eggs pipping; today there are 6 (out of 7). Although I know it takes up to 2 days for goslings to break out of their shells, it is still nerve-wracking watching them struggle so long.
In general, it is a bad idea to help birds out of their shells. If not done carefully, one could tear at their delicate layer of fur stuck to the shell, and cause bleeding. Also, there's a correlation between weak hatchings and weak adulthood.
Hatchlings can be heard chirping in their shells even before they break the shell. This is because there is a tiny bladder of air at the big end of the shell, separated by the membrane in which they are encased. So, once they break through this membrane, they get an added boost of oxygen, and start chirping. Then they make a hole in the shell using a special "tooth" at the tip of their beaks. (This tooth falls off after about 2 days.) While all this is going on, the mother is there making mother noises back at the chirping goslings. Perhaps it is to help encourage them to break free. So, I am making mother goose noises at them; and they seem to respond to this with stronger chirping.
In general, it is a bad idea to help birds out of their shells. If not done carefully, one could tear at their delicate layer of fur stuck to the shell, and cause bleeding. Also, there's a correlation between weak hatchings and weak adulthood.
Hatchlings can be heard chirping in their shells even before they break the shell. This is because there is a tiny bladder of air at the big end of the shell, separated by the membrane in which they are encased. So, once they break through this membrane, they get an added boost of oxygen, and start chirping. Then they make a hole in the shell using a special "tooth" at the tip of their beaks. (This tooth falls off after about 2 days.) While all this is going on, the mother is there making mother noises back at the chirping goslings. Perhaps it is to help encourage them to break free. So, I am making mother goose noises at them; and they seem to respond to this with stronger chirping.
2007/03/02
I'm the mother
Looks like eggs have begun pipping; it's day 29, right on schedule. Foie is not taking the bait, so I get to play momma goose.
2007/02/26
Foie rejects eggs
Well, she didn't exactly reject them. She seemed very excited that there was a new clutch of eggs but it seemed she was more concerned about protecting them from me than sitting on them. She would sit for 15 minutes each time I got too close, but in the end she just wouldn't sit long enough to keep them warm. So the eggs are back in the incubator now.
I have a new plan though. The second batch of eggs I have -- up to 10 now -- will be used to lure her into going broody. These are safe to leave unattended for a week or three because they haven't yet started developing. If she falls for it, I'll swap in these 7 that are ready to hatch and then take back those 10 and put them into the incubator.
Eggs may hatch starting Friday. This had better work, or I'll have another batch of indoor geese to watch over!
I have a new plan though. The second batch of eggs I have -- up to 10 now -- will be used to lure her into going broody. These are safe to leave unattended for a week or three because they haven't yet started developing. If she falls for it, I'll swap in these 7 that are ready to hatch and then take back those 10 and put them into the incubator.
Eggs may hatch starting Friday. This had better work, or I'll have another batch of indoor geese to watch over!
2007/02/23
goslings on the way
Last I wrote I had a collection of goose eggs that may or may not have been fertile. So I put them into the incubator to find out.
The lab results are in: within a week the goose eggs had a nice spider-web-like array of blood vessels growing throughout. They also made it past the critical 11-day stage where many embryos die for various reasons. Now, at 3 weeks, they are still healthy and growing. When I candle and turn the eggs, I can see the embryos doing somersaults.
This weekend I'll put them out into the coop for Foie to sit on. This is somewhat risky, because she might not identify them as her own. And I can't leave them out there for long without a mother keeping them warm or they will die. (Eggs can sit for several weeks without being sat on, but once you start, they can't be left alone for more than a few hours.) I have high hopes though, as last year when I brought the saved-up eggs to her, she went crazy, attacked me, and sat immediately. Cross your fingers.
I have another 8 eggs ready as a backup. If Foie can't hatch out the current batch, I'll hatch by hand with the incubator.
The lab results are in: within a week the goose eggs had a nice spider-web-like array of blood vessels growing throughout. They also made it past the critical 11-day stage where many embryos die for various reasons. Now, at 3 weeks, they are still healthy and growing. When I candle and turn the eggs, I can see the embryos doing somersaults.
This weekend I'll put them out into the coop for Foie to sit on. This is somewhat risky, because she might not identify them as her own. And I can't leave them out there for long without a mother keeping them warm or they will die. (Eggs can sit for several weeks without being sat on, but once you start, they can't be left alone for more than a few hours.) I have high hopes though, as last year when I brought the saved-up eggs to her, she went crazy, attacked me, and sat immediately. Cross your fingers.
I have another 8 eggs ready as a backup. If Foie can't hatch out the current batch, I'll hatch by hand with the incubator.
2007/02/01
Foie and Gras are ready for goslings
Last things first:
I need a guinea/duck/goose sitter from March 14 to March 18. I'll probably locate someone up here. Requires once-a-day (at minimum) watering duty, feed checking, and bobcat chasing.
On February 22 I will let Foie and Gras start setting on some eggs. That way they'll hatch the week after I return from places afar. Not yet sure what I will let them sit on, because...
I do not yet know whether Pate the gander has done his duty. Today I am starting a one week test to see if the 7 goose eggs I have collected these past two weeks are viable. If so, then for the next 3 weeks I'll collect Foie's and Gras' eggs for hatching. If not, I will eat them and buy some known-good eggs from a local hatchery. They'll be foster mothers at least.
I know that Foie and Gras are ready for motherhood, not only because of the eggs, but because Gras bit me nice and hard two days ago as I was searching the nest for eggs (I still have the bruise to prove it). She will be a good mother.
Sally the Muscovy is also showing signs of mothering -- she sat on a single egg, spread out thin like a pancake as though she were covering a whole nest full.
My plans are to have her hatch a new generation of Pekins, as I don't have a male Muscovy for her. Pekins, in case you don't realize, are domesticated to such an extent that they are not such good mothers. They lay well, but the setting instinct has also been bred out. You don't want egg layers to be good hatchers because setting on eggs causes egg laying to stop. Muscovies are still close to their wild ancestry, and so are great mothers. I recall picking up Sally and her broodmates a few years ago; the mother sprang up into the air and slapped her wings and raked her claws against the guy who was scooping them all up. That's the right reaction.
On the water front, all is normal again. The well is producing a pathetic sub-gallon per minute rate of flow. That is why there are storage tanks I guess.
I need a guinea/duck/goose sitter from March 14 to March 18. I'll probably locate someone up here. Requires once-a-day (at minimum) watering duty, feed checking, and bobcat chasing.
On February 22 I will let Foie and Gras start setting on some eggs. That way they'll hatch the week after I return from places afar. Not yet sure what I will let them sit on, because...
I do not yet know whether Pate the gander has done his duty. Today I am starting a one week test to see if the 7 goose eggs I have collected these past two weeks are viable. If so, then for the next 3 weeks I'll collect Foie's and Gras' eggs for hatching. If not, I will eat them and buy some known-good eggs from a local hatchery. They'll be foster mothers at least.
I know that Foie and Gras are ready for motherhood, not only because of the eggs, but because Gras bit me nice and hard two days ago as I was searching the nest for eggs (I still have the bruise to prove it). She will be a good mother.
Sally the Muscovy is also showing signs of mothering -- she sat on a single egg, spread out thin like a pancake as though she were covering a whole nest full.
My plans are to have her hatch a new generation of Pekins, as I don't have a male Muscovy for her. Pekins, in case you don't realize, are domesticated to such an extent that they are not such good mothers. They lay well, but the setting instinct has also been bred out. You don't want egg layers to be good hatchers because setting on eggs causes egg laying to stop. Muscovies are still close to their wild ancestry, and so are great mothers. I recall picking up Sally and her broodmates a few years ago; the mother sprang up into the air and slapped her wings and raked her claws against the guy who was scooping them all up. That's the right reaction.
On the water front, all is normal again. The well is producing a pathetic sub-gallon per minute rate of flow. That is why there are storage tanks I guess.
2007/01/15
water, finally
I hired a well consultant to look at the well pump. He declared he couldn't fix it, so handed me off to a well maintenance company. It became immediately obvious why neither I nor the consultant could do anything: the downpipes were galvanized steel. The 160 feet or so of pipe and pump probably weighed about 300 lbs -- too much to lift by hand. It was a real treat watching the pros do their job pulling up the old pump. Now I know what it entails.
Not a moment too soon either. I was down to my last 20 gallons of rainwater. The birds were never out of water, but they did go without baths for a week.
Everything is back to normal it seems. The geese are doing the nasty as of last week, and yesterday I had their first egg of the year for dinner. I'm not sure if this is too early for geese or not. Duck egg production is up to 5 a day now, up from a low of 2 a day.
I have a couple tons -- and I mean that quite literally -- of well-decomposed compost collected over the past two years. This was made with goose, guinea, and duck poop combined with sawdust. It is great stuff. Let me know if you want some for your garden.
Not a moment too soon either. I was down to my last 20 gallons of rainwater. The birds were never out of water, but they did go without baths for a week.
Everything is back to normal it seems. The geese are doing the nasty as of last week, and yesterday I had their first egg of the year for dinner. I'm not sure if this is too early for geese or not. Duck egg production is up to 5 a day now, up from a low of 2 a day.
I have a couple tons -- and I mean that quite literally -- of well-decomposed compost collected over the past two years. This was made with goose, guinea, and duck poop combined with sawdust. It is great stuff. Let me know if you want some for your garden.
2007/01/04
Rain!
Rain becomes precious once you don't have a water supply. Last night I collected about 120 gallons -- enough to allow the birds a nice bath in their kiddie pool, plus drinking water for a week. I drink bottled water, fear not; but I do use the rainwater for my bath too. What's good for the goose, gander, and duck is good enough for me.
The news on the well pump is that replacing the "motor start capacitor" and blown fuse did not fix anything. My guess, as explained to me by the motor repair shop, is that this pump is simply at the end of its life -- somewhere between 10 and 15 years. That is the expected lifetime. When the motor goes, it takes out the motor start capacitor (that's the first thing they asked me in fact, "Did your motor start capacitor leak fluid all over the place?" Yup.) I replaced said capacitor, then the fuse blew. It all seems to make sense. Except that the timing of the well pump going at nearly the same time as the pressure pump is still a mystery.
In the meantime, I'm storing rain in all the garbage cans and kiddie pools I have. And special purpose rain barrels are on order -- 240 gallons worth. Once they are in place, we can take the usual weekly California rain/drought cycles in stride.
The news on the well pump is that replacing the "motor start capacitor" and blown fuse did not fix anything. My guess, as explained to me by the motor repair shop, is that this pump is simply at the end of its life -- somewhere between 10 and 15 years. That is the expected lifetime. When the motor goes, it takes out the motor start capacitor (that's the first thing they asked me in fact, "Did your motor start capacitor leak fluid all over the place?" Yup.) I replaced said capacitor, then the fuse blew. It all seems to make sense. Except that the timing of the well pump going at nearly the same time as the pressure pump is still a mystery.
In the meantime, I'm storing rain in all the garbage cans and kiddie pools I have. And special purpose rain barrels are on order -- 240 gallons worth. Once they are in place, we can take the usual weekly California rain/drought cycles in stride.
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