Over the past week, the little farmstead has seen an alteration in its avain population. First, an Americauna rooster was killed by our soon-to-be-leaving Spaniel mix. She shows too great an interest in killing smaller things to keep around our home. Saturday, we attended a small animal event and picked up two hens and two ducks. The chickens are mix breed: one favors a bard rock, and the other is white, but there no evidence of the Cornish-Rock cross issues. The ducks are black and that’s about all I can say now. I don’t recall what they are and haven’t narrowed it down with google yet. The quackers appear to be Cayuga mix ducks.
Our plans to harvest one particularly agressive and large rooster, a barred Rock, was foiled: he has been fed to the forest next door. All other fowl are fine. We may still progress with harvesting some roosters via a co-worker who has an abundance of bantam roosters. Time will tell and we shall see if and when this occurs.
Our goat count is four now: two milkers and two doelings. Milk output is roughly 1.5 gal/day. Some of that is going back to bottle feeding one doeling, rest for the family. Soon, though, DW is taking a few gallons to a friend’s house to try butter making and some will probably make it into yogurt and/or kefir. As well, we checked out a Nubian doe with a Nubian/Boer buckling to bring onto the little stead. Debating that one internally. One great benefit would be for a higher fat milk for our youngest once she is weaned. The fat content is essential for some brain development and the greater than 3% Nubian would be advantageous.
Otherwise, there’s a yard to keep, garden to plant (many things started), and a sermon to write over the next few weeks.
Solo Deo Gloria,
jason
April 30, 2009 at 11:28 am
This first story is an all-too-familiar one to me. We had a young dog that loved to “play” with our chickens. Her play was so rough, though, that she killed three of them. After that,(not to mention chewing up one of my belts, a pair of boots and the trampoline padding, among other things) she, too, had to go.
I’ll be interested to hear how your ducks do. I’ve wanted to get a few ducks myself but haven’t done it yet. I’ve been told by some that geese would be a better option, so I may end up getting a few of those.
April 30, 2009 at 1:18 pm
You have to have water for geese, so I’m told. Ducks don’t require water, just like it. What I’ve heard is that geese need the water to dip their heads into in order to lubricate their eyes.
April 30, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I’m researching pond building options right now, so that might not be a problem.
April 30, 2009 at 1:25 pm
What was going on with that rooster? Was it attacking the children?
April 30, 2009 at 2:51 pm
He was just a bit too rowdy. He’d periodically attack any and everybody. I had to continually show him who was boss, lest I turn my back and he flog me. He put a hole in my eldest’s leg through pants. He also caused to much ruckus in the pen with other chickens as well.