Paulga, I noticed in one of your original photos that you kept chickens and ducks together. I had ducks before and know they cannot have medicated food, but chicken food must be medicated or fortified. How do you keep them from eating one another's food?
I should be getting some peeps, 24 chickens and 2 or 3 ducks, very soon. Any advise is welcome. Thanks.
maizeydaze.............I gave them very little, they were all freerange, plus the local Supermarket supplied me with lots of bread,then they had cabbage leaves,sprout leaves, spinach,swedes,lettuce,broccoli, in fact everything that was surplus in my veg garden, they even ate leeks of which i was wary....eggs tasting like onion, but they were fine, as i mentioned i was cutting down on that interest, sold all the duck yesterday and the hens to go tomorrow, reducing the veg garden bit by bit, its a hard full time job plus they are located 12 mile from where i live, the fowl go into sheds at night but its risky leaving the doors open, Badger will kill all and only take one, Fox is ok it only takes one and leaves the others...."for the future", clever fox,Mink and Otter will kill all, and we have plenty of all of them, most chicken feed from farm suppliers has medication....fine for hens.....duck is iffy but they can cope with it, the worst for duck is food thats off, it can kill them, also they MUST have plenty of fresh water, after eating they drink a lot, but more important they need to clear nasal passages of food, as a result the water goes off very quick if its in containers, if your getting hens watch out for the pickers! the ones that pick the feathers from others right down to the flesh and then go at the flesh.....eat them!
I was on the Lake today, fishing was bad so i went island hopping, with NEW camera in hand, a Sony Cybershot 7.2 mega pixels DSC-W55, check out the new photo's
http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/
Paulga
Cannibal chickens??? Oh, no!
I know all too well about predators. They're what got the ducks I used to have. one at a time. We've got weasels, fox, coyotes, fishers, large hawks, bald eagles, rattle snakes and huge owls.
Maybe I won't get more ducks. But, I do miss them quacking and swimming and diving in the pond to muddy it up. They were fun to watch. They were Khaki Campbells. When I first got them I bought books and did research on their care. You know, about keeping their nasal passages clear with water and giving them grit, etc. It was still very cold and I kept the sloppy little beasts warm in the basement. Cleaned out their brooder 3x per day. Stinky little things! I couldn't wait to get them outside.
Your new photos are much bigger. Nice. You are going to have fun with the Sony! You'll be taking hundreds of pics a day, like I do! :-)
maizeydaze..........Wow i presumed we were bad with predators, coyotes, large hawks. bald eagles, rattle snakes, we dont have," but what are fishers" ? the remainder of my fowl went to a new owner early this morning, i will miss them, like you i enjoyed the antics, when i was able to call out at night to close the sheds, it was a scream watching them charge at full speed for the food which was about 25 yds away, one morning i placed the food next to the sheds they still charged to where i normally left it, gray matter.....not a lot? my duck breed were Aylesburys and Muscovy, Aylesbury are very big but huge eggs,Muscovy eggs are a wee bit smaller, i never had Khaki Campells but nice duck.
yep having fun with the new camera.......it was creamy first dropped the hint.....focus he said, so lo and behold ? hope you dont all get bored with my stuff.....but i do think of you all when on the lake or river.....again today after the fowl departed.
http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/
I often eat the wild garlic shown, presume its ok ? mmmm beards gone gray.
Paulga
Paulga, Fishers are large weasel-like beasts. They are fast and relentless...go right for the throat of their prey. See below.
Fisher (animal) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fishers
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More nice shots. Is the "The Circle" new? I can't remember. It sure does resemble "Graylox's Circle"!
(Observation - Does imagecave allow you to create sub-directories? It would be easier to pick out your newest pics if you were able put them into dated or otherwise named subfolders.)
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Wild garlic? I wonder if we have any growing in these parts. We have wild leeks or ramps growing in select areas of the forest. Now, in the spring, is the best time to pick tender ones. They are tasty, but leave you smelling something awful, breath and through the pores. Eating them is an excellent method of human pest control. :D
maizeydaze......interesting critter that Fisher, had a good look about it from your links, thanks your a star, about the circle, funny you should think of "Graylox's Circle" its exactly what hit me as soon as i placed the food, maybe that is what influenced me in my subconscious? your observation about sub-directories, it hit me tonight that anyone looking at "new" photo's had to endure the old ones, so i did take some out, if i am unable to create sub-directories i might just always delete old ones? and only display "new"......have to think on that? oh about the wild leeks or ramps, interesting, must check do we have them here, anything edible growing on the islands on our lake comes in handy if i have to stay overnight when an unexpected storm arrives, i do eat a lot of onions, love them, maybe thats why i am always alone in the boat?? now the wild leeks or ramps, i might have no friends at all if i got hooked on them!
as we were writing about feathered friends, hark at this link, its an old one, you might have come across it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuooFFC5sX8
Paulga
That reminds me...the other day I was taking a picture of this Trout Lily in the woods, when I felt something on the top of my head. I reached up to feel and came back with white goo. I then looked up to see the cute little culprit on a branch above. Is that a sign of good fortune? :)
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panter007, how are those cute little kittens? Are they keeping you busy?
Graylox Circle - hmmm- perhaps I should register that name ?
Paulga you have great pictures. They make me dream of the life I would live if I would not have been caught in the trap of city-life. Now I would rather like to live close to nature and near to very much water. So let the pictures come, please.
I love the wild leeks or ramps or garlic or Bärlauch or whatever name they have.
Maizey, your Lilly is wonderful, never saw one before.
maizeydaze.......A Trout Lily, lovely, wish we had something like that here! nearest i see is the yellow flag iris, the majority of the regulars in this forum are armed with camera in hand, i like it, fantastic stuff, suddenly i find myself looking for something to capture , when i think of all the times i said to myself,oh if i only had a camera! your little culprit leaving its message on your head......makes me smile, trying to figure what you muttered! good fortune....dont know about that, lucky yep, .....that it didnt get you in the eye," sorry i am still smiling "
Paulga
parental control
a thorny story
http://www.picattic.com/files/q1u8u15nailxze5x0dnu.jpg
quilllox
Works for me. You're crazy, Grayzee! :-D
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Paulga, This wasn't the first time that I'd received a gift from above. Considering the ratio of birds to me, I expect it won't be the last either. I just hope it doesn't work out like it did for this poor fellow.
maizey.. that gift from above video really has me laughing out loud! Will never forget when the kids were small, we took my mom to the Wild Animal Park near San Diego, CA. We're waiting in line to get in, and plop, right on her head! From that day forward, she has NEVER gone outdoors without wearing some kind of hat! In fact from time to time we see one we think she'd like and mail it to her!
maizeydaze
graylox
Both your links have me laughing....just what the doctor ordered, as i am at home today, three baskets full of laundry to cope with......i hate housework! a friend called last week and remarked at the dust on my aquarium!....i replied it was handy for writing down phone numbers! graylox circle has given me an idea, i will post it when i complete it??? its for maizeydaze, am pleased you liked the outdoors photo's, i really should take advantage of the great weather we are having here just now but two days on the water, nine hour sessions each day, drains the body plus i am sunburned!
<img src="http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/icth_BegoniaRex.JPG.jpg">
copmom - OMG! You just reminded me of our family trip to the Buffalo, NY zoo. The first stop was the elephant enclosure. An elephant picked up a big pile of elephant dung and toss it in the air. It landed right on top of my mother's head! Laugh? Thank goodness it was dry dung. For many years, we teased mom about how she's always getting pooped on! I'm going to visit her in a couple of minutes. I can't wait to remind her! LOL
maizeydaze......that elephant dung tossing beats them all, just thinking at the size of it alone makes me laugh.....but to land on your mothers head. Oh further to graylox circle,
take a look at my snails at work, there is room for improvement?
a href="http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/DSC00047.JPG"><i
Paulga
maizeydaze........oops made a mwss of that, try this link
http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/DSC00047.JPG
Paulga
Paulga, not even going try and guess how you trained the snails to spell my name. I've always wanted to see my name in "snail slime"! Very nice trick, though. Thanks.
Just got back from my parents house. Mom remembers the elephant event all too well. LOL
maizeydaze..........i searched the entire garden for snails, only found three, so the snails are real!......its a little come down from having your name in lights??? at least the writing is luminous!!!
Paulga
Paulga, I've been working with a couple of insects. Take a look at my trained bees. They do need some more work, but this is what we've got so far.
maizeydaze.........aha, do onto others as.......do onto you! very good, the paulga writing is the same colour as my sons suit in that show quizbiz?, .......count on it that graylox will come back with something........nice one, your a honey!
Paulga
Neat trained bees! How in the world did you do that? Almost looks like a game! That elephant dung story is a riot! Buffalo, NY is where I was born.. of course I haven't been there since I was 7, so that's as far as that goes. I've GOT to get some new pictures taken.. this beautiful spring weather is giving me ideas. Just saw some pretty butterflies on the blooming azaleas outside, gotta shoot them! (With the camera, of course). Just put out the hummingbird feeders, we got buzzed by one the other day when we put out planter boxes of petunias. SO spring IS in the air!
copmom........nice to see your back! yep get that camera out, and panther007 has also gone walkies since those kittens arrived? looking forward to seeing your "camera shots" of butterflies.
Paulga
My just after midnight visitor, arrived last year, hibernated in my garden shed but only arrived at my back door tonight.
http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/MyHedgehog.JPG
http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/MidnightVisitor.JPG
Paulga
omg, paul, she's enormous!
copmom- we're neighbors. i was born in rochester, ny. we moved to the city when i was 5. i went back, once, about 7 or 8 years ago. it was very snowy, of course, and i went to my old house. my ex was taking pictures of me in front of the house, when the current occupants came out to see what the heck we were doing. when i told them i had lived there, the husband was (rightly) skeptical, but when they heard my name, they both started laughing. shortly after they had moved in (i think there had been 3 or 4 different families between when i lived there and when they bought the house), they bought a new washing machine. when they took out the old one, they found an old credit card underneath. it was my dad's! they then believed me and invited us in for a tour. it was so cool. they had a little girl and a little boy, who were about the ages of me and my brother when we moved, and the girl had my old bedroom and the boy had my brother's. they were a really lovely family.
Paul.. great pictures .. that hedgehog is so cute!
funkymom.. we moved to NYC when I was 7 until my hubby 'rescued' me! Your story about going to the old house is so familiar. My brother went there to visit some long lost relatives, and while there decided to do the same thing.. take pictures of the old house. Well, this guy came out because he thought they were acting suspicious, and after they explained things, he invited them in. Only thing is they did not go in. They said the guy acted very strange and didn't want to chance going inside with a wierdo!
Oh.. did you get back your dad's old credit card??
I've been to Rochester. It takes about 4 hours to get there.
And, I have some friends who live in Rochester. Clicking on these 2 links only takes about an hour all the way through.
I've, also, been to Buffalo. That trip takes 3 hours, but this link will take less than one hour. :-)
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Paulga, cute little critters. I almost want to pick him up and cuddle em! LOL
copmom
funkymom .......both your visits to your old residence are very alike....interesting how the credit card was found and remembered, then the comparison to the present resident, one friendly, the other "weird". In my case going back to my childhood house would be a visit every few years and i could close my eyes at anytime and see every detail, two years ago i took my sons wife to see the old house and its grounds, i was sorry i did, the house was gone and a block of red brick apartments had replaced Carlingford Lodge, my old house! it was built around 1800, now my mind sees the apartments and the other image is fading.Yep that hedgehog is big?...there were two last year?....babies maybe!....soon?
maizeydaze......she will let me touch her no problem, ...Jack Benny! we had his TV show here every week around the 60's....and, "i love Lucy".....and Bob Hope....mmmmm of course he was from the UK.
Paulga
these three photos are as a result of graylox link http://www.picattic.com/files/q1u8u15nailxze5x0dnu.jpg
No 1 http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/HiBlondie.JPG
No 2 http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/Howaboutakiss.JPG
No 3 http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/Shegavemethebrush.JPG
hope you like them
Paulga
He's SO cute! We have groundhogs around here.. those are neat. My neighbor said he got one to come to him when it was a baby and was able to pet it and hold it in his lap. I'm jealous!
copmom........a groundhog! thats something i would prefer to the hedgehog, smoother fur? here are some new photo's, the castle is only about 200 paces from where i live, the flowers are Wallflower, Spanish Broom and Purple Fennel, and of course the six Marmalades whose eyes are now open! still no word from panther007 and those new kittens!
http://usera.imagecave.com/Paulga/Paulga/
Paulga
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