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Mary's grew on silver bells and cockle shells, but mine grows mainly on goose/poultry crappy bedding. It must be happy. It looks happy.
   A local friend read about the interlopers and wondered if they would adopt some Canadian goslings that were rescued and given to her to raise. Left to their own devices, many a Canadian pair has stolen goslings from parents deemed "unfit" for duty, so this could work. Maybe.
Concerned for their safety as tame adults unafraid of people and conveniently similarly aged as the group on my lawn, we hatched (lol) a plan to introduce them to be raised alongside the wild Canadian hatchlings. This is what happened next.  I'm not sure I've mentioned how precocious Korie can be. I walk outside with her. She races to pick up and run circles with her new found treasure.   She gives me the mischievious eyes. "I found it lying around--I SWEAR!"   Well.... not exactly. "New Dawn" is classified as a "climber". This bush is only 2 years old, and the canes are at least 15 feet long already. I have done little since putting it in the ground, and unruly canes are pruned via riding lawn mower as the fella zips by sometimes cursing when the canes fight back. All good climbers have good thorns for grip. I've heard climbers can grow up through trees and toy with the idea of securing to the telephone post near the bush. I'm pretty sure it would reach the top is the only reason I nixed that idea. I consider this the first "established" year for New Dawn and wonder if she will live up to her reputation of a continuous display of re-blooming till fall. That will be a welcome sight in the heat of August. We'll see.... And given time, might one day look like this beauty adorning a rooftop in Tennessee.   One of my favorite ways to use 1/2 dozen eggs is a quiche. It can contain really almost any ingredient you like. And over the weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to have carrots in my quiche....with radish sprouts for garnish.
Peter Rabbit would be proud. Let's start by saying I'm not the total loser you are thinking since I have not blogged a bleep since last Friday. And let's face it, that was mostly a pretty picture and happy wishes to the moms for their special day. (even though I do love that rose bush)
But please believe me when I tell you I have not been slacking... The playhouse coop pen is almost complete. Just another couple of quality hours with post hole diggers and fence stretcher. And there will be pictures and a "how to" session on post hole diggers and concrete...if you are interested. And then Saturday was a beautiful field trip. Full details below. Enjoy!  one, two, three, four......? FIVE!! The first couple of months and especially the first 2 weeks are the most challenging for the young goslings to survive. This pair has done an exceptional job, and all five goslings are accounted for 8 days after hatch. Congrats guys -- I never imagined how nice it is watching somebody else raise goslings for a change. Keep up the good work.
Our Question of the Day comes to us from a not so anonymous experienced fowl keeper just getting her first taste of the joys of geese and breeding season. Dear Goose Gurus, I have two geese with one gander and my girls had been sharing the same nest until Carole King went all nasty and broody. I thought my 8' x 4' hoop hut was great until I had to crouch down and waddle like an over sized duck with disabilities and get to the very back corner to pick up the egg that Sylvia had layed next to the nest that Carole now claims as her own. I may not be very tall but I really prefer to be "extended" to my full 4' 11" height when confronting what used to be a lovely goose who now is a creature from horror films on her nest. How do you mark the eggs so that you can quickly tell the difference between the ones that are supposed to be there and the newly layed egg and get out with the new one before the blood blurs your vision and you loose sight of the only way out of the hut? I have used a pencil to mark eggs but that rapidly blends in with the ..."natural patina". Any words of wisdom would be appreciated regarding marking eggs and best material to suppress the bleeding.  Dear bleeding in Wisconsin: Our fowl have seen the same movie, and while my first inclination would be to have someone else gather the eggs, sometimes they have witnessed the carnage and no longer assist a damsel in distress. In that case, arm yourself with a shot of whiskey, sawed off broomstick, crayons and corn starch carefully following the instructions that follow:
Disclaimer: While we have remained relatively unscathed, we can assume no responsibility if you injure yourself stealing and coloring eggs or for any other advice given on this website.
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Kelley Creek Farms is a small (micro really) hobby farm located in Central Alabama 30 minutes south of Birmingham. We raise heritage and rare waterfowl and poultry along with a myriad of other creatures that give the farm its life. In addition to the birds, we raise heirloom tomatoes and vegetables.
Each day is different and brings a new set of adventures. Some make you laugh and some make you cry. Some are just plain frustrating. But we persevere knowing that tomorrow's set of problems will be completely different than today. Still figuring all this out ....one day at a time and striving for a more sustainable way of life. ALL
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January 2015
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