Spring has arrived, and boy-howdy are we happy

Winter felt like it would never leave. I can only imagine how folks in the Northeast feel, where some just now are seeing crocus and daffodils, and trees budding.

Here, we're experiencing daytime temps in the 70's. The trees have already leafed out. Viewing the hills shows a patchwork of green canopy ranging from bright to dark. The live oaks have shed & re-leafed, and their flowers have dropped. The first wave of wildflowers are starting to fade - bluebonnets and paintbrushes - and the second wave is coming into bloom: firewheel, "indian blanket", and coreopsis. Around the farm, we also have a couple varieties of native purple sage flowers, daisies, and verbenas.

The hens are laying eggs in abundance. Spring brings the best eggs, as the hens are eating fresh young greens and loads of newly hatched bugs.

The geese have finished their egg-laying season, and are much quieter. We can sleep through the night now without bolting awake due to noisy nest fights or woo-frenzy.

The ducks are thrilled with all the Spring rains we've had, making messes of puddles wherever they find them.

The dogs are no longer napping on the porch; their preferred spots are the grass or the kitchen doorstep (I'm guessing because that's where we store treats).

There's a truckbed full of compost waiting to dress the orchard trees and the veggie beds. Suppose I better get to it!

Dogs & Eggs

How do we manage our bountiful harvests of duck, chicken and goose eggs?

• Perfect eggs are sold through the on-line co-op directly to members who order them.

• Cosmetically "imperfect" eggs (stains, odd shapes, etc.) are saved and eaten by Spouse and I.

• "Sketchy" eggs (thin shell, hairline crack, found in sunshine, etc.) are saved, cooked hard, and fed to the dogs.

If there's ever been a time where our dogs have looked at me in utter adoration, it's been when I've topped their kibble with cooked eggs.

Keep Calm and Raise (Hell-)Geese

The geese finally started laying their eggs about the same time I posted "Resistance is Futile for Us Beginners". It was a huge relief to know the egg-laying season was kicking into gear, for the sooner the season starts, the sooner it ends.

Raise "Hell-Geese" Would Be
More Appropriate For Our Flock.
[pic/shop: MilleLacsImpressions] 

Miraculously, I found each and every nesting site as they were created, and have deduced the laying cycle as well. We're retrieving an average of 10 eggs a week from six females. The opportunity for egg poaching by the dogs is at an all-time low. Maggie is miffed.

About a week before egg-laying started in earnest, Spouse fenced off the side and front garden beds, for in past years there were unholy 4:00 AM squabbles/shrieks over nesting spots under two of the rosemary bushes - one of those bushes being under our bedroom window. A third creeping rosemary bush on the far corner of the house was left out of the fencing equation, logic being:

1. it had never been used as a nest before, and 
2. it appeared to be too small for them to scoot under and lay eggs. 

There is no appealing to logic when it comes geese.

They have chewed an opening into/underneath the rosemary canopy and created a cozy little nesting spot. At this point, it is too late to fence it off, as the geese will find ways to dislodge or even literally climb the fence in order to get into an established site. Since it's just one nest close to the house - most of the girls have created nests elsewhere - the 4:00 AM squabbles are happening "only" every other night or so.

I'm counting out the sleeping pills. If I time it right, I may have enough to last the season.

No Goose Eggs Yet?

There's been no breeding dominance fights between our ganders, Billy-Bob and Gerdy. No canoodling in the Pool o' Woo. No squabbling (aka 'shrieking') under our bedroom window for a nesting spot under the big, bushy rosemary - prime egg-laying real estate, if you're to believe the geese. The relative silence... scary.**

Last year the chaos started at Winter Solstice, and here we are near the 1st of February and no eggs in sight. Last year, the egg-laying season also lasted close to six months, instead of the usual four. I'm not sure what this egg-laying season will bring. I'm hoping for a short but fruitful season this time. Spouse was starting to peruse roast goose recipes towards the end of last season.
-------

In other goose news: reading the current McMurray hatchery catalog, I ran across the following blurb on page 52:

"Geese can be expected to breed past 30 years of age and a 40 year old is not uncommon. 101 years of age is the record."

Holeee crap. Billy-Bob/Bobble-Goose/Bobble-the-Hut, the hunchbacked goose of nine lives, may outlive us all! I began scrambling in my brain, thinking of how to make arrangements for our squeezles after our deaths. Since then, I've read from other breeders that 15-20 years is the usual lifespan of a domestic goose... whew! Still, may have to reconsider the thought of getting some Weeder/Cotton Patch geese.  I think our current flock will keep us on our toes long enough.

** ADDENDUM: Spouse just found out that the geese, who have been hanging out under the (new to us) truck in the mornings, have been chewing on the brake lines. They may be waiting to hatch their young until after they kill us.

[first pic: goose napping on the porch, giving me the hairy eyeball as I snapped her photo through the window. 
second pic: Billy-Bob, the nine-lives goose.
third pic: proof...]

First Goose Egg of the Season!

First goose egg we've nabbed before the dogs have, that is. It looks like the geese started laying a few days ago, but the nest areas were empty. Where were they laying? Not in the new nest boxes, but in the duck shelters while the ducks were away. That's my size 8 hand holding the goose egg.

This egg was found, surprise-surprise, in the modified goose shelter that they've rarely used since the thing was originally built three years ago. Spouse espied a goose settling into one of the compartments earlier this afternoon, and we kept our eye on it. Once the goose was off the nest, I knew it was a race between me and the dogs who as to who would discover & get to that egg first. I won this time, w00t! Dogs: 3, Humans: 1.

For a bit more perspective on size...

 

...the ruler is showing the egg is about 5 inches long. There's an extra-large chicken egg to the left. Click on the pic for a larger view. The egg is probably a double-yolk, which is a cool thing for us humans, but not so good for the goose - if she were to try to hatch the egg, the two goslings would never come to term. No twins allowed in egg hatching, just not enough room. Another reason why we don't let our geese hatch their own, as the geese we obtained from a commercial breeder have consistently had genetic problems. Could be due to a bad brooder box, could be issues with their stock of geese. Regardless, it's probably for the best: letting domestic geese raise their own babies results in holeee terrors. The geese we've raised by hand tolerate us. Their babies would feast on our carcasses. 

Holy Smokes, Thanksgiving Already?

Where has the time gone? Oh, now I remember: Section off a portion of property. Rake out dead grass and rocks. Lots of rocks. Scratch up soil. Seed. Scratch again to cover. Reseed. Cover with manured/rotted hay. Water. Watch it grow while I ice my back. I imagine it's similar to having a Chia Pet, but on a much larger scale. So far I've regrown five large sections of lawn. The poultry & waterfowl are so happy to have grass to graze upon once more. I've a few more sections to grow to ensure erosion control over the Winter, and the temperatures look like they're going to stay fairly warm at least through the end of December. Come Spring, I hope to develop larger sections of pasture bermuda & native grasses further down the hill.

Pic: a Thermo Cube

Other projects: we don't get alot of long-term freezing here during the Winter, but last season we had a week of below-freezing overnight temperatures, which were enough to freeze the well pump. Nothing will put you into a full-scale panic like having livestock and NO WATER for their needs. This year not only do we have a brand new 4'x3'x3' enclosure for the pump (nicely built this past week by Spouse), but we're also experimenting with heating it via a fairly low-cost method: a temperature-control plug (Thermo Cube) and a lightbulb. The cube will turn on the electricity to a 60-watt light located within the enclosure when the temperature dips below 35℉, and then will shut off the light when temps reach 45℉. Between the heated enclosure and the rainwater collection from the chicken coop roof (temporarily delayed due to other pressing projects, but hope to get to it next week), I'll feel much better about having accessible water available over the Winter.

Pic: Gertie bathing in a drinking bowl. The pond simply
isn't good enough for His Majesty. Pic has nothing to do
with this blog post. He's just cute.  

(Speaking of the Thermo Cube - we also use it to power on/off an Eco-Heater in the chicken coop. Works nicely! If the light-bulb method doesn't work for the pump enclosure, we'll shell out the cash for another Eco-Heater.)

Then there was a rash of duck egg disappearances that needed solving. Maggie the dog, of course, was figured as the culprit. We found one way she was getting into the pen (using some hay bales to get over the fence), fixed that, then put up electric fence wire around the top of the pen. We got a full complement of eggs for two days, then the disappearances started again. Found that Maggie had been pushing up a section of the duck fence and going under. Secured the bottom of the fence, and set electric wire around the bottom of the pen. No more egg disappearances. I don't know who's more determined: Maggie for eggs, or the chickens for the compost pile.

Pic: Gertie again. Can anyone guess his breed?
I'm flummoxed, and really would like to
get more of his type - he's a sweet boy. 

And now that the cooler temperatures are in full swing, so are the container tomatoes. Tomatoes. In November. We could barely keep them alive over the summer, even with afternoon shade and regular watering. Now the cherry tomatoes are going nuts. I'm not complaining, I swear. I toss any bug-eaten fruits to the chickens, and toss the others into salads. The fig trees that we covered against the last two overnight freezes are putting out a few fruits as well, but I consider those bug treats at this point.

So, two pressing projects in the queue before Winter temperatures settle in for the season: install the rainwater collection system, and build the temporary greenhouse. These projects will have to wait just a few days, however, as we've got family coming into town and a whole lot of gratitude (and libations) to be had. Spouse is smoking two turkeys and a prime rib (I really need to get him to write a blog post on how he made his metal barrel smoker, and how he smokes meats). Me, I'll be drinking wine with Spouse's Italian father. Lots of wine. And icing my back. To those who celebrate, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mystery Revealed, or The Yolk's on Us

Not that we have problems with gender indeterminate species around our place - see Miss Cecily - but we were curious as to what Mo might turn out to be. Neither Spouse or I had experience with ducks, and we didn't know squat about Mo when we rescued her. Not her breed, nor her age. Research on the web gave us an idea about her breed (a crested Khaki Campbell), but her coloring at the time we first got her looked as if she could go either way. Fast forward to now...

I started finding eggs in the night pen a few days ago. They were big hard eggs, left in the middle of a soft green weed patch. First thought was perhaps the dogs had poached the ceramic "dummy" eggs out of the hen boxes, and upon discovering the ruse, dropped them in disgust. (Ha! Rotten dogs). After picking up a total of three eggs over the course of a week, I started getting curious, as most of our dummy eggs are now marked with blue dashes (so as to easily see the difference when gathering from the laying boxes). I finally cracked open one of the mystery eggs tonight. Spouse suggested cracking open one of the largest hen eggs on hand, and compare the yolks side-by-side. I think it's safe to say that yep, the mystery egg is a duck egg! Woo-hoo!!

Now the next mystery: why haven't the dogs snarfed down these eggs yet? Talk about easy pickin's, right there in the open and all. Hmmm...

[Top photo: Moe. Photo lower right: the eggs. The duck egg is on the far right, if you're not sure.]

This, That, and Flu Tips

Whoever recommended using a bicycle pump to blow out eggs for crafters, let me know so I can buy you a beverage of your preference. [Edit: going through some older comments, it was Risa who suggested the bike pump method. Thank you, thank you, thank you!] Eggs were blown out in seconds instead of lung-busting minutes. This is fantastic! Thank you!

Speaking of eggs, much to my surprise the geese have returned to full egg-laying production. This means the ganders have also returned to being literal ankle-biters, and I have to make sure to carry a large stick when going near any laying areas. I love my goozuls, but sheesh...

Now onto a completely unrelated note: If you're worried about the H1N1 flu, first things first: don't panic. Here's a great page from our U.S. Government on how to prepare your household and family for a pandemic: PandemicFlu.Gov . [If you use homeopathic remedies, check out this great document from the National Center for Homeopathy.] Today I stocked up on the over-the-counter pharmacy remedies that work well for Spouse and myself, such as real Sudafed (have to ask the pharmacist for it, d@mn you methheads), and Mucinex. When preparing for things like this, remember to purchase items that you'll use regardless of event - that way, you'll use up what you buy eventually, and it won't go to waste.

[Pic: also unrelated to this post, two of the chickens taking care of their assets.]

Peppered Goose Egg, Part Deux: Success?

"Look out the window," I whispered to Spouse, "Maggie's eating the cayenne-filled egg!"

The goose egg (one of two) was the cumulative effort of over an hour of huffing and puffing to blow out the eggs, and then trying several different ways to fill the eggs with the rusty red spice per Chance's suggestion. Perhaps I should have also asked Chance for details on how she did it first. After trying (and failing) to fill the eggs with home-made funnels and straws before finally punching a hole big enough for a real funnel, much sneezing happened, and then I rubbed my eyes before washing my hands... d'oh! You can guess what happened, but no permanent damage was done to my eyes - just to the confidence in my supposed intelligence. I then partially hid the finished eggs in one of the empty goose kennels.

Back to Maggie: I watched her lick the tape off the hole where I had filled the egg, crunch into the shell... then an expression of confusion and horror covered her face. Spouse went outside as Maggie was backing away from the egg. Spouse grabbed the egg and held it up to Maggie's face... she continued backing away, looking in revulsion at what was once a tasty ill-gained treat. We're hoping she's learned her lesson. Thing is, did it take one or two eggs to teach her? We still haven't found the second egg.

Pic: Soft Egg Shell

I found this soft-shelled egg on the ground near the coop; one of the chickens must have pushed it out of the nest box and down the ramp (some of them will do that to a regular egg as well, rotten girls). There's been no other soft eggs since, and their regular eggshells have been nicely thick, so it must have been a fluke. Regardless, I've been putting calcium citrate into their feed, and they still have their oyster shell and granite grit mix to nibble next to their regular feed. I'll also order kelp meal for additional mineral supplementation.

Now if I could just keep them out of the dog food...

OMG! Goose Eggs!!!!

Went out this morning to take a photo of what had been looking suspiciously like a goose nest site, and found this:



Ohmigawd! Ohmigawd! Ohmigawd! SqueeeEEEEE!!!!

Miraculously, none of the geese were around, so I quickly stuffed the eggs under my shirt and rushed them into the house. Here's how the two goose eggs on left compare to our chicken's eggs, with the largest Ameraucana chicken egg (approximately Extra Large sized) being the greenish one in the middle:



And geek that I am, I had to measure the largest chicken egg against the largest goose egg:



Wow! I mean, I know this is nothing to folks who have raised geese all their life, but just wow!

EDIT: Just cooked up the smaller egg, over easy, with a little salt & pepper. It tastes absolutely divine. Not at all gamey like some folks have experienced.

Eggs - pics of commercial versus home-laid

Frau, Cinnamon and Nutmeg have started laying eggs. They make a lot of noise in the process, and I don't blame them one bit: imagine pushing an object larger than the size of your head out of your crotch every morning. Yeah, it's kinda like that.

The eggs are small in comparison to commercial eggs right now, but Aunties Jan & Karen (our bestest friends and farm mentors) say that the eggs will get bigger as the girls mature. In the egg photo, I've put a commercial "large" cage-free egg on the left. The egg in the middle is from Frau, and the white egg on the right is from Nutmeg. I've also put quarters underneath the eggs for further size comparison.

At first, I felt strangely wary of eating those first laid eggs. Chalk it up to being estranged from primary food production for so many years. I got over it quickly, however, and all I can say is "Wow!" You can see the difference in this next picture. The commercial egg's yolk is pale yellow, with the white looking rather runny. The free-range, pasture/bug/organic-fed chicken's egg yolk is deep orange, and the white is firm.

Unfortunately, I can't snap a photo of the difference in taste. The home grown eggs are very rich, almost buttery in flavor. Scrambled eggs are light orange in color. Of course, due to their currently small size, I have to cook three or more home-grown eggs to get the same volume as two commercial large eggs, but the girls are laying daily right now, so quantity is not an issue.

On the other hand, when the six Ameraucanas start to lay, the quantity WILL become an issue. We could get up to three dozen eggs a week! May have to see who around us is in the market for non-FDA approved, cook-thoroughly-to-avoid-salmonella, we-take-no-responsibility-for-health-issues-resulting-from these little gems.