Visitors in the yard

We have almost twenty ducks at our pond, a pair of geese, and regular visiting local Canadian geese. The local wildlife do not go hungry.... Raccoons enjoy regular meals of fresh eggs from the nests during the spring and summer. Foxes and coyotes have been treated to fresh meals as well. Sadly not a lot can be done about it. We have had one successful duckling hatched and raised in the 4 years we've had ducks. 

Two smart ducks have learned to come into the yard to lay. We then round them up after hatch and raise them for a few weeks until they're large enough to survive the catfish and turtles. They don't all survive but some do. This year we've had 4 clutches hatch and so far 1 survivor 🙄 The girls decided to have one more go at it and we released 15 young ducklings at the pond last Thursday. 

This morning they made their way back and are happily following the two young geese around. Silly ducklings! It'll be fun gathering them up for another trip out. Any volunteers?! 

UPDATE:

Volunteers not needed - they made their way back to the pond by mid afternoon! 😏

Marley

Marley joined our family in 2017. She is a Sulcata, or African spurred tortoise. I'd always wanted one and found an owner who wasn't prepared to continue providing for the tortoise. I feel very fortunate to have found Marley because baby Sulcatas can be difficult to raise. She was 1.11 pounds at 2 years of age when we got her. At first she stayed in a huge tub in the pantry with daily soaks and trips outside for sun and fresh grass.

I spent time learning about her - what she should eat, what not to feed her, the need for regular soaks, ideal temperatures for her, etc. She has pyramiding which means the scutes, or sections of the carapace, are pointy like... a pyramid. Over time those should all but disappear with proper care and diet. In the picture below you can see all of the new smooth dark brown growth. The lighter centers of her scutes are the older portion of her shell and the only part that pyramids. Below she is soaking in warm water and this is her relaxed flying tort position.

Last autumn I was hand raising a kitten, a piglet, and another critter soon to be introduced. The house was full of heat lamps and bottles of formula. Marley kept joining the pig because she liked his heat lamp, blanket, and trying to get a bite of food. The piglet wasn't willing to share 😏

Several times I have taken her outside, got distracted by the myriad activities around here, and lost her 😕 Once she was gone for three months! Can't tell you how happy we were to see her walking in the yard happily munching away on grass. We have tried several methods to keep track of her, including attaching a Tile to her shell. We've also had many discussions about what we'd like to build for her as she grows but haven't settled on anything yet. 

Summers are spent outside in an enclosure that gets moved around so she constantly has fresh grass, water, sun, and a shady spot. When the weather at night drops in the 60's she comes inside to sleep behind the recliner where her heat lamp is. Sometimes she likes a shower but most days her soaks are in the tub. Afternoons are spent wandering around the house rearranging furniture and eating. I'm convinced she's a closet interior designer... And, when the days get warm enough we sit outside while she eats grass. 

Notice the thin white lines between the scutes. That is all new growth! If you compare the video with the earlier photos you can tell how smooth her shell is growing now. 

I weigh her every year. Last year she weighed 4.5 pounds. This year she's at a whopping 13.6 pounds! She may reach 100 pounds and will live almost 100 years with one or both of the kids after we're gone 🙂

The Flock?

Late September and the weather has started to cool off earlier than usual. We brought Marley inside last week because many nights are down in the 50's and that's too cool for her digestive system. Also means I'm thoroughly enjoying being outside!

Sitting, reading, and letting Harley enjoy some sun. Suddenly around the corner the guineas alert me of their presence. A few moments later:

Looking at this photo you would think our flock consisted of turkeys, guineas, geese, and nothing else! Where in the world are all the chickens?! 

Two weeks later...

Okay, so the two week mark isn't until tomorrow... you'll get over it. Bessie is a wonderful mama. We're down two piglets but this happens. The remaining 8 are adorable, getting redder, and they've about doubled in size.

            Babies and Bessie at the barn. 

              Playing in mama's wallow. 

There is plenty of grass in the barn area but our goal is to raise them on pasture. We've had issues getting a fence put up and water to the land we have set aside for this purpose. Then Bessie finally gets pregnant and plans change. The garden area it is. We get it all set up with mobile domed huts for shelter, an electric netting boundary, and water set on a timer to give them plenty of cool mud to wallow in since shade will be minimal most of the day. Big Boy won't have any. 

We've attempted multiple times to move the hogs from the barn out to pasture. I was determined to get these babies on pasture ASAP! The Big Boy was willing but not Bessie. Can't say that I blame her. After all, she was very pregnant, or nursing, and it's been really hot. It's about a quarter mile walk. Hogs aren't really fond of climbing ramps into a trailer. We tried food, squealing piglets, the trailer, walking... multiple times, multiple combos. Hogs in abundance of 400 pounds don't move unless they want to.

Sunday morning we successfully walked the Big Boy out to his new pen. 😄

Mama almost made it... 😐

Later we got Bessie in the trailer after almost an hour. We're taking the long way around the pond. I'm following in the Ranger to close the gates. As I catch up to the second gate I'm looking at Michael standing behind the trailer with Bessie and I'm wondering why on earth he's decided to give her a potty break⁉ I mean, she's not a dog; it's not that far. Then I see we forgot to latch the sliding door... 
Inhale. Exhale. Don't lose it. I know I should've stopped about 30 minutes ago. I know I'm bordering on heat exhaustion. I know I want her on pasture. I don't know what to do, and what'll work but...
I tell Michael to get in the truck and don't stop. Of course, we get through the gate, merely yards, and Bessie decides a dip in the pond is a wonderful idea. 💦
Apparently it is. She frolics, rolls, roots for who knows what, and really enjoys herself. Michael gets a bucket of water to help the piglets stay cool in their tub in the trailer (amazing it's not that hot in there). Bessie climbs out, gate is closed, I grab a squealing piglet and, yes, she follows. We make the slow trek around the pond while I'm in a barely rinsed out cattle trailer (I really don't suggest you use your imagination) exchanging piglets for noisier ones. She made it!

Bessie was being lazy and eating while laying down. Silly girl! 

 Sweetly sharing with the piglets. I'm sure this won't last long...

Happy babies! 

Piglets at Lazy Dog Ranch

On April 1st we brought home a bred pair of hogs. She was 15 months old and he was 14. At first I named them Peggy and Sue (because everyone should have a boy named Sue). I didn't like the way Sue sounded so I went through a few combinations. None of which have stuck....

She fattened up but then stopped. Her expected due date(s) came and went. No piggies. We were disappointed. I checked her almost everyday for signs of being bred after that. Nothing....

Hence, the two reasons I haven't posted a blog about them. No names. No piglets.

A few weeks ago she started getting plump again. Having no idea when they bred I had no way to know when to expect them so I was keeping a close eye on her. Gestation is 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days on the dot. Still...

Last night I started chores as usual by going out to the barn to feed the hogs first. I was still thinking she had a week or two to go. I was wrong. She was smack dab in the middle of farrowing, already had 4, and birthed another shortly after I arrived!

              Mama with the first 5 piglets. 

              After they were all here. 

That was a fascinating experience! Mama did great! They arrive about 15 minutes apart. It's kind of obvious when another is coming but if you miss that her tail wags as the baby is emerging! The umbilical cord cuts itself. They snort out excess fluid and within a couple of minutes have stumbled their way around to find food. I only intervened twice. Once to attempt to revive the stillborn, and again to remove the sac from one. This breed is known for being docile and she had no problem with me being there close. I was petting her, dribbling water in her mouth, and encouraging her. Sigh... happy place!

They are so stinkin' CUTE!

 This morning everybody was fine. She stood up to move around. I was so worried she'd step on one! Look how huge she is and how tiny they are! She's so very gentle. Well, as much as a 400 pound hog can be! She moves slowly and gives them plenty of time to move...

There are three tiny ones. This is the smallest.

I can't ever seem to get all 10 in one shot. They're all there! 

Milk comas and mama resting. 

Finally, sound asleep...

Big Boy is lonely and doesn't know what to do with himself...

"Here, let me lay on you!"

Rest for all 😍

Happenings at the pond

Lots of activity at the pond this year! We added some fingerling bass after having a company come out to count our stock. It's a healthy pond and well stocked but we want more bass. We can catch quite a few catfish and some tiny perch most days. Our goal is to be able to go out and catch something anytime 🎣

I originally got a few ducks because I wanted them at the pond. Well, I could use some more girls. My ratio isn't ideal. I've posted a few photos of ducklings. They're so cute and fun! Watching them follow mama is adorable! Sadly for one reason or another none have survived. New mamas and cold windy weather are tough. Take your pick of predators: turtles, bass, snakes, herons, and egrets. Well, I'm happy to announce we finally have a survivor 🦆! Our Cayugas, Right, Left, and In Between (the drake) are shown here with the five little ducklings the girls co-hatched. That seems to be a trend at our place 😎 No recent photos. It spends a lot of time in the duck house and is always too far away. Here's to a long and healthy life little one!

Canadian geese that are frequent visitors. These aren't just passing through. We're told somebody raised a bunch a few years ago on the other side of town and they will now randomly show up and hang out at different lakes. We have a pair that visit us regularly for days at a time. Their current visit has lasted almost a month. Two days ago 6 more joined them. The 6 stay for the day then fly off at night and return in the morning. Love it!

Our Guinevere is happy to stay and protect his flock of chickens in the yard. He, yes he (his story here: http://lazydogranchblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/mother-goose.html?m=1), did chaperone the first ducklings at the pond for a while but was returned to the yard a couple of weeks later. He likes to play and bathe in his pool and sometimes the koi pond because he can flip upside down in it 🙃

Sprout, a crested duck, was an impulse buy at the feed store 😲 Because I've never done that before.... I wanted a yard duck. Would've worked except I have an uncanny knack for picking boys... He's a very confused duck. He tries to grab a hen by the neck once in a while but he's just not sure what to do after that. I can't exactly put him out at the pond. He'd be attacked by the others and might not survive. Here he's sitting in a nest box. He often does this in the morning sometimes joining a hen as she lays her egg. 🙄 I do have a duck I rescued one cold evening from the pond. Not sure where he/she will eventually end up once grown. If it's a girl I may let her join Sprout. Sorry, no photo. It's happily living at this point in a grow out run with some chicks though. 

I got a call one evening wanting to know if I wanted a goose. Well, I didn't want one in the yard but I was happy to take the chance she wouldn't fly away if we put her at the pond. Meet Gwendolyn, a Toulouse goose. Larger than Guinevere by a bit, she has made herself at home and keeps her distance. I hear her once in a while honking. She likes to hang out when the geese visit but seems just as happy with the ducks. 

As for the koi pond I finally ordered lilies and got them planted. Hopefully they'll all survive, fill the pond, and give us blooms all summer long 🌸 Still struggling with planting around it but I'll get there.