Sebastopol geese are elegant quiet geese with friendly dispositions. They do not have good fertility somewhat because of the multitudes of feathers which may impede mating and also because of inbreeding. They are remarkable to view, wafting gracefully along as though wearing ruffled white gowns. They love to swim just as any other geese do and require water to keep their feathers oiled and their nostrils and eyes clean. The survival rate of the young goslings is also compromised, again due to inbreeding. For that reason, Sebastopol geese are sometimes mated with other breeds and produce coloured frizzle feathered geese or white with hybrid vigour. I am thrilled to finally have these magnificent birds as part of the farm. Simply stunning!
Sebastopol geese likely originated from a grey goose with mutated feathers much like the frizzled feather chickens. Although no one knows for sure the place of origin, there is a city named Sebastopol in Eastern Europe and that is where the geese are thought to have come from.
Sebastopol geese are elegant quiet geese with friendly dispositions. They do not have good fertility somewhat because of the multitudes of feathers which may impede mating and also because of inbreeding. They are remarkable to view, wafting gracefully along as though wearing ruffled white gowns. They love to swim just as any other geese do and require water to keep their feathers oiled and their nostrils and eyes clean. The survival rate of the young goslings is also compromised, again due to inbreeding. For that reason, Sebastopol geese are sometimes mated with other breeds and produce coloured frizzle feathered geese or white with hybrid vigour. I am thrilled to finally have these magnificent birds as part of the farm. Simply stunning!
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There are still too many birds to winter over on the farm. Some have gone to the processors in September, but there have been several broods hatched and raised since then, and two hens still sitting on eggs right now. I am convinced they know what they are doing and winter is not on its way any time soon, otherwise the hens would never be hatching babies so late. There are 5 geese, 2 American Buff, 2 Sebastopols, and an Embden/Toulouse gander and too many ducks, a bunch of Khaki Campbells, Rouens, 3 Saxony girls, Anaconas and a few crosses. There are still baby ducks on their way growing up, and oh yes, the Muscovy ducks too. There were only 5 Guineas which is plenty, but the hens hatched another four and another hen hatched another 2 I think. The chicken varieties are my project chickens, White Chantecler/Ameraucana crosses. I was looking for a hardy bird that is a good winter layer and a great forager. So far, the crossed birds are all that, but winter will be the test. Then there are some others: both bantam and standard Sultans, Malays, Crevecours, Houdans, Sumatras, Speckled Sussex, White Sussex (goes by a different name, I know, just can't think of it), gold laced Wyandotte, a couple of turkey hens, various Silkies, and pure Ameraucanas, Chanteclers (both white and Partridge) and some bantam crosses with Silkie and/or Japanese bantam influence. Some of these birds are pretty rare breeds and were brought from Ontario this spring as chicks. Most of the others were picked up locally or somewhere in Alberta from breeders. Some of the roosters will have to go before winter, but according to the broody hens, that is still a way off, so they can enjoy another month of this gorgeous fall we are having. Then….oh well. The colourful ones with the red heads and beautiful black/green feathers on the left are the Malays, an ancient breed from which domestic chickens have been bred. They are supposed to be exquisite eating. There is a light Sussex in the foreground with the black feathers around her neck, next to the gold laced Wyandotte on her right and the Speckled Sussex on her left.
About 11 o'clock you can see the pair of beautiful Sebastopol geese and a young Rouen duck in front of them. The Guineas are to their left and one is to the right. A young Ameraucana pullet is running to the right mid section. The birds were about to be fed, which is why they were all coming towards me.
I went to visit a friend and pick up some meat he had for the dogs. While I was there, he showed me around his little farm, a work in progress, just like mine and I suspect, most farms. He has a section that is going to be a waterfall into a lovely dug out pond in which he raises lake trout. Rabbits are hopping around the pond and all around the acreage, and they are there for food. This friend is a hunter and has done taxidermy of many of his conquests, which he has around his shop, and in the back of the shop is where he lives. It is a one room 'man cave' as he terms it. He has built the entire thing himself and is proud of his accomplishments, which is nice to see.
The cows he has are not big by today's cow standard sizes. The Simmental cows being boarded at my farm are twice the size of these cows, but they have really big horns and it is the horns that are prized and sought after. The breed are Texas Long Horns. They are quite wild and highly protective of their calves. They have those big horns for a reason and they use them for defence as well as to assert domination in the herd, yet no cattle are skewered. It takes years to grow a large set of horns, large enough to butcher the cow for, but by then the cow is rather tough, so is best for ground meat or stew meat. Young steers are great for general eating and supposedly quite delicious, being lean and strictly grass fed. He even has a cow that is coloured like a calico cat! But, they have really BIG horns and I would never have something that dangerous. He uses his quad to manage them and is respectful, yet very careful around them. I certainly would be too! The bunnies have started to come out of the den on a regular basis and are eating pellets and drinking water. They are not being nursed anymore. It is time to put them in their own cages, but I don't yet have cages. Also, I have not figured out how to catch them, since the moment they see me, they retreat back to their underground burrow. I have thought of sitting there quietly with something to cover the burrow, but then all six babies would have to come out before I covered it. Or, I guess not. I could catch one or two at a time. They are so adorable at this age. These rabbits are basically spoken for, if there is a male and four females. They will be sold to a local fellow for breeding, but not with pedigrees. It is either that, or eat them, and they are so darn cute, that is going to be hard to do at any stage. Some farmer, hmmm? I love my sheep! I don't mind feeding them every day, even in the dead of winter, because I have a chance to interact with them and get to know them individually. Some are greedy little girls, always looking for the tastiest morsels. Some are shy lassies, and wait until the greedy girls are done, so they are not pushed out of the way by them. They don't get many of the tasty bits, but they are not suffering either. The llamas are not sheep, I know! But I love them too. Karin may be going to a new home soon, because I simply don't need three. I don't even NEED one, but my plan is to keep Lucy and her baby, Audrey and since I no longer have a male, that is it for llamas at The Fat Ewe Farm. I wish I had a better way to keep their pen free of manure, so they had clean grass all the time. More pens would be the answer, with a long time in between occupying each one. The goats are going to be moved this winter to where the new goat barn is. The ewe lambs will occupy the goat pen then, but there is a heavy worm load in those pens. It means constant vigilance with herbal powder that rids the sheep of worms, plus garlic and healthy feed so they have a balanced diet. They wast a ton of hay. I have been taking the straw out they don't eat and filling the shelters with it instead of straw. If I had two little donkeys, they would gladly eat up that left over hay and thrive on it. Leda, and Thor beside her, the Icelandics. Thor will make a fine breeding ram next year. Leda is a great specimen of an Icelandic sheep, even if she is totally wild. She cannot help that since her mother was a leader sheep and had twins in the winter in the bush, only to bring them back in spring. How they survived the winter is beyond me, but that is why I love Icelandic sheep. Well, one of the many reasons.
The sheep crew had a birthday party to attend, but they showed up willing and ready to work a little later in the day. We managed to get six sheep into the truck and that was not easy. These were the six largest sheep on the farm, well, five of them are, and the sixth is a wild thing. She is extremely smart and difficult to catch. A primitive breed cross, Shetland and Barbados Blackbelly, she also is very good at jumping and planning escapes. Robbie, the border collie, had to catch her for me and then several of us pounced on her to hold her down before she was up and running again. Then we locked her into a kennel. She can jump fences if she feels the need to and I was not willing to try to catch her again. I will miss her though. She is one of those sheep that is a pain in the butt and at the same time, you know she is just ten steps ahead of the rest of the flock and can't fault her for the way she is. If all sheep were like her, sheep management would have a whole new meaning. She is parasite resistant and also a super forager and an excellent mother. But she is tiny and has small lambs that do not grow fast or big, plus being half Barbados, her wool sheds and is worthless for quality, so some of her lambs have that as well.
I could not part with Little Red. Oh well. And all the lambs stayed, Oh well again. I will take them to the butcher in January for the freezer at the Inn. Lamb is always popular with the guests. The crew promised to come back in a few weeks to sort the lambs, which we did not get to do today, due to time constraints. They were really super, I am grateful for their help. There is no way I could have ever managed to get these ewes (and one wether) into the truck without them. Thanks so much to all of them. And to do it out of the goodness of their hearts…well, I am honoured. Next time they are out I promised hot dogs and chile and cake because there was no time today. I did begin the journey to Tofield, but when I fuelled up, I called the auction house and they said that I would not make it before they closed at 8 tonight and they were not waiting for anyone. So, the sheep are in the truck until tomorrow morning. Bright and early Robbie and I will make the long drive to Tofield and back. Then it will be good bye sheep for sure. What a day! It is a very difficult decision. Who stays and who goes? What is the value of the sheep and are they going to pay their way?
I have some small sheep, Barbados and Shetland crosses. The Barbados Blackbelly sheep are quite small, primitive and wild. They are not attractive sheep in my eyes, but are parasite resistant and very self sufficient, being excellent foragers and great mothers. But they are small and small lambs do not sell. She goes. There are several Karakul cross ewes. Their wool is coarse, so not really desirable by hand spinners, though felters may like it. They produce babies that are not pretty and depending on the sire, may or may not be marketable. They are good feed converters though, thriving on what some sheep would barely survive on. They go. There are three ewes. The Suffolk sheep are akin to the meat chickens. They eat a lot and are poor feed converters and poor foragers. There is a wether, a fat, old wheezy guy and a ewe. She did have nice twins, but the Suffolks go. Little Red is an adorable sheep, half Icelandic and half Barbdos/Shetland cross. She is pretty, but tiny and not friendly. With regrets, she goes. There will be no lambs going to the auction this year. The Babydoll cross lambs will have their fleece assessed in the spring after shearing. They were mated to Jacobs and the wool might be pretty spectacular. The two registered Babydoll lambs stay. There is an Icelandic ram lamb I have named Thor the Second and he is gorgeous. The other two ram lambs…well, they do sell for meat in the spring, and don't eat as much as large sheep…I guess they stay. The Dorset ewe and ram lamb go. The Jacobs will all stay unless I get a buyer for two ewes. Then I would keep just three ewes and the new ram. The Cotswolds all stay. The Blue Faced Leiscester sheep will stay, but they are for sale at registered prices. Walter, the Cotswold ram, can only breed the older ewes because the daughters are his. The Blue Faced Leicester ram will have to do the job for the rest. So, tomorrow, a crew of 14 year old boys and girls are coming to wrangle, tag and load the sheep that are going to the auction. I will feed them some hot dogs and chile as a token of my gratitude. The mother of one is awesome and she is bringing the kids down and taking them home. Thank you Gail. The sheep will go to the auction on Sunday evening and be sold the next day. I do not have to be present at the auction, but would like to be. It is 2 hours from here and I don't think I can spare the time. Oh well, next year, maybe. I want to thank the sheep for their lives, their babies and their beauty. I love them all and have enjoyed them. I wish they would be going to good homes, but I think most will go for food, especially the small ones. I am grateful for the opportunity to have taken care of them for the brief time they were with me. Good bye my sherries. I love you. Yesterday Robbie heard something and took off in that direction, the old abandoned car on the wrong side of the fence. I heard it too, the unmistakable cry of a baby kitten, only this one was very loud. I arrived at the car and called the kitten and to my surprise, he came out of the trunk area to the sound of my voice. For a feral cat, this is not usual. More often the kitten would hide, hiss and spit, arch his back and hope that I went away.
So, I was able to pick the little kitten up and take him to the house because he was so willing. As soon as I picked him up, he began to purr. He was not afraid. It was as though he knew he would be safe. I tried to give him milk in a saucer and some food softened in milk, but he did not know how to drink or eat anything. I estimate his age between 4 and 5 weeks. His canine teeth have erupted, but that is all. He slept comfortably in a very large box. I filled a 5 gallon bucket with hot water, put on a lid and wrapped it in a towel to keep him warm. He was in the kitchen anyhow, but alone in the box, and I wanted him to fee comfortable. I fed him twice with a syringe, warm cow's milk from my Jersey, Elsie. He took in about 30 millilitres, which is not much, but lots for a little kitten. He finally slept from midnight until 5 am. I fed him at 5 am and he wanted to cuddle and play. I wanted to sleep so I put him back in the box and hoped for the best. He did not go back to sleep and of course, neither did I. Today, I did manage to get him to drink on his own, but still syringe fed him too. I stuck his little face in a saucer of warm milk over and over again. He licked the milk from his whiskers, though he did not make the connection for a long time. Then he tried to bite the saucer and finally he attempted to drink. He did not take in much and was very awkward, but it was a start. I also broke some cheese into very small pieces and shoved one in his mouth. He liked it and took a few more pieces on his own. He is bright, super friendly, playful and unafraid. He already is able to crawl up my leg into my lap and jump down on his own. I think he will be a remarkable cat, but I cannot keep him here or incest will come about. My friend Penelope is going to drive out all the way from Edmonton tomorrow to rescue him. She has bottle fed many kittens, so he will be in great hands, but she loves cats and that is wonderful. Thank you Penelope. The kitten is going to be a fantastic addition to your family. He is already something else. Sweet thing!d I wrote the long story of this little kitten but the site deleted it. I am tired and don't have the energy to write his story again. He is sleeping on my chest next to my heart, but is too young to eat or drink on his own. Sweet little kitten, never before saw a human and knew I was there to help him. He came to me right away and purrs when I pet him. I think he is 4 weeks or so. Good night all. ZZZZZ I got a Flemish Giant buck from a breeder who imported him from Holland. He cost me an arm and two legs, and two does came with him, but the dogs liberated the does and ate them. Dogs and rabbits …no. They must be caged.
Three weeks ago, there was a litter of dead baby rabbits dragged out of the underground burrow the does dug. I am now sure they were Cindy the French lop eared rabbit's babies, because Sandy, the red sandy Flemish Giant has been tending babies and today was the very first day I saw one. Oh my, they are so adorable. How can I even think of eating one? The rabbits are pedigreed and it would be better for me to sell them for breeding stock because they are so beautiful. They are meat rabbits, however, and their purpose on the farm is to provide lots of fresh rabbit meat. I must yet learn now how to care further for the babies, when to remove them from the mother and I will rebreed the does. I will leave one in the kennel and take the other out though, to prevent the killing of the babies again. Poor Petey, he is just biding his time now. He can stay with the adult females for three weeks approximately, which is the time it takes for them being pregnant. Then Petey will go do a winter kennel and the ladies will be separated until the babies are old enough to remove. Finally, the girls will go to their winter kennel too. They are given straw bales and they burrow into the bales to create a snug warm den for themselves. They do get along - that is if they do not have babies, they do! If you click on the photo, you can just see a baby coming up from the burrow in between the two nesting boxes. |
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AuthorFluffy writes daily about the experiences on the farm and with the bed and breakfast patrons. Archives
October 2020
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