Daisychick's *Journal* New Baby and it Moos!!!!

[daisychick]

I love your journal Chandra!!!

I think you should make one! Make a journal!!! Make a journal!! I need stuff to read, make a journal!! :bun

 

[MenagerieMama]

Ok I'm adding an entry I am debating on selling the ducks or not. I am not sure why I have them??? I don't like the taste of the eggs and I don't ever ever have time to bake with the eggs. The ducks are beautiful and cute but I feed them for nothing. Trying to thin out things a little so I can make it seem ok to get more goats. If I make good "reasons" then I allow myself to get things.

Do you read my thoughts??? I have a flock of 15 and they eat $40+ worth of feed every week. I get 2 eggs a day (right now) that I don't eat, don't sell, and don't craft with. The eggs do get scrambled up and fed to the chickens. The ducks take up a huge amount of space, and no grass grows where they go. We have Saxony and Welsh Harlequins that I wanted to breed and show, and a few McMurray delights (Rouens, Runners, and a Blue Swedish). The 2 Rouens lay a green egg, all the rest lay a creamy white. I've been thinking of whiddling it down to 5 ducks and merging them with the chickens in the layer pen. By doing this, the goats can have a pen of their own.

I just put my deposit down on my 3 does and will be working on building a shed for them this weekend. Woot!

 

[daisychick]

Yes! I can't stand the amount of feed my ducks eat, I only have 5 and I am not sure I want them in with the chickens because of the mess they make with the water. I don't have any male ducks so no fertile eggs, and I do feed the eggs to the dogs, or chickens, but I am just not sure of the purpose of my ducks. I could stick weanling goats in their pen so I would love to clean out the duck pen. I still may keep 2 just for the heck of it, but really why do I have them??

 

[daisychick]

Wanted to add: If I had lots of land then of course I would have ducks, but on limited land (less than 2 acres) I have to pick and choose which animals I have room for.

 

[77Herford]

Yeah, I guess if you aren't using them for anything other than cuteness, then selling them should be fine.

 

[MenagerieMama]

Wanted to add: If I had lots of land then of course I would have ducks, but on limited land (less than 2 acres) I have to pick and choose which animals I have room for.

There lies the crux. It requires creative planning to be able to do/have everything we want. I have under 1 acre!!! There was a great article in Mother Earth News a few months ago...homesteading on 1 acre...it was exactly what I've been trying to achieve. Complete with a housecow and her calf, cold boxes, goats, lots of raised beds, and of course chickens.

 

[daisychick]

I will have to go see if I can read that article online. I would eat the ducks, but it seems to be a waste since they just started laying. I am hoping I can find someone who actually likes duck eggs and then I would feel good about re-homing them.

 

[daisychick]

I live in a 20 year old house, I know it's not as old as a lot of people's houses, but our master bedroom is OLD, original stuff that was put there 20 years ago! We are far from rich, so we slowly but surely fix and update things around here. We have re-done every floor in this house except our bedroom. The carpet used to be a light light tan ( basically off white). So then add 20 years of puppies who have accidents, farm boots covered in well you know, raising 2 boys, etc. etc. etc. After tons of carpet shampoos, it is still ummmmmm not a good color anymore. YUCK!!!! I hate walking on it. I use throw rugs to make an escape from the bathroom to the hallway. Kinda like lily pads. So DH and I are just sitting here Friday and we decide this is the weekend we tear that crap out!

So all Friday evening after work I spent clearing the contents of my room and putting it into the living room. Now our living room looks like an episode of "Hoarders". So carpet is torn out!! YES!!!!! I spent all morning painting the walls so it will all be nice and clean and fresh. DH is currently putting in my new hardwood floor. WHOOOOOHOOOOOOO! Then we put up trim, and re-load the room! It has been a long time coming. So I didn't get a lot done outside today.

 

[daisychick]

Sold the ducks today, to a really nice guy just down the street who has 3 drakes that needed some girlfriends. Who knew that they would stay so close to home. He said I can come get some eggs if I ever need any(and they will be fertile if I ever feel the need to incubate some ). I love happy endings. I wonder how much feed I am going to save next week without those little piggies scarfing it down???

 

[MenagerieMama]

I live in a 20 year old house, I know it's not as old as a lot of people's houses, but our master bedroom is OLD, original stuff that was put there 20 years ago! We are far from rich, so we slowly but surely fix and update things around here. We have re-done every floor in this house except our bedroom. The carpet used to be a light light tan ( basically off white). So then add 20 years of puppies who have accidents, farm boots covered in well you know, raising 2 boys, etc. etc. etc. After tons of carpet shampoos, it is still ummmmmm not a good color anymore. YUCK!!!! I hate walking on it. I use throw rugs to make an escape from the bathroom to the hallway. Kinda like lily pads. So DH and I are just sitting here Friday and we decide this is the weekend we tear that crap out!

So all Friday evening after work I spent clearing the contents of my room and putting it into the living room. Now our living room looks like an episode of "Hoarders". So carpet is torn out!! YES!!!!! I spent all morning painting the walls so it will all be nice and clean and fresh. DH is currently putting in my new hardwood floor. WHOOOOOHOOOOOOO! Then we put up trim, and re-load the room! It has been a long time coming. So I didn't get a lot done outside today.

That is a lot of work! Good job! What color/wood did you decide on for your hardwood floors? I love changing out a room and getting a fresh perspective on it. I moved around a ton as a kid, so I need change (think rearranging furniture and lots of different painting adventures) to feel normal and keep boredom at bay. Our house is 150+ years old and the new addition was done in the 50's. We have a TON to do to this house...all on a shoe string budget.