rachels.haven's Journal

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

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Miss @rachels.haven,

I am about to show my ignorance of goats: does the little goat in the picture have ears? Are they simply folded back or are they really as short as they appear to be?

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[rachels.haven]

@Senile_Texas_Aggie
Goats are better without ears.
He is a Lamancha goat. Their outstanding feature is little to no ear, but it comes with a very willing and docile temperament, small standard goat size, and a moderate butterfat in their milk.

I believe we lamancha owners are supposed to tell people who ask that question that we cut them off and ate said ears, but I haven't managed to bring myself to saying that. The truth is that they are born that way and that's all.

 

[rachels.haven]

No more extra roosters unless the keeper whiting cockerels start causing me grief. I believe there are 3 or maybe 4. I will count tonight.
The keeper Drake has been picked. The rest can go, except the freezer is full of meat, so they will have to go one at a time and we will just eat duck once a week. I wonder how many ducks we will wind up with.

 

[Bruce]

The truth is that they are born that way and that's all.

I still think all goats should have ears
Maybe I should start breeding Lamanchas selecting those with the largest ears. Maybe I could develop a line that looked like a goat

The next batch I do should be processed or sold by 8 weeks

I didn't realize Pekins grew as fast as CX chickens.

 

[rachels.haven]

@Bruce that they do, but they eat much more. The trade off is that at 3-4 weeks they look and act like mini adults and can go out foraging.

 

[rachels.haven]

Six chickens last night decided to roll the dice and sleep outside in the trees. Six became five over night. Half the stupid chickens decided to do it tonight. I caught all but 3, no thanks to the dog who decided we were hunting them and tried to help me by killing them. Ooo, did she get yelled at and backed up for trying that...she's also lost loft privileges for staying IN the loft to poop and pee when the door was wide open today...because she doesnt want to get locked out when I'm milking in the morning (she's a got food issues with other animals food, but never her own, of course) So yes, no more loft privileges. I need that hay.
I'm afraid I'm in a terrible mood tonight.
Tomorrow I'm trimming wings, keeping birds locked up to retrain, and continuing to keep my remaining hay stubborn poo and pee free.

 

[rachels.haven]

Chicken issue may have started because I took the red sex link males out of the picture and there are no calm, not stupid birds left or alternatively because we had two tons of diseases pine fall across the driveway and block us and two other houses road access in Friday's storm, which meant we had to pay $750 to get it removed and the tree was bigger than they thought and the chipper struggled for over two hours which stressed out everything on the property with the noise...or it could just be that the whitings and leghorns are stupid and they want to die. Yay. Good night.

 

[CntryBoy777]

....sounds like ya could use one....aww heck!!....have another........

 

[rachels.haven]

Thank you.
Wings clipped and birds locked in the coop and run. I have 32 or 33 chickens left. 4 are roosters.
Since I was in a counting mood I took inventory of how many extra drakes are on my work order-only 5, thank goodness. They need some fattening, unlike the female ducks and keeper drake it feels like they have been getting the short end of the stick at feeding time. They'll enjoy the next few weeks, I hope. Pekins love their feed and corn. Then my keepers will probably be too fat, but whatever. That's meat ducks.

 

[Baymule]

I raised pekins for freezer meat one time. There is a very narrow window for plucking them before they sprout pin feathers like a pin cushion. Then it takes pliers, a chisel, jackhammer, block and tackle, just to get ‘em plucked! GAH!!