Midnight Margarita has Octavius

I noticed yesterday that Margarita’s udder was really filling up and she had dropped.  She was positively looking gaunt where the baby had dropped.

I checked her a few times, and when I went out to feed the girls, I noticed she was lying a bit away from Antigone and Joy.  I shook my food pitcher and bribed her up to the buck room.

Margarita

She had goop hanging, and I got all panicked that she had been trying to kid for a while, so I immediately pulled her into the garage to try to check her.  She wouldn’t have any of it.  She fought me, and every time I tried to catch her she ran, and when I got back with a collar and lead, she was busy eating the chicks’ feed.

She can’t have that feed.  It’s got medicine in it to keep the chicks healthy (as a side note, that’s why I can’t move the chicks–the medicated feed would kill the geese and peacocks and I would have to discard my eggs; the girls will get moved very soon).  Anyhow, I made Margarita come to the Love Shack with me.

I checked her and her cervix was still closed. That was a relief.  She was just starting.  I kept a close eye on her, and she had a few contractions, but nothing major.  I checked her before bed, and her cervix was still closed.  I set my alarm for 1:00 am and went to bed.  The dog woke me up at 11:45, and I decided to go check her.  I found one cold foot stuck out.  I grabbed her and we went in the Love Shack to where I still had her collar and and towel.  Everything was there, but the feet were tucked under the chin, and that’s way too much to come at once.  As soon as I got the legs pulled out straight, the baby flopped out.

I went to bed, but the dog woke me up at about 3:30, so I went out to check them.  She was laying outside with the baby.  But I was already hearing rumbles of thunder, so I took him back into the Love Shack and she followed.  I put a panel up to keep them from coming back outside.  That was a good thing because the next time I woke up it was thunder, lightning and pounding rain at 4:30 am.  By morning, it was a muddy mess.

But Margarita and her buckling, Octavius, were safe and dry inside.

Margarita and Octavius

Octavius

Good job, Margarita!

Happy Easter Peeps

The chicks are doing well.

They are growing like crazy.  I’d forgotten what a big mess they make.  They get new paper every day.

Look at those little wing feathers coming in.  Their tails are starting to grow feathers too.

practicing taking a dirt bath

Little cuties!  It won’t be long before I have to move them to a bigger space.  Sadly, they’ll probably go into my garage as an in between the soap room and the outside.

Birds

Free-range hen is back out enjoying her freedom.  I don’t know why she’s the only one that goes out.  I’m good with it as long as she stays out of the yard and goes back in before dark. The goose seem jealous though.

I try to keep the geese happy with a clean pool; although you can’t tell that here.

The girls are also laying eggs now, and I’m going to let them try to hatch a batch.  If they can raise a batch, I’ll probably let them back out to free range again (as long as the coyotes stay away).

goose nest

The peacocks are starting to dance and show off their tail feathers.

My chickens are entering their third year of laying eggs.

I figured they’d cut down on their numbers, but right now I’m averaging between four and seven eggs a day from seven hens.  Not bad.

Nugget leading the girls outside

I’m pretty sure though that they will not give me that many next year, so this happened.

When I went to town for more feed, I brought home five Cinnamon Queen hens.

I decided to get them now because I won’t get many eggs from these girls until fall, but they’ll be ready to give me lots of nice big brown eggs next spring.

There is nothing better than the sound of chicks talking.