The Haps

Well, it has been pretty uneventful here on the prairie. "Everything is comin' around" as I heard a wise man say one time. Our turkeys are growing more and more beautiful seemingly every few days. This morning I let them out of there digs, and as they do every morning, they twit about then gather into their formation, run and take flight for the next 50 feet to the silo where our ducks have a swimming hole and the turkeys frequent. I always wonder why they fly that short distance; our house is on a hill and our outbuildings all lay at the bottom of our hill, so as they could run downhill, they chose to fly...perhaps its for my viewing pleasure. I do look forward to it every morning...it's awesome. I have tried several times to get a photo of it but the justice is never done.

All of our piglets are exquisite and our sows and boars are hopefully doing what they are suppose to be doing, although I haven't been a witness yet. The Poulet Rouge are scroungers...they are now running freely in the coop with my laying hens and are all over the acreage when they are out. I have finally been relieved of recruitment duty. I was having to spend an hour every night teaching them as a mother hen would to go back into the coop at 9 PM. It has been a few nights now and they have all been in when I go to shut them in (what a relief). I am surprised how much food they find around here...when I pick then up I can feel their gullets bulging; good greens etc.

All my ducks are looking good. My Indian Runner ducks are just like Ping (do you know the story). I didn't realize Ping from the Yangtze was a Runner...

It's that time of the month

What a relief...we finally got some new area fenced in and rotated our boars and sows, we believe that Mao Feng and Winona will have beautiful babes as Winona has long and curly hair and Mao Feng is physically perfect. We are really interested in what Freya does. Last season we saw her be bred (did I say that correctly and properly- you all know what I mean, right?) but she did not get pregnant. She is an absolutely huge and beautiful gilt with a quiet and calm demeanor and we love her! We really hope she does well this time so we placed her with Mr. Purple, who is the epitome of "Boar". He has long shaggy hair and his tusks are growing larger every week. He is moi handsome and a little rough around the edges (just like many of us like 'em!).

Still have some of Winona's "Litter of Perfection" for sale and they are all doing well and getting big...We are looking at January for processing. Penny's "Magnificent 7" and wonderful, 1.5 week old superstars. The r-u-n-t girlie, AKA "3 point 5", is now5.5 but that doesn't change her name, she'll always be "3 point 5" in my eyes. I can't believe she made it through her first night... We have some awesome sows! Have seen them out in the grass, skiddadle ye! Will update with photos later. This is a link to our kids last year but I like to revisit every once in a while...

For you viewing enjoyment, may I present...

http://www.lundphotog.com/AzureandAurelia/

Penny's litter has come to fruition!

Finally after much teat draggin', our little Penny has had 7 healthy piglets! Why do I not have batteries for my camera? I am an impossible battery buyer! But I will try to get some.

The turkey lurkies are getting 'uge and about 1/2 are still looking for a place to spend the holidays. I will be excited when they go...they are messy creatures and the shade of our human stoop, of which we pass daily...unfortunatly are passing something there all day also. I do love the sound them. They are beginning to get their "Gobbles" on and often reply to mine; I can't help but hope I am teaching them proper pronunciation.

Poulet Rouge are doing great under their lights in the coop. I feel bad that they are sharing the Indian Runner ducklings...it's amazing what a mess 8 little 4 inch ducklings can do! But the chicks are already feeling weighty...