Comments on: Our Animals http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/ I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 1 Timothy 5:14 (KJV) Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:36:53 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: godlymaiden http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/#comment-64 godlymaiden Sat, 10 May 2008 19:23:01 +0000 http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/?p=69#comment-64 Sorry, I meant to say we want to get them as keets this time! The last bunch we have were given to us when they were already half grown. Raising them should be pretty similar to raising chicks, I would think. Mom's hatched ducks, and then accidentally put the heat lamp too low and only one survived! Yeah, Prince does look kind of goofy, but he's much lighter and cooler now. :) Sorry, I meant to say we want to get them as keets this time! The last bunch we have were given to us when they were already half grown. Raising them should be pretty similar to raising chicks, I would think.

Mom’s hatched ducks, and then accidentally put the heat lamp too low and only one survived!

Yeah, Prince does look kind of goofy, but he’s much lighter and cooler now. :)

]]> By: Erika http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/#comment-62 Erika Tue, 06 May 2008 15:07:14 +0000 http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/?p=69#comment-62 Apparently the silkies don't have that central spiny part of the feather; it is all just soft so they are a "cuddly chicken." And that makes them more cold-hardy too. My only experience with hatching eggs was in 8th grade science class as a special project. Somehow all the chicks that hatched were deformed and died. Later on my mom wound up with a couple (she was a teacher and I think they hatched them in class)...she named them Sasha and Sonja and they lived at our house. Keep in mind we lived on basically a city block in the Chicago suburbs! She would take them out and let them dig worms on the compost pile. One day a neighborhood cat got them, while she was right nearby, but it was too fast for her. Very sad. How old have the keets been when you have gotten them before? I am reading different things online about raising them, and some people make it seem very complicated. By the way, I checked out your chick pictures; they were cute. But shaving a collie sure makes for one goofy looking dog! Apparently the silkies don’t have that central spiny part of the feather; it is all just soft so they are a “cuddly chicken.” And that makes them more cold-hardy too. My only experience with hatching eggs was in 8th grade science class as a special project. Somehow all the chicks that hatched were deformed and died. Later on my mom wound up with a couple (she was a teacher and I think they hatched them in class)…she named them Sasha and Sonja and they lived at our house. Keep in mind we lived on basically a city block in the Chicago suburbs! She would take them out and let them dig worms on the compost pile. One day a neighborhood cat got them, while she was right nearby, but it was too fast for her. Very sad. How old have the keets been when you have gotten them before? I am reading different things online about raising them, and some people make it seem very complicated. By the way, I checked out your chick pictures; they were cute. But shaving a collie sure makes for one goofy looking dog!

]]> By: Lacy http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/#comment-61 Lacy Tue, 06 May 2008 14:20:36 +0000 http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/?p=69#comment-61 Is that icon better? They are automatically generated (by your IP I think) We just bought a backhoe, it's an old one, but it works for digging stumps. We haven't tried to get it down to the pond yet, we'll have to wait until it gets dryer because it'll get stuck. So until then I have to dig with a shovel and hoe. :P I've never heard of Silkies. It ought to be fun to watch guineas hatch though, we get them as keets (babies), we've never gotten them in eggs before. We've hatched chickens and ducks before, and that's always been fun. :D You're going to have to build some kind of house / pen for those guineas though!! Is that icon better? They are automatically generated (by your IP I think)

We just bought a backhoe, it’s an old one, but it works for digging stumps. We haven’t tried to get it down to the pond yet, we’ll have to wait until it gets dryer because it’ll get stuck. So until then I have to dig with a shovel and hoe. :P

I’ve never heard of Silkies. It ought to be fun to watch guineas hatch though, we get them as keets (babies), we’ve never gotten them in eggs before.
We’ve hatched chickens and ducks before, and that’s always been fun. :D

You’re going to have to build some kind of house / pen for those guineas though!!

]]> By: Erika http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/#comment-60 Erika Tue, 06 May 2008 12:49:00 +0000 http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/?p=69#comment-60 Okay, I am going to have to find a picture to replace the blue face that is now appearing by my posts! I can't imagine digging a pond without heavy machinery, though I guess that is how it was done before there were backhoes. Of course, THAT has gotten stuck in the constantly filling pond/surrounding mud more than once. Well, I found out yesterday, much to my surprise, that I am going to be receiving a shipment of eggs very soon: guineas and a kind of chicken called "silkies?" I have been talking about having some for years really, but my husband always said that would be too much fuss. Out of the blue yesterday he came home with the news that I was getting these eggs and an incubator for Mother's Day! I am so nervous--what if none of them hatch? What if I do something wrong? And where will they live?! (We have plenty of land but no house/coop for them...yet) I guess it is going to be a bit of an adventure! Okay, I am going to have to find a picture to replace the blue face that is now appearing by my posts! I can’t imagine digging a pond without heavy machinery, though I guess that is how it was done before there were backhoes. Of course, THAT has gotten stuck in the constantly filling pond/surrounding mud more than once. Well, I found out yesterday, much to my surprise, that I am going to be receiving a shipment of eggs very soon: guineas and a kind of chicken called “silkies?” I have been talking about having some for years really, but my husband always said that would be too much fuss. Out of the blue yesterday he came home with the news that I was getting these eggs and an incubator for Mother’s Day! I am so nervous–what if none of them hatch? What if I do something wrong? And where will they live?! (We have plenty of land but no house/coop for them…yet) I guess it is going to be a bit of an adventure!

]]> By: Lacy http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/#comment-58 Lacy Mon, 05 May 2008 17:06:09 +0000 http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/?p=69#comment-58 Well, I guess you could eat guineas, probably tastes like chicken, but we've never done it. We don't eat the eggs, though they do lay them. They're small and the shells are really, really hard. We just mainly use them for bug control and watch dogs. And they are very independent birds! The small pond we currently have would probably only be an 8x10 ft. It's really small, but I've been trying to dig it out a little. Shoveling mud isn't too easy though! It's fed by a spring too, so the more I dig out the more it fills up. Well, I guess you could eat guineas, probably tastes like chicken, but we’ve never done it.
We don’t eat the eggs, though they do lay them. They’re small and the shells are really, really hard.
We just mainly use them for bug control and watch dogs. And they are very independent birds!

The small pond we currently have would probably only be an 8×10 ft. It’s really small, but I’ve been trying to dig it out a little. Shoveling mud isn’t too easy though!
It’s fed by a spring too, so the more I dig out the more it fills up.

]]> By: Erika http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/#comment-57 Erika Mon, 05 May 2008 16:01:52 +0000 http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/?p=69#comment-57 The pond is only about 40x60 at this point, but there is quite a bit of marshy ground that still can be dug out, maybe once the clearing and leveling for the new garden is done. Ultimately we'd like about a one acre pond; my husband is interested in doing a little fish farming too. We have friends who are missionaries in Haiti who have delved into that quite a bit. Of course our climate here (extreme northern NY) is just a tiny bit different.... The pond is fed year-round by an artesian spring; where the spring feed comes in it never freezes, no matter how cold it gets, because it is always flowing. But we do need to clean it up some too--get the right kind of fish to do that I suppose, it's not too bad. With the guineas, are those raised only for bug control, or are they raised for meat/eggs as well? The pond is only about 40×60 at this point, but there is quite a bit of marshy ground that still can be dug out, maybe once the clearing and leveling for the new garden is done. Ultimately we’d like about a one acre pond; my husband is interested in doing a little fish farming too. We have friends who are missionaries in Haiti who have delved into that quite a bit. Of course our climate here (extreme northern NY) is just a tiny bit different…. The pond is fed year-round by an artesian spring; where the spring feed comes in it never freezes, no matter how cold it gets, because it is always flowing. But we do need to clean it up some too–get the right kind of fish to do that I suppose, it’s not too bad. With the guineas, are those raised only for bug control, or are they raised for meat/eggs as well?

]]> By: Lacy http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/#comment-56 Lacy Mon, 05 May 2008 14:40:45 +0000 http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/?p=69#comment-56 The guineas would definitely wander, ours still do sometimes. We used to even have to herd them back ourselves when they went to far, to kind of teach them not to go that way. ;) But after a while (might be a long while!) they'll know where their home is, and will come back. How big is your pond? We want to get some more ducks after / if we can clean ours out and make it bigger. Maybe you should get some ducks. :) They're not hard to keep, and very fun! The guineas would definitely wander, ours still do sometimes. We used to even have to herd them back ourselves when they went to far, to kind of teach them not to go that way. ;)
But after a while (might be a long while!) they’ll know where their home is, and will come back.

How big is your pond? We want to get some more ducks after / if we can clean ours out and make it bigger. Maybe you should get some ducks. :) They’re not hard to keep, and very fun!

]]> By: Erika http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/our-animals/#comment-54 Erika Fri, 02 May 2008 17:12:13 +0000 http://agodlymaiden.wordpress.com/?p=69#comment-54 Lacy this is so neat--I love seeing the animals and where they live, and hearing about their personalities. Very informative AND entertaining! I had no idea Guineas were that--shall we say--intense! The bug-eating would be really nice though. I wonder if we could keep them in our yard, or if they would wander off into the woods and be gone. The picture of Jack is just great, like he is rising up out of the clover. Maybe as he gets older he'll become forgetful and be nicer to you ;) We have a pond out back and we keep hoping wild ducks will move in. Last Sunday there were 2 swimming in it when I got up, but by evening they were gone--must not have suited them. We get wild turkeys passing through too. They are quite fun to watch, especially if there is a male trying to impress the lady turkeys. (My husband always remarks that he wishes he were a hunter when they walk through!) Thanks for making me smile. Lacy this is so neat–I love seeing the animals and where they live, and hearing about their personalities. Very informative AND entertaining! I had no idea Guineas were that–shall we say–intense! The bug-eating would be really nice though. I wonder if we could keep them in our yard, or if they would wander off into the woods and be gone. The picture of Jack is just great, like he is rising up out of the clover. Maybe as he gets older he’ll become forgetful and be nicer to you ;) We have a pond out back and we keep hoping wild ducks will move in. Last Sunday there were 2 swimming in it when I got up, but by evening they were gone–must not have suited them. We get wild turkeys passing through too. They are quite fun to watch, especially if there is a male trying to impress the lady turkeys. (My husband always remarks that he wishes he were a hunter when they walk through!) Thanks for making me smile.

]]>