First Californian Litter

Posted on July 20, 2014 by onedogrunning

Newborn Californian kits

Today marks the date of our very first purebred Californian litter. It was also Samphire and Scorch’s first litter and things couldn’t have gone more smoothly.

Samphire ripped her prepared nest box to shreds when it was put in (I should have known better than to line it with a paper feed bag!) and so I replaced the shredded bag with a new cardboard liner and she went to work getting it cozy. I use wire nest boxes so they need a new liner every time to hold the wood chips and straw inside.

Yesterday afternoon I noticed that she had started pulling fur, which is a first here. Generally all the moms here pull fur immediately before kindling and not a minute sooner. Fur in the nest box means kits in the nest box. I was pretty sure from all this motherly activity that Sam was going to do a great job.

Today I woke up to eight very pink and fat looking kits, all born in the nest box. There was one uneaten placenta that needed to be removed and a few kits had some scratches on them, but other than that things went perfectly. Now if I could only get the person who sold me these rabbits to finally give me their pedigrees. I’ve paid for them and I would like to have them, it’s been months now without any reply. Very frustrating.

Esther, my Creme d’Argent, was also bred to Scorch at the same time, but she has a habit of kindling on day 32. She looks huge, so most likely we will have even more new kits tomorrow. Yay!

“Pet” Chickens

Posted on July 9, 2014 by onedogrunning

I love my chickens and they are all very nice chickens, if I do say so. I currently have one Buff Orpington, one Red Rock (Rhode Island Red/ Barred Rock cross), one Columbian Rock, two Black Copper Marans and two Barred Rocks.

I’ve raised all my current chickens from store-bought chicks, except the two newest additions, the Barred Rocks who were purchased from the Poultry Swap last Sunday.

So far, the Marans were flightiest as chicks, with the Red Rock and the Columbian Rock in second. The Buff was a fairly friendly chick, but if you really want a friendly chicken who will not only tolerate but enjoy being picked up, who you will want to bring in the house, who you will allow out to free range after only two days… Who is basically like a puppy dog… You evidently need to get chickens raised by a lovely little British girl who have been given a kiss goodnight every day of their young lives.

I finally understand the concept of the “pet” chicken. I mean, all my chickens are now very friendly and instantly underfoot when I go in the pen. They’re not scared of me, they know I’m the food machine. But these new chickens are a whole different class of bird. They are just so human-bonded and I couldn’t be more grateful to the awesome future farmer girl who raised and sold them to me. Thank you!

Poultry Swap Day

Posted on July 7, 2014 by onedogrunning

Well, the rabbits were packed up and trucked off to the swap this morning. As I predicted, there were plenty of admirers but no buyers. I did give out my number to a few people though, which will hopefully translate to some sales later on.

There were lots of things on offer, it was probably the best-attended swap I’ve been to so far, even though it was rainy. I managed to pick up a few excellent new additions to the homestead and only spent a grand total of $56.

My first purchase was something I’ve been wanting for a long time… Homing pigeons. Ok, I did want fantail pigeons, but I needed birds that could occupy the upper quadrant of the chicken pen and fantails are not great fliers. Plus, with homing pigeons you can drive them miles away and let them go and they find their way home. You can’t have that kind of fun with a fantail!

My five new homers

The second purchase was a pair of chocolate Muscovy ducklings. I know, the last thing I need is more ducklings but I really want the chocolate color, so hopefully they will stay on as breeders. The other, older ducklings will probably all be going to freezer camp at the 12 week mark, around the beginning of August.

Third purchase was another long-time desire of mine… Barred Rock chickens! Barred Rocks were the breed I wanted first when I moved here, but somehow it never worked out. Today I purchased a young pullet and cockerel pair from a lovely little girl who told me they have been kissed goodnight every day since they were born. They certainly are very friendly birds. I’m going to try making my version of a “No-Crow” collar for the rooster to see if it actually works. It’s just a little fabric collar that goes around the neck and prevents the rooster from getting a full big breath of air to let out a big crow. I’m skeptical but it sure would be awesome to hatch out my own chicken chicks!

My final purchase for $6 was a dozen pastel green Ameraucana hatching eggs. They’ll be going into the incubator with the latest clutch of quail eggs in the next few days. I’m very excited to see what develops!

Hybrid Kit Weights & Sexing – Week 5

Posted on July 4, 2014 by onedogrunning

Week five already! I decided to sex the kits while I was at it to see who was who. Here are the results: 800g (buck), 755g (buck), 708g (doe), 697g (doe), 674g (doe), 653g (buck), 615g (buck) and 549g (buck). That’s a total weight increase of 1292g from last week. I wish the bigger kits were does, but they may still catch up. I’ll have to keep my eye on them. Both of the reddish-colored kits turned out to be bucks.

I’m planning to bring the older Rex and Silver Marten kits I have for sale to the Oceanside Poultry Swap this Sunday, July 6th. Hopefully I’ll be able to sell a few, but I don’t think rabbits sell very well at these meets, just from personal observation. It can’t hurt though, you never know. It will be my first time selling anything at the Poultry Swap, so that’s very fun. Not sure I would attempt it if I didn’t have my helpful boyfriend and his beautiful truck though. It’s hard getting over a dozen rabbits and their cages into a hatchback!

What Color is My Coturnix Quail Chick?

Posted on July 1, 2014 by onedogrunning

Want to know what color your little fluffball will be when they grow up? Here’s a little guide:

Wild Type or Pharaoh

White or Texas A&M

Tibetan or Dark Range

Silver

Tuxedo

Golden/Italian or Manchurian

I hope this helps satiate your burning quail coloration curiosity!

Nearly Lost One

Posted on July 1, 2014 by onedogrunning

I woke up this morning after about five hours of sleep, which if you know me, you’ll know is VERY unusual. I like my sleep. Anyway, for some reason I felt compelled to go outside and check on everyone. First thing I did of course was to open the nestbox to check on the new ducklings. First it seemed like no more had hatched, but then I noticed a dark lump buried in the woodchips. It was a fourth duckling. It was cold, still wet and had not fully absorbed his yolk… But almost. His eyes were dry and caked open with sawdust. But he was moving, ever so slightly.

I picked him up and brought him inside where I immersed him in a bowl of warm water up to his neck. After a few minutes, he started to revive. I dunked his head briefly to clean out his eyes and he sputtered a bit but then closed them up properly. I kept him in the water until it began to cool and then put him on a towel under a heat lamp. His breathing was a lot better and he was making feeble attempts to preen himself. In the meantime I went out again and removed the remaining five eggs from underneath the duck. After candling, they all turned out to be bad. Hoping the duck would now leave the nest and take care of her young, I kept an eye on her. She left the nest and the three ducklings followed her. However, once they left the coop the larger ducklings began picking on them immediately. The mother made no attempt to protect them, so I made the decision to transfer them to the brooder. The healthy ducklings began to drink and eat right away and snuggle up next to the rescued duckling who is slowly fluffing up. I guess this solves the problem of how to feed them without all the adults stealing their chick starter. I may try to reintroduce them to their mother in a day or two once they are all doing well, but who knows if such a thing is possible. If not, they’ll just get raised in the brooder.

I think I may need a nap later.

New Baby Muscovy Ducks!

Posted on July 1, 2014 by onedogrunning

Being super busy with taxes today meant I got out to feed the animals a little later than usual. As I was feeding the quail I kept hearing a little peeping sound near the older ducklings. I kept looking to see which one was peeping but couldn’t see any lips moving, ha. Was it the quail? It was a peep that was a little out of place.

Suddenly I noticed a little brown ball of fluff beside the duck pool. BABIES! I grabbed the little guy and put him in a safe spot. When I looked into the nestbox, I saw two more ducklings in with mama, so I put him in too.

I’m so excited! These are the first ducklings that have ever been born here. The colors look interesting and I wonder how they’ll turn out. They seem mostly brownish. The drake, their father, is black and their mother looks like pied lilac. I know Muscovy color genetics are fairly specific and you usually only get one or two colors each time. Generally the ducklings will look a lot like the parents although there are exceptions. You can see what I mean here: http://www.muscovyduckcentral.com/genetics.html

Now I just have to figure out how to feed them chick starter without everyone else eating it all first!

Hybrid Kit Weights – 4 Weeks

Posted on June 29, 2014 by onedogrunning

The hybrid kits are growing fast and are now a month old. The weights this week are: 490g, 590g, 483g, 567g, 529g, 531g, 515g and 454g. That’s a total increase from last week of 2130g which means they more than doubled in weight.

Copycat Costco Seafood-Stuffed Salmon

Posted on June 23, 2014 by onedogrunning

This is based on the real components used in Costco stuffed salmon, except the kind of gross Stove Top Stuffing mix has been replaced with natural ingredients. I love this dish and I know my mom loves it too! It’s actually very simple to put together and produces far better results than the store bought version. It’s easy to get the three main seafood ingredients if you have a boyfriend with a little fishing boat and you live on Vancouver Island. I’m so lucky!

Copycat Costco Stuffed Salmon

6 wild salmon filet portions (plus salt and pepper to season)
1 cup cooked white or brown rice (1/2 cup uncooked rice + 1 cup water)
1 cup fresh cooked crab meat
1 cup fresh cooked prawns, chopped roughly
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 T salted butter
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
1-2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 T mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 t fresh ground pepper, ground sage, ground rosemary, celery seed
1 t kosher salt, paprika, dill (1 T fresh), parsley (1 T fresh)
1 T fresh lemon juice plus lemon wedges for garnish
1 T olive oil
1/4 t cayenne (optional)

Rinse rice and cook or use leftover rice. Saute onion in butter on medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add breadcrumbs and spices and toss well, saute for one more minute. Transfer to bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except the olive oil and the salmon. Mix well.

Slice a slit lengthwise down the middle of each salmon filet and divide your portions of stuffing into balls, pressing them firmly into the centers of each steak. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium-high, season your salmon with salt and pepper and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side depending on thickness and desired doneness. Allow to rest off heat for 3 minutes before serving. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Serves six but uncooked extras will keep in the fridge for up to three days, so dinner for two for three days in a row, maybe?

Breeding Day

Posted on June 21, 2014 by onedogrunning

Today was Scorch’s inauguration as a breeding buck. He’s grown a lot since I bought him, and he’s a laid-back Californian boy. He was bred to Esther the Creme d’Argent and Samphire, my other Californian. He was excellent with the ladies and I could tell they liked him as they lifted right away. He’s big but he’s gentle. Looking forward to my first litter of hybrid Creme/Californian kits, and hopefully a nice litter of purebred Californians. It will be Samphire’s first litter, so anything or nothing could happen.