Photos of Your Manure Makers

[ducks4you]

Yep. Two girls. They moved in last November and I've been feeding them dry food in the mornings, and they each get a can of wet food in the evening. I wanted them to be healthy and stay. I went from mouse droppings on top of my grain cans to I don't see any mice in my barn anymore, so I know that they are hunting. I think that they are about 5-6 months old right now and probably are litter mates, probably dumped because I have a barn.

 

[Nyboy]

What is it about a barn that makes people feel it is ok to abandon animals ?

 

[Smart Red]

I woud have agreed that female felines are better hunters, but that was before Thumbs and Sunset came to the farm. They are litter mates who hunt as a team as well as alone.

I've watched one taunt a chipmunk from the front while the other sneaked up from behind. I've seen mouse after mouse half eaten or offered to DS as a gift each morning when he arrived to the wood shop.

The corn burner and the barrels storing the fuel, corn, are a huge enticement for mice in the area. With the cats on the prowl, the mouse population is kept down to where we seldom see or hear one other then when the cats have garnered another victim.

I'm not suggesting all male cats are such successful hunters. Just that this pair of siblings seem to be doing all the right things.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I guess I'll show my manure makers. First shot is Dumpling, Dumpling, Dumpling, Dumpling, etc.

Then I guess I'll show Stew with his ladies.

Next are the pullets that are not yet laying. They should not be that far away .

And the new additions, well in about two weeks.

 

[ducks4you]

Dumplings and Stew--ROFL!
What is your numbering system?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just number the eggs 1 to whatever so I can tell which egg is which when they are hatching. In this specific case I turned the eggs by hand when I was saving them so I wrote the number in black on one side and red on the other so I could tell which side should be up when I turned them. That means #1 is the oldest and #22 is the freshest but I'm not usually that sophisticated.

 

[ninnymary]

Ridge, I love speckle sussex's but I can't seem to get a good layer.

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Those have Speckled Sussex in their ancestry but they are really just a barnyard mix that lay green eggs. They do lay pretty well.

 

[Beekissed]

RR, those are the prettiest dumplings I've ever seen! VERY pretty flock.