Ahh, spring!

With the advent of warm weather I've now got 25 projects started - at various stages of completion - and virtually nothing finished. Just as I'm completing one, I begin two more. *sigh*

So here's what I've gotten done:

Turkey pen before:

and after:

I still have to put a door on it (opposite side), cover those gaps with wire, and that roof is not nailed down yet, that's why it looks weird. The poults won't be able to go in just yet, anyway. They're still in the brooder:

That's nine Bourbon Red turkey poults (originally ten) and ... and I don't know what. These wee fluffy biddies were in with the poults when they arrived. What are they, live padding? Were there a few leftover chicks from other hatches and the hatchery just says: "Oh, just drop a few in each box as bonus prizes!"

I'm NOT complaining, mind you. I think it's cool and can't wait to see what turns out. I know that they're bantams and I have a few Cochins in there. It's a nice mystery!

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The rest of the chicks are doing well in their new pen and the two remaining goslings are in excellent health and growing v. well. I was going to take a pic of them for you last night but they decided to bathe in their drinking water and, since they still have down they looked like those poor birds they rescue from oil slicks! Not exactly photogenic.

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My one pigeon squab is getting hard to tell from her flock-mates AND she looks as if she's solid red (and so breed standard), so that bloke was telling the truth about them breeding true.

[update] I have a NEW squab!! I think she had two or three eggs but I know at least one squab has hatched out! I'm so excited! They're almost impossible to photograph, the parents keep them well tucked under unless they're being fed. I'll try though.

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Turkish has been doing well and the whole place is refreshingly free of varmints. Despite his being in a different pen altogether, I haven't had one egg eaten or lost one fowl since his arrival.

He has got some strange thing in his head about wanting the goats and sheep to be in a certain part of the feedlot - the back bit where the hay is. He not aggressive about it, he's just determined. He patiently gets up from his position by the gate and moves them back if they come around.
This is no problem except that 1) the water is in the front part, so they're not really getting to drink freely, and 2) they ARE in a feedlot with limited space and I'd like for them to be able to move about.

I'm putting him in the bachelor pad (with the buck and the ram) temporarily until school's out and Evil Genius Husband can work with him a bit. He's an excellent dog but has clearly never been trained, which is a pity.

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I'll try to get more pics in the next post! Plus I need to tell you about my kitchen ... (cue ominous music)