Category Archives: Pets

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Pets

Goosie Wars!

You really can’t believe everything you hear from people…we were told that geese laying season was winter time and that they layed up until Valentine’s Day (14th of February).  This is the first year that we have had geese and we waited and waited for eggs until Valentine’s Day.  On this very day, when we were just about to give up all hope, the first egg was found plop in the middle of the coop.  Oh, we were so excited and happy that we immediately put it in the incubator.

After the first egg, Goosie Wars started and we have been caught in the scourge of testosterone driven goosie madness every day since then…

The ganders are super aggressive; unprovoked, they chase us around the farm, pecking brutally at our legs.  Every morning, I am armed with a broom as I enter the war zone, anticipating the daily ambush by the bunch of crazy, blood-thirsty geese.

After a while, we noticed that while the ganders were creating interference and causing bodily harm, the female geese were dashing into bushy areas of the farm.  It took us some time to figure out the females were laying in secret spots.  For some time, it became a “watching game” where I would act as decoy to the violent exploits of the geese ( I am a brave kinda Munchkin or a sucker for punishment!) and Gnome would surreptitiously follow the female geese into the bushy areas.

This was the first nest that we found:

Secret Goose Nest.

We found a few more after this.  There was however one savvy female goose that made a nest in the coop; this scary looking one:

Sitting Goose.

She was originally sitting on six eggs and now she only has one!  I still do not understand fully the psychology of geese but there is a gander who keeps pushing her off her eggs and sits on them himself.  She comes back round and they have a big fight and she regains her nest.  During this squabble, an egg or two is usually lost.  We don’t hold much hope for anything happening with this one but we have certainly learned that we need to have protected brooding boxes next year.

We found another girl sitting out in the middle of the bush, all zazen and tranquil, on her nest.  That was all fine but she was about 200 yards from the house and we were afraid for her safety.

Sitting Goose.

We decided to make a bunch of brooding nests in the coop and attempted a midnight “kidnap” of this goose to re-locate her to protected surroundings.  Gnome made a special effort as usual with spacious cabana-style nests:

Cabana Style Nests.

Operation: Kidnap and Re-locate Broody Goose proved to be a failure and the goose was let out of the nest in the morning.  She was all flustered and cross at us!  Okay, you live and learn…re-locate a goose at your peril!  These eggs had to go into the incubator.

Although we are black and blue and weary from Goosie Wars, one good thing has happened.  We had our first gosling hatching (the Valentine’s Day egg) the other day.  This little one is bouncy, lively and friendly.  There is perhaps hope that we can breed a goose out of these wars that we can train to be peace-loving, kind and gentle.  Our idealism is coming out once again…we will overturn our anarchist geese one day and replace them with Zazen geese that will make the world a better place to live in.

The Beginnings Are Delicate Times…the future is with the young ones…

Hello Goosie!!!

It’s time for a game change goosies!!

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Pets

The Great Egg Hunt!!

All our poultry are rather autonomous creatures on the farm.  They basically just forage for yummies on our farm, swim in our pond and expect to be fed at the end of the day.  They do whatever pleases them and they will occasionally give as an egg or two.  Of course, there are no expectations for the ducks, geese or turkey to lay  in areas designated by Munchkin and Gnome…God forbid…they would actually try  to make our lives easier.  Eggs can plop out at any time of the day…anywhere.  Also, there are secret hiding spots…not in the coup of course!

Everyday is a Great Egg Hunt  and we are forced to surreptitiously creep around our own farm pretending not to look for eggs.  That’s because the fowl have a sixth sense for knowing that you are looking and will run off, hide or create interference to foil our search.  We have to spend extra care and attention walking around trees and looking under logs and wading through bushy areas.

It is really quite a challenge because they refuse to co-operate with us; our running joke is that they read the Spanish manual while we read the English one and that’s why we have communication problems.

¿estás buscando algo?
Looking For Something?
Looking For Something?
Looking For Something?

Yes, we are looking for those roundish whitish things that you plop out and hide in the bush:

Secret Nest.

We have actually found quite a few; the smallest ones are the duck eggs and the medium sized ones are from the turkey (you can’t see them very well but they are white with brown speckles).  The largest ones are the goose eggs…they are a real bonus when we find one of these!

Eggs Galore!!

Well, the next thing to do is to find a broody duck, turkey or goose.  Any takers?  Otherwise, Gnome will set them in the incubator (though, we are not happy with the level of success so far with this method).  Gnome has even offered to “incubate” them himself on those brief occasions when there has been a power cut.  If push comes to shove, I think he would seriously consider strapping some eggs to himself…especially to get a gosling or two!  The Dedication of a Gnome is boundless when it comes to geese!

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Pets

ZTOP Extension!

Cor Blimey…that Duckie-zilla is getting monstrously huge!!  Mayor Gnome had no choice but to calm down the general snorts of displeasure, whining and squealing coming from Zazen Temple of Piggies (ZTOP).

If you don’t know the story already, we have a 12 week duck living with our guinea pigs.  It was a single hatchling from our first incubator experiment.  It started off small and well, got bigger and bigger.  So, the running joke is that she is Duckie-zilla is invading the poor inhabitants of the guinea pig cage.  The problem is that she really does prefer the company of the guinea pigs and every-time we try to put her in with the other ducks, she gets all stressed out.

Mayor Gnome always has to come to the rescue and everything on the farm has to come to a standstill to sort out the animals.

Duckie-zilla!!

Mayor Gnome:

“Well, she’s actually really happy being with you lot…she refuses to quack and go off with her own lot.  My only choice at this point is a ZTOP extension…”

Well here it is; it’s kinda like a semi-d or extension of council flats (you know what we mean if you live in the UK).  Otherwise, it’s really just like little houses bunched together sharing the same walls.  Not luxurious but the piggies are exempt from council tax because they are a religious group.  All funded by Mayor Gnome…donations accepted of course… 🙂

“Oi What’s Happening?”

We also have the new duckies on the block with big duckie; our plan is that these two will latch on and eventually they will all go out foraging together.

New Duckies in ZTOP.

Mayor Gnome has extended the guinea pig cage so that there are now four “houses.”  The first two houses have guinea pigs (one male with a harem of 4 or 5 females).  Gnome has removed the wall from the last two houses to give the duckies more room; they are sharing with the baby guinea pigs.  The ceiling is a bit higher in this last house so big duckie doesn’t have to stoop so much.

Long View.

The Zazen Temple has pleasant surroundings with its  own swimming pool (sorry, a rock pool…not infinity pool…need more funding for something that special…ha-ha).

ZTOP Extension.

Mayor Gnome:

“Ok Piggies…that should keep you quiet for a while!”

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Pets

Double Duckie!!

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We managed to hatch two duckies out of eight eggs.  These two were no trouble at all and were very independent from the start.  Apart from the feeding for the first few days, they paid scant attention to us and were out with the guinea pigs in three days.  It’s getting easier being a duckie parent!!

We didn’t consider this a successful hatch since we were hoping for at least a 50% hatch rate.  Gnome reckons that he sprayed the eggs with water, once, early on in development and thinking back, he feels that the cold temperature of the water may have destroyed the delicate embryos.  This is what Gnome said:

“I read about this recommendation to spray eggs with cold water  on the Internet.  The moral of this story is never believe everything you read on the Internet…it could cost you a duckie or more!”

These two splashed about in water together and splatted food  all around the aquarium.  By three days, they were so independent (and messy) that we decided that they were ready for the guinea pig crèche.

Ducklings.

Duckie 1: this one is a lighter coloured duckie with hardly any dark markings. Birth weight 49g.

New Duckie 1.

Duckie 2: the birth weight for this one was also 49g but nevertheless looks bigger.  Gnome says it is because he fluffed up a bit more so he gives the appearance of being larger.

New Duckie 2.

Duckies:

“Oi Munchkin and Gnome!  Just feed us.  Apart from that we can entertain ourselves by splashing about in food and water and making a mess.  Thanks a bunch!!”

Duckies.

“…you just need to clean up after us…”

So the plan for these duckies is to feed them up in the comfortable environment of the Guinea pig cage.  Once they get to about 4 to 6 weeks (ie. too big for the cat to mistake as food) we hope to get them out foraging with the older one which is now about 12 weeks old.

Amusing, Belize, Farming, Pets

Duckie-zilla!!!

There’s been a lot of commotion and general prolonged weeeeeeeeeee-weeeeeeee-weeeeeeeee!!! coming from the Guinea Pig cage (formerly known as Paradise Pastures; now renamed Zazen Temple of Piggies…ZTOP for short).  If you want to know the Piggie Story, click here.

Shock!!  Horror!!  There’s a Gigantic Yellow Monster in ZTOP terrorizing the be-Jesus out of the innocent temple dwellers.

The Zazen piggies are quivering in terror:

Cowering Frightened Piggies!!

“Help!!  Mayor Gnome!!!”

On Guard!!

Mayor Gnome: “Did the Piggies call for help!!  I must save my Piggies!!  What…a yellow monster??  In the Temple of Doom??!!”

Duckie-zilla!!

Mayor Gnome: “Hey Piggies! That’s not a yellow monster!  That’s Duckie!!”

Zazen Piggies: “Poppycock!!  You mean that  fine little blighter that you used to play with us?  Can’t be….”

Duckie and Piggies.

Mayor Gnome: “My dear piggies, that huge lumbering Duckie-zilla is your friend, the Duckie.”

Duckie.

Zazen Piggies: “Mayor Gnome, we would like to formerly dispute the identity of this yellow creature in an emergency meeting today!!”

Amusing, Belize, Pets

Meet The New-Comers!!

Meet the New-Comers to Casa Mascia Manor: The Overlord and The Duchess of Toledo.

Overlord and Duchess.

The Overlord is of equivalent rank to The Gnome and acts as Guardian of the farm and general bossie of all fowl.  His task at night is to sleep on a perch right in front of the house to guard Munchkin and Gnome.  Morning duties include the wake up call at dawn with “Gobbble–Gobbble–Gobbble–Gobbble….” and to keep the duckies and goosies in line as they troop out of the coup in the morning.  The rest of the day, he parades around the farm, puffing up his stomach every few seconds (with a loud POOF) to remind everybody of his rank and position on the farm.

The Overlord.

The Duchess of Toledo is dainty and nimble on her feet.  She likes nibbling on delicate greens and tiny insects.  If we gave her egg and cress sandwiches on doilies, I am sure she would not be adverse to the  fine pleasures which are be-fitting to her fine breeding.  The only requirements of this lady is to be by the Overlord’s side for public appearances.

The Overlord and The Duchess.
Amusing, Belize, Farming, Food, Pets, Plants

Whilst Waiting…

Whilst waiting for my freezer (one of those huge bottomless pit kind of freezers that you can get lost in) to de-frost, I will write my blog post.  I have a whole load of pictures so I will try to thread a reasonable coherent story together for you of what we are doing right now.  By the way, whenever I de-frost my freezer, I come across so many lost and forgotten goodies!!  Will probably have a feast this weekend!!

Found these; Chinese Sausage!!  Ooooh, you have to be Chinese to get excited about this stuff!! Ha-Ha.

Chinese Sausage.

Anyway, do you remember that at Chinese New Year, our darling little duckies gave us a gift of 8 eggs?  It turns out to be even more special because on asking other local people, their ducks aren’t laying at all and don’t lay until March when the number of hours of day light increase.  Anyway, so far there has been success with the incubator ie. the cat hasn’t sat on it this time round.  This is because I deftly used Secret Invisibility Technique by sticking a vacuum cleaner in front of the incubator.  Aha, I fooled the cat!!

Hidden Incubator Technique.

The eggs were candled on day 3 to check if the embryos were forming; 6 out of the 8 eggs at that time appeared viable.  Right now, two eggs have pipped and we are waiting to see how many actually hatch.  Should be some fun, excitement and peep-peeping at the weekend!!  With regards to our other darling little baby duckie (the lone duckie that hatched by itself despite the cat sitting on the incubator) he/she (we think “she” actually but have not properly sexed her) thinks she is a guinea pig now…sometimes a human being and definitely not one of those loud quacky things that quack around the yard.  Yip, he/ she duckie is spending too much time with the piggies and loves to fall asleep to the dulcet tones of cavy noises.

Oor Duckie!!

I would also like to take this time to apologise for neglecting my food posts; I am either too busy or too lazy and can’t find the “in-between” state to re-start the food parades.  We are still eating really well…I just haven’t written about them.  With the dry season, there should be new harvests so I will endeavour to start again.  I also want to post up my sorghum recipes…we eat it almost everyday now and is proving to be a very interesting, versatile and tasty grain.  Look still eating great food:

Sorghum with Bamboo Shoots and Sweet Potato Greens.
Venison, Sorghum with Parsley.

It’s the usual stuff on the farm…always something to harvest…seeds to plant…and it comes round in cycles.  You have to really like doing this to do it!!

Seeds and Potatoes for Planting.
Amusing, Belize, Pets

Saturday & Sunday Child.

Yes indeed this concludes the Fortune Telling Guinea Pig Marathon!  What a lovely lot of piggies…plus duckie of course.  We’ve posted the last two together because Gnome said:

“They look so alike…everyone will think that you are posting the same picture again.  Why don’t we put them together instead…”

It was also because we couldn’t separate them…these two are as thick as thieves…they’re conspiring to overthrow Munchkin and Gnome!

Two Piggies.

Saturday’s Child works hard for a living (I was a Saturday Child, by the way) and the one that is born on the Sabbath Day is Bonnie and Blithe!  These two were a bit camera-shy.

Saturday and Sabbath Piggies
Belize, Farming, Pets

Friday’s Child.

We are nearly done with the Guinea Pig Parade!!  So, Friday’s Child is Loving and Giving.

Just to mix things up a bit, we have a non-piggie as Friday’s Child.

This little duckie has given us a lot of joy over the last few weeks.  Yes, he has imprinted on us since we ended up raising him from day 1.  However, he still a very well adapted duckie, passing all duckie milestones perfectly.  He is starting to feather, dabble in mud and quack like a duck (instead of the peep-peeping noise).   As Gnome says,

“There’s nothing wrong with being multi-cutural…”

Our Duckie.
Belize, Farming, Pets

Thursday’s Child.

Thursday’s Child has Far to Go.  This is our little runty of the litter; below 3rd centile for head circumference, body weight and length.  For babies it is vital to get the first feed within the first 24 hours to get the colostrum.  Once they get this, they are usually bouncing around by 48 hours, eating grass, grains and anything it can get its mitts on.  Getting the first feed can actually be a problem with multiple pregnancies (which is common amongst the cavies) especially when female piggies only have one set of teats. The smaller, less aggressive babies can get ignored and fall by the wayside.  When we see this happening, we sometimes give them a boost by hand-feeding them with cow’s milk on the first day.  It is important to note that baby guinea pigs do not have a good swallow reflex so you can’t actually syringe feed them; rather, you have to hold a teaspoon in front of them so that they can lick up the milk.

This one has managed with a little bit of help from us.  She was one of four and wasn’t getting enough milk.  See…she’s fit and healthy now…looks like a little white rat with no tail!

Thursday Piggie!