Smart phone

I have a smart phone. And I've had it for some time but I'm still only getting used to it. (I hate the touch screen key board) but I can blog off of my phone! I down loaded this Blogger app. I guess we will see how it works.

More new birds

Zach

Lady Bird

Ok, so I've been blessed with a lot of birds...no really, a lot of birds. Not sure if I wrote about him or not but about a year ago my neighbor - Larissa - found a Cockatiel hanging out with her turkeys! Her husband caught him and they gave him to me. I named him Darius.  Now I already had a Cockatiel -Zach - and a Parakeet -Levi - that I had bought when we lived in New York. Darius is a very friendly bird and I am so happy to have gotten him. But then... One of my dad's employees asked if we wanted a cockatiel. she said they were moving and couldn't keep her. She also said this Cockatiel lays eggs.  So I got all excited, I thought "I can put her with Zach or Darius and have some baby Cockatiels hatched" So we took her. I named her Merriam. Though we hardly ever call her that, she's Lady Bird. So I had these four birds for a while, happy as could be.  They were all getting along great and Darius and Lady bird were very social with me. No eggs yet but I'm still waiting patiently. Then I get a text; Larissa knows someone who is trying to find a home for their two conures and they come with cages. At first mom said no way. but then we got thinking, we are buying two rather pricey dogs and we could sell these birds for puppy money. We said we'd take them.  So these two four hundred dollar birds arrived With their two massive cages, each in their own personal carriers! We put one cage in the house an put both birds in it. There is a Peach Fronted and a Jenday Conure. They both love to dance to almost any music you play (Though Casting Crowns' praise you with the dance is their favorite) And they Peach Fronted talks his head off! He says Thank you, and your welcome, Hello, Whatch' ya doin', I love you, all kinds of stuff. They are both so much fun. I fell in love with the Jenday though, We are trying to find a home for the Peach Fronted, but I'm keeping the Jenday. I named the Jenday Jezreel (jez REE el) and the other is Alex. Jezreel is very social. He loves having his head scratched, and he would sit with me all day if I let him. Such a love bug. I have recently given Zach away. I miss him a little but he went to a really good home where I think he is probably getting more of the attention that he needs. I love all my birds even if they do scream and wake me up at five am every so often. But if you know any one who is interested in a Peach Fronted Conure, we are selling :)

Darius 

 

Levi

Jezreel

Alex

Tennessee

The last week of last month we went to mass to pick up my Grandmother Dee and Uncle Luke and all eight of us drove to Tennessee to pick up two puppies! We made a lot of stops on the way and had a great week! we went through eleven states. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Verginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee. We went to the Louisville slugger factory, drove around Lexington Kentucky. We saw many of the film sights from the movie Dreamer. and we went to the Creation Museum. That was without doubt the coolest museum in the world! I'd highly recommend it!

Look familiar? 

They had a petting zoo there with a zorse and a zonkey (zebra crosses with horses and donkeys) 

And they had Camels...I RODE A CAMEL! It was Awesome! 

Zorse

Zonkey

 

And we finally made it to Tennessee and picked up our puppies! Lexie and Rain. Rain is Forestt's and Lexie is the Family's 

 

The puppies are full sisters with Sadie, the dog we lost. They have been so much fun. We Love having dogs in the house again. And yes it's been a little hectic. But they are worth every second. and no I don't enjoy cleaning there messes up off the floor but id rather clean it than not having a dog again. And I can't wait to start agility training again. They've got a little growing to do before that first. They turned 9 weeks old Wednesday. 

Crowing Hens

I discovered the other day while I was carrying water to the goats that I have a crowing chicken! I thought "Great. on of my new chicks is a rooster...." so I put my buckets down and went into the barn to hopefully see who the culprate was. I looked into the coop, they were all just standing there looking very innocent. I looked to Molly, thinking "she's got a rather large comb and bossy demeaner..."  I crowed hoping to provoke a reaction and it did. but it was coming from around the corner. My first thoughts were "who ever it was escaped." then "maybe one of the neighbors roosters got out and came to visit my hens" I rounded the corner into the them empty goat stall.....It was BABY! My Productive hen! I was dumbfounded "baby did you change gender on me!" I can not explain the thoughts that were running through my head. I googled it and sure enough if there is absence of  a rooster one of the hens may "take over" the position of rooster and start crowing. I've seen her do it since then and it is the weirdest thing having a hen that crows! 

Chicks

I got more chicks! I was only going to get three but then my hen Sophia died so I got four. First I got Grace (the most photogenic hen in the world) and Molly (she's my sister's)  Grace is a Buff Orpington, and Molly is a Brown Leghorn (Sophia was a White Leghorn).

Grace

Molly and Grace 

Easter Chicks!

Goose and chicks

Then I got Zoozoo and Jade. Goose was broody so I put easter eggs under her and when the chicks came in replaces the eggs with these two and she was possitive they were hers and she hatched them! They are both Americaunas

Baby Goats

I had seven goats born this spring!

Pippi was my first to kid. She had twins, a girl and a boy. Apollo and Pixie.  Pixie came out one leg first then Apollo decided to come out backwards! Silly boy, he was just fine though. I have been wanting a girl from Pippi for about two years now, but sadly pixie was a bit of a disappointment in the fact that she actually had four teets, thats pretty rare, I've seen goats born with three, but never four, teets. oh well though, not much you can do. Pippi not only didn't want her babies...she wanted them dead. I am convinced if left alone with them she would have killed them. She immediately started to stomp them so we took them away from her and they were fine.

Pixie

Apollo

Azariah 

London

The next to kid was Tilly, she also had a boy and a girl, London, and Azariah. I loved London and planned on keeping her but ended up selling her. When they were borne Tilly (the great mom that she is) accepted them very well but London set herself aside in the corner and wouldn't go near her mom or brother. I took her inside because it was too cold for her without the shared body heat of her family. She wouldn't settle down in the crate or box so I actually slept with her on the couch wrapped in a towel for three nights in a row. she got very attached to me and couldn't just sleep on the couch, she had to be on me! Then when she was disbudded one of her horn scab things started to bleed, so she was really babied then too. she got so she was very attached to people...too attached. she didn't think she was a goat and she HATED being with the herd. at first it was cute, she'd follow me every where, help me with chores, follow me inside and back out again but then when she got bigger and she was mad at "mom" (me) for leaving her in the pen with all the goats, she'd break my fences to come and see me. That was not cute. So I sold her. She was getting out far too often.

The next was Annika, a boy I named him Robin but sold him right away I also sold Annika, sorry to say this is the best picture I have of him:

Robin

Then Faye kidded, like her mother, one boy. I named him Guy of Gisborne, to go with Robin. He was really cute and SO SO friendly, wished he was a girl actually. He was boring in color but so cute. And my Friend Brittany was up from NY when he was born so she got to see that, so that was cool too. Sold him too though...sadly. And for some reason I don't have any pictures of him. 

Then! Leibchen Surprised us all with a baby girl! I didn't even know she was pregnant till just a couple weeks before she kidded! She had Laura. And I'm so glad she had her because she made the decision to sell Londen so much easier. Laura's a sweet heart. I had her mom raise her because by the time she was born there were no other babies herr size to put her with, so unlike most other babies I've had she thinks she's a goat, and I'm another member of her herd, not her mom. She's quite silly and so much fun to watch. and she's HUGE because she was nursing forever she got big FAST. Shes eight weeks younger than Ellesmera (who I will discuss in a moment) and she's the same size if not bigger than her!  

Laura and my new chick "helping" me milk Leibchen

 Ok, Ellesmera (El es MEAR a) I bought from Larissa when I discovered I couldn't keep Pixie. I was feeling awful about Pixie and I met her and she lifted my spirits the second I saw her. So when I heard that Larissa wasn't keeping her I was quick to claim. Then Larissa told me (about a week or two later) that she was also selling her mom, Varla (who is also Tilly's mom. so Tilly and Ellesmera are sisters.) so I traded Annika for Varla. So I have seven goats now (one more than I had planned) but it works nicely.

Ellesmera 

Ellesmera

Pixie, about ten minutes old

Apollo

Pixie

London, Pixie, and Ellesmera

So I ended up selling all the babies but Mera and Laura, but my friend Eliana (who has Tilly's sister Ally) bought Apollo and Azariah. So I get to see them all the time. I'm going to take some more pictures tomorrow of the four babies so I can post some more recent pictures.




P.S. I also sold Leipchen's sister Leia. 

Updating

Ok. I'm very sorry, I lied. I said "I'll keep you posted" and I guess I didn't really.
We couldn't find the charger to our camera so all the pictures I've gotten for here were on my phone, I didn't know how to transfer them and of course my dad shows me how easy it is just today... We haven't really had a computer for me to use. We have my mom's but she's always on it. and I've been VERY  busy. but, excuses excuses...will you ever forgive me?
I'm hopefully going to do like a million and one posts tonight updating you on all that you've missed. baby goats, puppies, new birds, camels,  paintings, you know...the usual. Better get to work!