Sunday, November 25, 2012

So....We Went To The Feedstore....

Yup, that dangerous place. The last few months visits to the feedstore and animal emporium have gone pretty smoothly.
But, we needed a rooster. The feed store wanted to charge 30 bucks for one and there was NO WAY I was going to pay that much. So, I told the Darlin' Man that *I* would do the negotiating this time.
We needed feed for the peafowl anyway, so we had reason to be there.
And I went to the back where they keep the critters and saw him:
How gorgeous is he!? Black and grey leghorn...just so pretty! The hens were mightily impressed! So impressed, in fact, that within 20 minutes of his arrival, 3 hens laid eggs! Maybe it was the shock of seeing such a beautiful rooster in their midst. He has a beautiful crow, too. Very musical, as crows go. We named him *Cab* after Cab Calloway, because he looks so dapper and has that musical crow. He rode home in my lap, not fussing at all and he lets me pick him up and pet him without protest.
Cab has taken matters well under his wing in the chicken coop. The hens have started laying again, after a bit of a dry spell. After weeks of only an egg now and again, they laid a total of 4 eggs yesterday and 5 eggs so far today! And Ugly Betty is TOTALLY entranced by the *new man* in her life. She stays as close to him as possible and cuddled up to him last night on the roost.
So, a very warm Frippery Farm welcome to Cab!

Cab was not our only purchase (of course). The Darlin' Man spotted something back in the animal pens that caught his attention, so we brought them home as well...
Meet Daphne and Drake:


Heloise does a photobomb!
Daphne is the white duck with the fluffy *hair style*. She is some sort of cross between a white crested duck and a harlequin duck, while drake is almost solid black with dark beetle green plumage on his head, so we are not sure what kind of mix he is. They have settled in with Xander and Heloise, the geese, although there was a bit of a quarrel over swimming rights to the pool in their pen, but they seem to have worked that out.

So, one rooster and two ducks....AND, I negotiated and got all three for $40.00.
I know, a bit higher than other parts of the country, but darn good here!
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Okay, now a bit of a question for any readers out there that know about sheep.
This is our first go-round raising sheep.
We have Corizon, Selene and Remus the ram.
Can anyone identify the specific breed of sheep they are for me?
We bought them off of Roy the animal guy and he said the ewes were Navajo sheep and the ram...he wasn't sure (massive eye roll on that, ya know).
Here are some pics of  Remus (the ewes are in the background on one pic):

I know that they shed their wool naturally, no shearing required, but other than that, not too sure about them. Any help with this question appreciated!




9 comments:

  1. My gosh Lamb, What a shame we are so far from one another. I would GIVE you a rooster anytime. BTW, he is a beautiful roo.

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  2. Congrats on your new ducks and rooster. I have to say your rooster is mighty handsome, I love his coloring. Sorry, can't help you on the sheep.

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  3. Lamb,

    Phelan at http://a-homesteading-neophyte.blogspot.com/

    maybe able to help you out on the identification of the lambs. She raises them.

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  4. Hmmmm.. no sheep answers for you, but I can tell they definitly are "hair sheep". Wow, rooster prices are definitly high here. There are free roo's here in Oregon all over the place. Dang!

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  5. He looks like a black belly barbadous. Most likely a mix though. A little over a year in age? Hard to tell in these pics though. Buggers don't like holding still :) did they come from the same breeder?

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  6. Ear length was throwing me off. He is an American Black Belly.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Phelan! That helps me a lot!

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    2. Was he positive about the ewes? Navajo's are a wool breed. By what I can see of the picture, I would have guessed Katahdin, if they are indeed a hair breed. I have two whites of that breed along with the Barbados.

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  7. Yes-- Barbados--we have Katahdin --and yes your prices are terrible!! A good rooster here is 3$ each or free! There are always hens in the paper--laying--6 or 7$ each. Horses and donkeys cheap--cattle and hog prices are high.
    I would suggest you go out and find real breeders-- people who can show you their herds and flocks-- show you their breeding records. Then you will know all about the stock you are raising.
    We raise and buy our feeds and mix them ourselves.
    Think you would enjoy the Sheep magazine from Countryside-- it has good info.
    Saw your blog in Earthineer--very impressed with your ideas--love the one about food storage.

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