Survivor
- From: sbffalo@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: 19 Apr 2006 19:30:31 -0700
Hi, All!
Thought you might like to hear a little survivor story.
We have had two Pilgrim geese hatch out nests this past week, just days
apart. Beautiful little things. Nine to each set of parents.
After a day or two, I cleaned out the nesting areas so the parents
would have a nice place for the youngsters to spend the nights without
the mess. I added clean nesting materials. All refuse went into the
compost pile in the greenhouse.
Two days after that, I went into the greenhouse midafternoon to replace
some tools and heard the peeping of the goslings - or so I thought.
Looking around outside the greenhouse, I didn't see the geese anywhere.
I moved some pots and found a little fuzzball looking up at me! She
had hatched in the compost pile, four days after her brothers and
sisters. I didn't immediately understand all of this, because I
thought that she had just been left behind by her parents. I counted
all of the hatchlings in each goose family and all were there! That's
how I finally figured out where she came from. Needless to say, I
carefully uncovered all the other eggs and checked them, but none were
viable.
Since she was so much smaller than the others and I don't have the time
to raise her myself, I found her a nice home down the road with a set
of young twin girls who are just beginning their flocks. They said
today that she is doing great. She is in a small pen with two chicks
that the girls hatched. Soon she will be joined by the ducklings the
girls are hatching in their tiny incubator.
As an aside, our old gander, Charlie, has taken a mate this year. He's
sixteen years old and this is the first time since he lost his mate,
Lucy, nearly ten years ago.
Our youngest gander, Beau, is really hustling. He has one family of
nine youngsters and another goose on a nest of two eggs. Her first
eggs were covered by a blown-down building, so she only has laid two
additional eggs before setting. She got to it before I realized what
she was up to.
The last gander has finally set his goose on a nest in the barn. She
has two more weeks.
I still don't have a clue which one(s) laid through the winter.
These little guys never cease to amaze me.
Kathleen
Straw Barry Fields Farm
Beefalo
Kentucky, USA
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