The Release of the Guineas

The guineas have been in their coop all this time.  I've been hoping to condition them to seeing the coop as their home or safe place, calling, "guinea, guinea, guinea" as I feed them in the confined space, so that they know my call means food.  It works for chickens, but guineas have a bit different temperament, so I don't know if it has worked yet.  Another reason for keeping them in the coop was to give the dogs time to accept them as part of our farm family and not view them as prey.  So, the fowl are big enough to be let out to forage for themselves and I had some free time to devote to watching them to make sure the transition would be safe.

To get ready, I put Harry on a leash and the shock collar on Ginger just in case the guinea activity triggered their chase response.

I opened their little sliding door and they all crowded around the opening, afraid to venture out.  The ones in front got pushed out by the ones in back and then they all piled out in a rush and congregated around the front of the coop eating grass like they were starving.  Maybe they were...I guess they can only bear to eat the chicken scratch for so long.

Harry was perfect.  He only spared them a glance and then seemed completely uninterested in them.  Ginger perked up and watched them for a while.  Then, as I saw her crouch into her stalking stance, as soon as she took one step towards them, I gave her a shock.  She immediately stopped and turned away from them.  She didn't try it again and, although, she gave them a few looks out of the corner of her eye (as if just looking at them might bring on a shock), she didn't try to rush them again.

We stayed out there a good long time, then I put the dogs out of the paddock and just watched the birds  from outside the fence as they went in, out, and around the coop.  After about an hour, they seemed to tire of eating grass and most of them went back in the coop.  I took that opportunity to herd the rest of them in there and close the door.

I'll let them out for longer periods of time each day until I'm fairly confident that they'll be reasonably safe and can be left out all day to free range like we do the chickens.

Twilight

Today is the kind of day I love.  Got my yard work done this morning; left around noon to do non-farm stuff; arrived home to find a few of the young chickens had escaped from the pen, but were still alive and not eaten by an eager puppy; tested the new "Pocket Hose", which worked like a charm; did my garden work in the cool of the evening.

A very productive day and proof of successful gardening and dog training (keeping fingers crossed) and I'm enjoying the beauty at twilight.

I still have a lot of area to fill, but here's a part of my front flower bed that is finally filling in.  

And more on the other side of the walk.

The bean trellises that Jordan built so I could walk under them.  They're proving to be successful and I'm picking the beans already.  Also, looks lovely.

Cornrows with marigolds.

The surprise sunflowers are blooming nicely.

Ginger attacks an unconcerned Harry.

Chicken Nuggets

Harry loves the new little chicks.  I've been keeping them in this rabbit cage in the apartment for the time being.  I bring them out and set them in the grass while I clean the cage.

 Harry is very...watchful.

  He gazes at them lovingly.

The other day, I put them out where the adult chickens were hanging out, thinking that if I let them all get used to each other gradually, there would be less bloodshed when it's time for them to integrate.

Note there are no chickens in the picture.  When they came to investigate, Harry ferociously chased them away.  See Ginger laying over there all forlorn?  Harry wouldn't let her near them either.

We don't know if Harry is protecting them or is hoping to be able to eat them.  And Harry does not share food.

I stole the title of this post from my very clever niece, Terra.

And the Winner Is...

GINGER

Livestock Guardian Lesson #1

Harry sez, 

"Sit like this to survey your domain."

Two Slugs

I think the puppy is growing on Harry just a little bit.  He'll at least let her lay down nearby without getting up and leaving in a huff.

She still doesn't have a name.  Quick, help me before we end up with "Fiona"!

Puppy Time!

I finally bit the bullet and got another livestock guardian dog.  We've been talking about it for about a year and I've been resisting getting another dog even though we've been told and have read that livestock guardian dogs do better in pairs.  Harry does a great job, but we feel like he needs a back-up.

So...here is the new little gal.

She is a Great Pyrenees/Kangal ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangal_dog ) cross and will be eight weeks old tomorrow.  The male Kangals get bigger than Harry, but the females don't get as big, so I don't expect her to get over 90 pounds.

Unlike Harry, who is solid white, this little girl is a very light tan with white feet and a tail that looks like it was dipped in oil, then wiped off and the very tip is white.

Here she is with Harry, who is too important to be bothered by a little pipsqueak girl.

Harry is not always that filthy.  Apparently, he has been rolling in something nasty today.

Here she is meeting Kip and Sofia.  So far, she doesn't seem to be afraid of anything.

We have to come up with a fitting name.  Tom has already said he's naming her Fiona, but I said we should have a discussion in a democratic fashion before he dictates the name.