Bird watching country style

Bird watching at my house is as much sitting outside behind my barn watching my flock of assorted domestic birds as it is watching the birds that come to our feeders, woods and fields.  I get a lot of pleasure just sitting there after I feed and watching the antics in the barnyard.  Right now our flock consists of about 70 assorted birds so there is plenty to watch.

 The baby muscovy ducks are now out in the small pasture behind the barn with the guinea hens, the turkeys and our laying hens.   It’s been interesting watching them grow and feather out.  From our black and white parent ducks we got some barred black and barred chocolate, as well as a chocolate pied and more black pied.   They are fairly calm  ducks and they climb very well.  There was an old van bench behind the barn for sitting on but they have taken it over, climbing up and laying on it like puppies on a couch and fighting over who gets to sit on it.

 Two of the released mallard ducks, looks like 2 hens, come back regularly to eat too.  We see them flying down the road in both directions to visit the ponds of neighbors.

The guinea hens are a real hoot to watch.  They are not as smart as turkeys and that’s saying something.  There are seven of them.  I have been trying to sex them without much luck.  You sex them by listening to their calls but they all look alike so from day to day it’s hard to keep things straight.  

 The guineas go out the gate to the pond to explore under the trees out there.  The gate is on the far northwest end of the pasture.  However when they wanted to come back they usually went up the fence line on the pond side to the closest point to the barn and tried to go through the fence.  For a while I herded them back down to the gate twice a day, I thought they would learn but it didn’t happen.  I ended up cutting a hole in the fence so they could come back through.  They are also perfectly capable of flying up and over the fence but it doesn’t seem to occur to them.

 There are four barred rock roosters that were raised with the guineas and turkeys out there.  They will be butchered soon but for now they kind of hang on the fringes of things.  For a while they were the bullies, keeping the little ducks and guineas from eating but suddenly the guineas have turned the tables on them and chase them whenever they can.  Since the guineas don’t bother the ducks its better for them.

 The bronze turkeys are big enough to butcher and I need to get it done before I get too attached to them.  When I go out to sit in the pasture they come up and try to sit on my feet, pick at my clothes and try to take my wedding ring off my hand.   One is a tom and he gobbles back if I gobble to him then spreads his tail and struts.

 Our big red tom proved his worth.  He was so scruffy and half bare when we brought him home but he’s growing feathers and proved his worth.  Our darker turkey hen was sitting on eggs in my sweet corn patch and despite all odds hatched 10 babies.  I took 6 lighter colored ones away from her and put them in a brooder and left her to raise 4 darker ones.  I thought they would soon disappear but so far she has managed to keep all 4 alive, it’s been 10 days. 

 She hangs out with them in the garden and yard, well away from the other birds.  But she won’t come in the barn with them even though I left the front door open for her where she could get in without the other birds, even though it has rained several times.  I leave food and a flat water pan out for her down by the corn.   The babies seem to be growing well.   Her new night roosting spot is in the middle of my potato patch, which I’m not thrilled about. 

 
Last night I was watching the other birds, trying to interest the baby ducks in the wading pool we put out for them.  I could see mama turkey on the other side of the fence in the potatoes craning her neck to see what was going on.  Little turkey chicks appeared from under her and climbed on her back so they could see better.  And I didn’t have a camera!

 The bourbon red turkey hen is starting a new nest deep in one of my flower beds.  Now that we have a fertile tom she may finally hatch some babies herself.  These turkeys have been sitting on and off since January and have hatched chickens twice for us but they just won’t quit.

 I’ll talk about introducing the young hens to the old next time.