New Zealand Life

EVER Aviary Part 1

For some reason, I’ve always loved and wanted birds. A first, Mom said okay, we’ll get a few chickens. However, EVER’s aviary is much more diverse than just chickens! As of October 2012, we’ve added two very different avis to our miniature bird collection.

As you probably know, if you’ve read the monthly EVER Newsletters (Or the story “Duckettes”), we got three Peking ducks last December (2011). Peanut, Butter and Jelly, as they are named, grew up in the house until they were old enough to be launched onto the EVER Meadow Pond by the Meadow Barn and Arena. Recently, they’ve begun to produce eggs. Since we have one drake (Peanut) and two ducks, we are hoping that Butter and Jelly will eventually sit on their eggs. However, it seems that an animal is eating the eggs before the ducks can produce a nest-full of eggs to sit on. So we decided we’d take the eggs to eat. We learned that the main difference between duck and chicken eggs, is that duck eggs have more fat, thus making them better to bake with.

The “duckettes,” as I call them, were just the beginning of our birdie-collection. In July, I got 5 Wyandotte chickens for my birthday. These five chicks were named after gemstones, thus getting the group name “The GemStones”. Citrate (also called Citron), Amethyst, Tanzanite, Jasper, and Pearl, quickly grew out of their box in the house and were moved to the garage pen and then to the outside hen house. As the GemStones grew, we noticed that Tanzanite and Jasper had larger, redder combs and wattles than the other three chickens. This was a sign that they were roosters, so we gave them away to a friend. Citron, Amethyst, and Peal are now free-ranging on the lawn. They are frequently laughed at for their weird sounds, head-bobbing gaits, and awkward running-stride. I finally taught them to go to bed at dark, and they are still conditioned.

They love treats and come running, flapping their wings, and jumping to the treat-bearer as fast as they possibly can (which is pretty fast). They haven’t started laying eggs yet, since they’re only about 4 months old, however they probably will start producing eggs around November/December.

This October 15, was another exciting bird day. A mother turkey laid her eggs on the edge of our pasture and they hatched! Mom and I went out to see, and took two of the seven chicks. Our baby turkeys, named Autumn and Fall, are currently living in the garage and are taking field-trips outside. The chickens think these new little birdies are things to eat, and peck at the turkeys. Recently, they’ve decided to perch on the edge of the turkeys’ outside pen! We are working on making a cover for these babies so they can’t be tortured by my bullying Wyandottes. Now two weeks old, the turkeys are eating and drinking by themselves. They love being cuddled and hand feed, and scream all the time because they want company!

Our new Silkie chicks were also born on the 15. These three little balls of yellowish-white fluff are the cutest of all. We’ve decided to make them part of our GemStones, and wanted to name them after white gems (since they will be white chickens). We decided on the names Opal, Crystal, and Silver Topaz (Topaz for short). These Silkies are unusual chickens in that they have five toes (not four) and black skin! Silkies are known for being very docile and brooding, so we will have a couple good mothers who will sit on all types of eggs! We are hoping to get one rooster and two hens from these Silkies, so that we can breed everyone. It will be fun to see what the Silkies crossed with the Wyandottes produces! So far these little GemStone Juniors are very affectionate, and will jump into your hand. They, too, love treats (who doesn’t?) and there favorites are bagels, grass, and other types of bread.

Our conglomeration of birds won’t end there though! EVER is planning on getting guinea fowl and 6-8 more ducks in the near future. These birds will help clean up our farm pastures and ponds, and make EVER that much more beautiful.

EVER Aviary Part 2

It is now December 2012, and our bird collection has changed already! Over the last 1 ½ months, we have gotten five more birdie friends. They waddle, quack, fall over each other, love dog food, and have been granted the names Tic, Tac, Tow, X, and O! Yep, we got 5 ducklings!!!! Tic, Tac, and Tow will go on EVER pond at the property, while X & O will get to swim on a pond with a stream in the back paddock. Four of these new duckette juniors will turn out to be white-feathered friends like Peanut, Butter, and Jelly. However, we also have one special duckette (X) who will turn out to be a brown-white mix. These five birdies live outside with the turkeys in a new bird cage that Dad built them.

We were going to put the ducks on their designated ponds last weekend (November 24), however, a very big tragedy taught us that it would not be a good idea. This tragedy was the death of my smallest turkey, Fall. We were letting Autumn and Fall free-range in the paddock, when the hawk (which I have secretly named Voldemort, after the villain in Harry Potter) decided to have a snack and took Fall. Autumn is not restricted to the cage, as the turkeys are my favorite pet birds in my collection.

The Silkies are just recently been moved outside. Dad built them a nesting box and they living the live in their pen out on our lawn. They have started to get their white feathers, and look very cute as fluffy white puffballs! My Wyandotte chickens are also greeting this soon-to-be summer with good spirits! We have gotten three eggs from my GemStones, and are very excited that they are starting their laying years early! Citron seems to be the chicken lagging behind on the laying, however, I’m sure she will soon catch up! The eggs are currently the size of about a quail’s egg, but this is because they are brand new to laying. Over the course of the next 2 or 3 weeks, the eggs will get bigger until they reach the normal egg-size.

A Guide to the Names of EVER’s Avis

PB&J: Peking Ducks
Peanut: Drake; Distinguishable Curly Tail
Butter: Duck; A few “freckles” on her beak
Jelly: Duck; “Freckles” all over her beak

Tic, Tac, Tow, X & O: Peking Ducks Cross
Still not quite distinguishable; X is the brown-white duckling!
GemStones: Wyandotte Chickens
Citron (Citrate): Hen; Gold-laced
Amethyst: Hen; Silver-laced; More of a grayish neck
Pearl: Hen; Silver-laced; Very distinguished black

Gemstones: Silkie Chickens
Crystal: Smallest
Opal: N/A
Topaz: Boldest

Seasons: Wild Turkeys
Autumn: Bigger of the two; nice brown stripes on its head; some spots on body
Fall: Smaller of the two; lots of spots all over its head

~Juli@~