Callie is making herself right at home in the goose flock. She is the only survivor of an apparent irresponsible small farm owner who lived in a rural Franklin County town. All of Callie’s sisters and brothers, a small flock of chickens and several other small animals were abandoned, as I’ve been told, to fend […]
finny
Love is in the air in the goose pen
The cold temperatures and cutting winds haven’t deterred the flock from thinking of creating goslings today. The warm weather we’ve experienced the past few days prompted a rise in hormones for most of the male geese, including my adorable Finny. The courting dance began a couple of weeks ago. Each of the boys would target […]
Geese get cabin fever, go ice skating
People aren’t the only ones to get cabin fever. So do geese. During the rain, ice, rain, ice, snow and cold days earlier this month, my lovely and entertaining flock decided it was time for a trip outside the pen. I’ve been leaving the gate open during the day, just in case they wanted to […]
Geese tough out the cold spell
All is peaceful in the goose pen. The temperature feels like something we’d find in the tropics because the thermometer reached above freezing. Amazing. But during the past week or so, the mercury nearly fell out of the thermometer, the wind blew making it feel even worse, and I was so worried about Finny and […]
Peace comes to the goose pen
I’d like to think that this is because Christmas is coming, but I know better. It seems like everyone has worked out their differences and are concentrating on staying warm through the cold winter months. Sam, who was injured by a raccoon a few months ago and then banned from the pen by the other […]
Sam gets hurt; two ducks join the menagerie
There’s lots of changes going on inside and around the goose coop — not all good, that’s for sure. Sam, one of my original white, fluffy-feathered Sebastopol ganders, is not allowed inside the coop. Whenever I try to reintroduce him to the flock, he is vehemently attacked by the mighty Finny. A few days ago, […]
Sal says goodbye
My Sal Gal was a wonderful goose. She was mostly gray, very smart and in her early days, she was the leader of the flock. She took no guff from the males, and mated only when she wanted to. She was also Finny’s mom. As with many animals, she determined that he was flawed and […]
Finny forms a flock
Finny is so conflicted. As he becomes more and more a part of the main flock, he isn’t always sure whether he’ll come out of the pen with me or stay with his buds. But one thing is for sure — he is establishing his own flock, and it’s not just with his brother, Shamus. […]