When we moved here (9/22/10), we set a couple of goals.
- Get a truck
- Get Livestock (Chickens, goats, cows, sheep, etc.)
- Have an active/productive vegetable garden
The garden was the easiest to start with. Over the winter we dined on Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage and Kale from the vegetable garden. It was nowhere near a viable production model to sell the produce, but it was one helluva start!
The other goals... well... they took a great deal of resources, time and preparation. The truck had to be functional and <$2K... which has had us shopping around for almost a year now.
The livestock required capital to procure materials and make shelters, clear land for their use, put up fences, get feeders & waterers... In short, it would be no easy task... and one of the most time consuming.
I'm thrilled to say that, as of 9/10/11, we have accomplished goal #2: We got our first livestock!
It was a Saturday morning, about 5:30.. A.M... when we got the call. The caller ID said US Government. At 5:30 am, in that half-asleep haze of semi-consciousness, I thought that the US Government could go that special hell reserved for child molesters, rapists and people who talk in the theater. My husband, however, remembered that we were, indeed, expecting a call from the post office once our precious cargo arrived. So, I handed (read "drowsily tossed") the phone to him and he answered. The US Post Office told him that our live cargo had arrived & we could pick it up any time. Slowly, as the light screamed down my while hubby poked around in the clean laundry pile for suitable clothes, it dawned on me: THE GUINEA KEETS HAVE ARRIVED!!!
Hastily, I threw on some jeans, a shirt and some slip-on shoes, Hubby grabbed his keys, then I shut & locked the front door. Together, we jumped in the car and Hubby drove us to the Post Office post haste, both of us as anxious as new parents hi-tailing it to the hospital. Our Babies are here! Our Babies are here!!
We got to the Post Office faster than I thought humanly possible, parked the car and practically danced to the front door. Unfortunately, the front office at the post office doesn't open until 8:30 am. Looking at my phone, I was dismayed to see the current time: 6:00 am. How could they call us, wake us from our much needed sleep and then deny us access to our little fuzzy bundles of joy?? It just wasn't fair! It wasn't right! In the world of schedules and hours of operation, how could they call us & tell us to "come & get 'em" when they wouldn't allow it?? Just then, we noticed some movement behind the blinds in the window to the front office. A Person! A human being! Surely they would open the door if they knew we were standing there, shivering in the 55 degree morning. So we did what any self-respecting, well-mannered person would do... we pounded on the window until they came to the door to see what the hell was going on!
We explained that we had "gotten the call" and were there to pick up our animals. The brusque woman curtly, nodded, shut the door & sent someone else up to deal with us... that next person opened the door just enough to shove her hands and a box through it. Once we had the box, the door shut as the hands that had held the box retracted as though they were spring-loaded! We didn't much care because we were holding the beginnings of our flock! 16 cold, frightened French Guinea Keets chirping loudly through the cardboard box with slits in the side.
The ride home was a blur of street lights and staring at the cardboard, trying to imagine what these little noisy creatures could possibly look like. Once we arrived home, we were met by 4 curious furry faces whose ears peaked upon hearing the birds' cries. Since we were introducing these new elements to their home, too, we thought they should be introduced.
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| We left the box on the floor in the kitchen. |
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| The cats were curious. |
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| They all got the chance to sniff the noisy box. |
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| Meanwhile, we set up the bin with pine flakes, water & feeder. |
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| Our dining room brooder set up. |
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| We opened the box... |
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| They were all huddled together in a corner for warmth. |
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| We put them in the bin under the heat lamp. |
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| Slowly, they started to warm up and explore. |
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| They eventually found their food... |
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| and water. |
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| They eventually all tuckered out... |
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| ...and passed out wherever they were. |
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| Sully was introduced & sniffed a Keet... not interested. |
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| Spike tried to get away from this voice with feet and feathers. |
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| KC would hear their chirps, look their way, and head the opposite direction. |
All in all, we love our French Guinea Keets! They are entertaining and happy... and so are we!
