August 1, 2011

On par with Octomom

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Even though I only count 13 in this picture, we counted a total of 14 keets on Friday afternoon, which puts Gladys on par with Octomom.

We don’t know that she’s the same Gladys that got broody in our barn last fall, but this time, she hatched her babies.

I tend to think this is the same Gladys. She’s very attentive to her babies.

And protective. Just as she was to her nest.

Guinea keets are incredibly cute.

Gladys spent Friday night here with her babies. On Saturday, she returned to Mr. Gladys and the rest of her guinea family in our neighbor’s pasture.

Take good care of those babies, Gladys. We’re glad you were here.  ♥

 

November 12, 2010

30 days and confused

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By my calculation, Gladys has been sitting on her X marks the spot eggs in the goat stall since October 11. 

Despite the fact she appears completely content, because it’s 30 days later, I’m starting to get worried about her. 

From what I’ve learned, the incubation time for guinea eggs is from 26 to 28 days. Does she even know if her eggs are viable? What if her eggs never hatch? Will she sit there forever?

If, by some small miracle her eggs do hatch, it’s too cold for the chicks to survive now. Does she know this?

Is she hungry? Is she thirsty? Is she cold? Does she miss her friends and family?

 

October 13, 2010

Magical moments

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Don and I often talk about the magical and unexpected moments we experience at Morning Bray Farm. They seem to happen a whole lot here.  

Take Baby Boy, for instance. He’s gotten to the point now where he follows me around the corral and pasture… his nose to my rear. Momma is frequently not far behind these days. That’s magical, considering they were feral when they came to us a year and a half ago. I love them and they make me smile.

Check out Gladys. After laying a dozen or so eggs and being inattentive to her nest the last couple of weeks, she’s been faithfully sitting on her X marks the spot eggs in the goat stall for the last two days and nights. Isn’t she pretty?

She doesn’t seem to mind our comings and goings. That’s magical too. I can’t help but coo at her and smile every time I walk past.

Unexpected surprises can also be magical. For example, finding one of Lenny’s winter stashes in the hose storage container by the barn. How does he know he needs to save for the upcoming months? Whether it’s magic or instinct, made me smile.  

Yesterday, this one made me say, “Well, I’ll be.” 

The sandhill cranes are back in town. This was our first official sighting of the year from Morning Bray Farm. The magic in this… Limpy (in the foreground) is back for her third straight year in a row. In case you’re wondering, Limpy limps. That’s how we know it’s her.

She brought a big old smile to my face. Simply magical. ♥