From mid-winter to early spring, it's mating season for my geese.
I share my farm with an interesting gaggle of geese - Sebastopol geese, Toulouse geese, African geese, Chinese geese, and of course my Pomeranian guard geese. They live in a large enclosure outside my stable. Because geese prefer to breed in water, we lined up several pools on one side of the pen, which are cleaned and refilled a couple times a day. In another corner, they have a shelter that provides ample shade, protection from strong winds, and a safe place to nest and lay eggs. In general, males will court the females, but it is the goose that chooses her gander.
Enjoy these latest photos of my geese.
Geese are both smart and entertaining. And although these domestic birds are not good fliers, they do love to spread their wings. During breeding season, a gander’s pre-mating behavior also consists of wing spreading, stretching, and flapping.
Here is my pair of Chinese geese. The Chinese goose is refined and curvaceous. Its bill is relatively long and slender, with a large, rounded, erect knob that attaches to its forehead. The Chinese goose holds its head high. Its head flows seamlessly into a long, slim, well-arched neck which meets the body at about a 45 degree angle. Its body is short, and has a prominent and well-rounded chest, smooth breast and no keel. Mature ganders average 12 pounds, while mature geese average 10 pounds.
Sebastopols are considered medium-sized birds. Both males and females have pure white feathers that contrast with their bright blue eyes and orange bills and feet. Sebastopol geese have large, rounded heads, slightly arched necks, and keelless breasts. And what is most striking is the plumage. The plumage of the head and upper two-thirds of the neck is smooth, while that of the breast and underbody is elongated and well-curled.
These are African geese – a breed that has a heavy body, thick neck, stout bill, and jaunty posture which gives the impression of strength and vitality. The African is a relative of the Chinese goose, both having descended from the wild swan goose native to Asia. The mature African goose has a large knob attached to its forehead, which requires several years to develop. A smooth, crescent-shaped dewlap hangs from its lower jaw and upper neck. Its body is nearly as wide as it is long. African geese are the largest of the domestic geese. In nature, geese pairs bond and stay together for life.
This buff-brown goose is a Toulouse. On this breed, the bill is stout, the head large and broad, and the moderately long neck is thick and nearly straight. Often suspended from the lower bill and upper neck is a heavy, folded dewlap that increases in size and fullness with age. The body is long, broad and deep, ending in a well-spread tail that points up slightly. The Toulouse has a rounded breast, and often exhibits a wide keel. The abdomen is double-lobed and often brushes the ground, particularly in females during the early spring.
These are my Pomeranian geese – the oldest of all my geese. They guarded my chickens for several years, but seem very happy to be with their goose friends.
My geese have a large yard, but they love to gather close together most of the time. I am very happy that all my geese get along so well. A group of geese on land is called a gaggle. This is because when geese get together they can get quite noisy and rowdy.
And being highly social helps them stay safer from predators.
Waterfowl don’t need roosts – they are very happy sleeping on the ground, but this shelter in one corner of the pen does protect them from strong winds. This area is also lined well with hay for laying eggs.
This gander is “Bear.” He was hatched as a singleton a couple of years ago. He and a Sebastopol goose seem to be very happy together.
“Bear” and the other sentinels come honking and hissing at anyone who comes near. Thanks to their honks, these geese make excellent guardians. They can scare off any animals on the ground and they’re great at spotting aerial predators, such as hawks and falcons.
The tail of a goose is relatively short – just a few inches. And while the tail itself may not be very strong, the overall strength of a goose is attributed to its powerful body muscles and bones.
Geese also have impressive visual capabilities. The way their eyes are structured allows them to see things in much finer detail at a further distance than humans. They can also see UV light and can control each of their eyes independently.
Where one goes, the others tend to follow.
Geese also prefer to mate in water. It is safer to provide these shallow containers. They seem to like them.
However, geese don’t require a pond or large swimming pool – they swim much less than ducks and are content with a small dipping pool where they can dunk and clean their noses and beaks.
Each pool has steps, so it is easy for the geese to get in and out whenever they please.
Geese are grazing birds that eat a variety of different items. They look for roots, shoots, stems, seeds, and leaves of grass and grain, bulbs, and berries. They also eat small insects.
In addition to the fresh greens I give all my birds, I fortify their diet with a mix specifically made for waterfowl.
They always have access to fresh, clean water. Because geese do not have lips or cheeks, they drink by filling their bills with water and then tilt their heads back to swallow, using gravity to send the liquid into their digestive tract.
My gaggle of geese is fun, friendly, personable, and protective. Geese are also very hardy and adaptable to different climates. I’ve kept geese for many years. My farm wouldn’t be complete without them.
It's still winter, but here at my Bedford, New York farm, this week is feeling a little like spring - and the animals are happy, especially my pace of fun-loving donkeys - Rufus, Billie, Clive, Jude “JJ” Junior, and Truman “TJ” Junior.
Yesterday, temperatures were in the high 40s Fahrenheit. It was quite breezy, but the donkeys played and brayed for much of the day. They love being out in their large paddock just outside my stable where they get lots of attention from passersby. And then in the afternoon, the five are brought back indoors, where they are groomed and fed.
It's been a while since I shared pictures of the "donks." Enjoy these photos.
No one passes the donkey paddock without saying hello to these five – Rufus, Clive, Billie, Jude “JJ” Junior, and Truman “TJ” Junior.
Every day as soon as the sun is up, all the donkeys are let out into their paddock. Ideally, any outdoor space should consist of donkey-safe grazing pasture, and at least half an acre of land – more if possible.
Once visitors stop at the gate, at least one or two come quickly for pats and hopefully treats. Rufus is on the left and Truman “TJ” Junior is on the right.
Here’s Truman “TJ” Junior in front of the run-in shed. When the weather is wet or windy, donkeys need access to a warm and dry shelter.
Donkeys are herd animals, so they don’t like being separated from other members of their pack. I am very glad all five get along so well. The donkey or ass is a domesticated member of the horse family, Equidae. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African wild ass, E. africanus. The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years.
Here are my two youngest donkeys, Truman “TJ” Junior and Jude “JJ” Junior – affectionately named after my grandchildren. They joined my stable in May 2019. These two are very bonded and are never far apart.
Truman “TJ” Junior is about nine years old now and a little taller than Jude “JJ” Junior who is about seven. Donkeys can live longer than other animals – some more than 40 years.
Here’s Billie, the elder of my two females, or jennies.
Donkeys have a great sense of hearing, in part because of their large ears. In fact, a donkey is capable of hearing another donkey from up to 60-miles away in the proper conditions.
Here’s the donkey manger. During winter, when the grass is dead, or at other times of year when there’s not enough, I supplement with good quality meadow hay made right here at the farm. Donkeys can make use of more than 90-percent of the food they consume. Their digestive systems are efficiently designed to break down and absorb nutrients.
The thing to remember, however, is that donkeys cannot be overfed. Eating too much protein and other nutrient-rich foods can make them sick. They also tend to gain weight very easily. My donkeys are in good shape.
Donkeys are quite vocal and can be heard across the farm. They have a two-toned call that is called braying and sounds close to “hee-haw.”
Although donkeys are very conscious of safety in their surroundings, they are also quite curious. Rufus never misses an opportunity to say hello.
In the afternoon, the donkeys are walked back to the stable. Truman “TJ” Junior is first to the NibbleNet, a hay net specially designed to slow feed times, curb boredom, and simulate grazing. I use them for all my horses. At this time, they also get a small meal of nutritious grains.
Here’s a photo of the girls – Jude “JJ” Junior and Billie. They are “stall mates.”
Donkeys are calm, intelligent, and have a natural inclination to like people. Donkeys show less obvious signs of fear than horses. Truman “TJ” Junior and Clive look over the gate eager for dinner.
The donkey’s sense of smell is considered to be similar to the horse. Donkeys greet each other by smelling and blowing in each other’s nose. The smell of breath imparts important information to the donkey.
All the donkeys have very different and fun personalities. Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness but this is because of their highly developed sense of self-preservation. What is Clive looking at?
It’s Cinco hoping for a belly rub. Cinco is one of two barn cats I adopted last year. They both adore the donkeys and horses.
And there’s always petting time for these handsome donkeys… or an ear rub… or a cookie… or a peppermint… or a carrot from my greenhouse garden… or maybe all the above.
Do you know... there's an estimated 30-million active sewists in North America? And of that number, up to 11-million of them are passionate quilters.
Quilting has a rich history that dates back centuries. Originally a technique for recycling fabrics, quilting has evolved into a popular craft. The art of quilting is the process of joining layers of fabric together through manual stitching or with a sewing machine to create a bed covering or garment. Recently, my longtime special projects producer, Judy Morris, shared some photos of a friend who is about to finish a four-year long quilting undertaking inspired by a Civil-War era quilt design and fabrics.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
These are some of the fabrics Judy’s friend, Nancy Chick, purchased for her version of Mrs. Billings’ Coverlet quilt, a piece originally made between 1805 and 1810. Nancy’s color palette includes pinks and reds…
… different shades of blues…
… as well as tans and browns. It took Nancy about two months to locate all the fabrics she wanted to use in her quilt.
And this is the inspiration, the 95-inch square Mrs. Billings’ Coverlet quilt made from 15-rows of sewn hexagons, squares, triangles, diamonds, and kites in all different sizes. Some of the fabrics used date from the 1770s and include dress and furniture prints. Nancy purchased the pattern from Karen Styles who owns it. The original quilt is kept in the collection of The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles. It is a very difficult pattern to make, but Nancy was determined.
Here are the tools Nancy uses to create her quilt – fabric pens, glue sticks, scissors, and her threads.
And here is a sample hexagon template, a cut piece of fabric, and the paper to which the fabric is glued before stitching into the quilt. The templates are all part of a kit from Somerset Patchwork and Quilting.
This is the very center medallion of the quilt and the start of the quilting process. A hexagonal flower with hexagonal pieces surrounding it. Nancy selected colors that would pop in the center.
There are different methods for piecing a quilt together, but Nancy cut each shape using a template and then affixed the fabric onto a matching piece of paper.
Here, Nancy shows the center plus the first few frames of the quilt. Other shapes are now used. All the fabric is inspired by Civil War era prints and patterns.
Kites, diamonds, and triangles are popular shapes in quilting. Quilters use them to experiment or show varying colors, fabric prints, and layouts on a frame.
Seeing it in stages shows how long and arduous quilt making can be. Nancy spent an average of 10-hours a week over four years to work on the quilt.
Next, these are called hexagonal flowers. Each one made separately.
They are also gathered together to make this border frame.
Another frame shows diamonds and triangles. Quilters often use a variety of fabric designs to reflect their personal styles or to display patterns or scenes from a certain point in history. Nancy uses prints popularly used in the 1860s in keeping with the theme of the original piece.
It is looking more like a quilt here after three years of sewing. The word quilt comes from the Latin word meaning “culcita” or stuffed sack. The more familiar English word was first used in the 13th century.
Several more rows are in the process of being sewn here. The Mrs. Billings’ Coverlet pattern for the quilt provides a border order, so every step is clearly illustrated.
Here’s a closer look to show squares and different sized triangles sewn together in a patchwork.
And here is another frame of what are called “hexies” – small hexagonal patches used to create more intricate designs.
And these are “hexies” sewn together to make triangles. These are used to create the final border.
Here is one side of the finished piece. Nancy expects to finish it within the next week. And then this quilt will be entered in the Pine Tree Quilt Show in Augusta, Maine this summer.
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