More Emus and Four Kids

So, we have ended up with 4 emu chicks!  The first one, who was so weak, did die.  We were sad, but in all of the excitement of having a chick, we didn't even realize until later that he hatched after only a mere four weeks in his egg instead of the expected eight.  No wonder he was weak and had to be handfed!!

Meanwhile, our surviving four seem to be growing like weeds, only they are cuter.  So...the chicks that survive were hatched on March 9, March 12, April 1, and April 3.  What a difference three weeks can make in size!

 



Emu chick hatched April 1 and Emu chick hatched March 9

If you notice on the April 1st emu chick, there is purple Vet Wrap on his legs.  While his splayed or spaddled legs were not as bad as our first little guy, he did seem to have trouble walking.  After a long search, I found a website by Kathy Shea Mormino, the Chicken Chick® with information about how she wraps her chicks' legs.  Voila!  It has helped a lot!  I'm sorry I didn't find Kathy's site for my first little guy -- maybe it would have helped.


You can see from this rear view (his head is down), that his legs go out to the sides instead of being straight up and down. He is actually much better than he was -- he likes to have his legs rubbed between wrappings.  Maybe the wrap is like a cast and his legs get itchy.



Here he is with his legs vet wrapped and a connecting piece of Vet Wrap going between his legs to hold them in the right position.  He walks pretty well with this set-up!

We are looking for warmer weather so they can be moved outside.  Sadly, unlike my goose, the emu chicks aren't as imprinted on me as I would like.  Maybe I'll have to carry one around in my pocket next year, though they are considerably bigger than a gosling!

Then, on April 10, I went out to find that Zipporah, my Nubian cross, had two kids!  The father is an Angora buck.  The little boy already has wavy fiber, but the little girl doesn't. 

Zip with her new kids!  The boy on the left and the girl on the right.

Finally, Monday morning, April 15, I went out and Zarahemla had had twins, too.  With the same father, they look remarkably like Zipporah's kids!  Surprisingly white is a dominant color in the sheep and goat world!  (Zip's girl is a very light tan, and a couple of others have a little dark color running through the white -- but none look like their mothers!)

And, as if four kids aren't enough, Martha, our Saanen, should be having one or two more in late May or early June!  We will have milk in abundance this summer! 

Emu Chicks at GEE Funny Farm!

It has been an exciting two weeks at the GEE Funny Farm.  We’ve had three of our emu eggs hatch.  The first one was a surprise just because though we have had eggs in the past none have hatched.  On February 27, there was a flurry of activity as Kathy read up on what to do with newly hatched emu chicks.  We were surprised that the little guy seemed so weak.  He could barely hold his head up and it took three days before he could walk.  How could a emu chick in the wild survive?!?!

The first chick, still in the incubator....

Hatching from its egg...

So cute baby emu!

While the Internet can be a wonderful source of information, it can also be an instrument of frustration.  There are several emu farmers (people who raise emus for their meat and oil) and like every other farmer, probably, each one has an opinion.  I am also in a ‘group’ of emu people and they are mostly farmers, too, with little understanding for people who raise emus as pets.  Needless to say, it was tough to get information that gelled with all parties.

As our very cute first chick got a bit older, he did not eat on his own – it seemed, from what I read, that emu chicks like chicken chicks would start pecking at things and just had to be guided to food.  I ended up hand feeding him with a eye dropper.  He also seemed to have less and less control of his legs, with them splaying in opposite directions – and walking seemed an impossible feat.  However, he is a stoic little guy and is finally eating on his own, though I still encourage water drinking since I don’t actually see him do that on his own.

Our next emu chick hatched on March 9.  Upon hatching, we noticed that it was considerably bigger than our first chick AND he could support its head immediately and could walk soon after hatching.  An aha moment as we realized that our first chick was not really ‘normal.’  The 2^nd chick ate greedily by the 3^rd day and we breathed a sigh of relief that he would not have to be handfed.

 Our 2nd emu chick walking, a little.  It is exciting to see it go!

Our 3^rd chick hatched on March 12 and it, too, was huge compared to our first guy (who really didn’t seem small when he hatched).  The 3^rd chick could support its head, but seemed very tired – he did take 8 hours to hatch and it was an exhausting process.   This is the 2^nd day since it hatched and it seems to be somewhere in between the other two:   stronger than the first and not as strong as the second.

While we try to educate others about our animals, we find that we are always learning, too.  Sometimes it is exciting – having emu chicks.  Sometimes it is sad – our first chick isn’t as healthy as we’d like.  But that is life on the farm.  With chickens, only about ¼ of the chicks survive the first 4 days.  We’ve done better than those odds.  We hope and pray for a miracle with our first little guy.  We hope and pray that the other two, and any that we may have in the future, will be healthy.  We are grateful for this very cool experience!!

 This is what greeted us at 6:30 am on March 12. 

You can see it finally free itself from its egg on the GEE Funny Farm Facebook page!

Tame or Domesticated: What's the Difference?

So, our newest critter is Paul the hedgehog.  I’ve been asked if he is tame.  Well, not yet.  Hedgehogs aren’t domesticated, but soon Paul will be tame, we hope.  Sometimes the words ‘tame’ and ‘domesticated’ are used interchangeably, but they really mean something quite different, and I think the difference is surprising!!

To be domesticated, an animal is ‘tamed’ usually by generations of breeding.  This is done so that animal will live in close association with people as a pet or as a work animal.  Usually the dependency caused by this makes the animal lose its ability to survive on its own if let loose in the wild.  

An amazing study was done by scientists who were interested in how wolves became tame dogs.  In 1959, Soviet scientist Dmitri Belyaev set up a breeding project, not with wolves, but with the silver fox.  Not only did the breeding for tameness happen, but other changes were made in the descendents of the first silver foxes.  Belyaev decided which foxes to breed based only on how well they got along with people.  It is important to realize that Belyaev suspected that breeding only for ‘tameness’ would also change the fox’s physical appearance, and these suspicions were confirmed.  By the 9th generation, the fox kits were born with floppier ears, different coat colors, and they were already whining and wagging their tails in response to a human presence.  These attributes were never seen in wild foxes!   At 1-2 months, the tamest foxes were chosen and then again at 7-8 months final choices were made about which foxes would be bred.  And not only were the foxes tamer, the genetics of the foxes had changed!!  So dogs are NOT just tame wolves; the wolves of today and the dogs of today have a common wolf ancestor, but they are genetically different now.  This is true of the llama and the alpaca vs their wild counterparts the guanacos and vicuñas or wildcats and house cats.  Pretty cool, don’t you think?!?

The silver fox breeding project set up in 1959 by Dmitri Belyaev continues today at The Institute of Cytology and Genetics at Novosibirsk, under the supervision of Lyudmila Trut.

So, how does this apply to the GEE Funny Farm?  Clancy, our 13 year-old Bennett wallaby, is semi-tame.  He allows me to pet him and he will allow others to pet him, sometimes, if David is holding him.  However, wallabies are being bred by certain breeders for the pet trade.  ChrisThompson of Fox Hill Farms has been hand raising wallabies for over 25 years.  Will the next wallaby we get be genetically different from Clancy?  Will s/he be tamer and will there be variations from its wild ancestor in color or how floppy its ears are?  We’ll have to wait and see.  I do know that there are many more albino or white wallabies available than there are in the wild – some breeders breed for that gene.  Mary, our Patagonian cavy, is also semi-tame.  She likes to follow me around and she allows me to pet her.  However, she doesn’t really like to be held (though I’ve heard that some do, Mary is more the norm). Cavies are relatively new to the pet trade in the United States.  How long before a Patagonian cavy is truly domesticated?  Again, we will have to wait and see.  Meanwhile, Paul, our prickly hedgehog, is getting friendlier.  The International HedgehogAssociation warns people 1) A hedgehog who is not friendly to begin with will require a lot of patience and respect to socialize and 2) If you do not handle the hedgehog frequently, they may not stay as friendly. We’re working on it.

Note:  Paul was doing pretty well and then we went on a ‘vacation.’  I tried to take him with me, but the airlines wouldn’t allow it, so he stayed home.  Ten days of no handling and we are back to square one (or maybe two).  Hopefully, it won’t take as long for Paul to become as ‘tame’ as he was when we left!  So…we’re working on it. (Actually, he did pretty well while he was out today -- maybe square 3 (of 4) to get back to where we were -- whew!)

Umbrella or White Cockatoos have been pets since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), but are still considered by some to be 'wild' or 'exotic.'  The tamest ones come from being hand-raised....

Dogs have been domesticated the longest.  Working dogs were the first use: hunting, herding, guard, etc. Dogs still do best if they have a 'job.'

Horses have been used by people for centuries, but their first instinct is to run from danger. 

Emus have been raised by farmers in the USA since about 1980 -- 
we love ours.

Will this emu chick be more 'domesticated' or 'tame'?  We hope so -- Kathy is hoping it imprints on HER (Mama:) oh, er, (Daddy) -- the males sit on the eggs and raise the chicks.

Goats and sheep have been domesticated for centuries -- used for fiber and milk (and cheese and soap....)

If I Could Talk to the Animals --Dr. Dolittle -- My Idol

So, I have a variety of animals and what I really wish is that I could talk to them like Dr. Dolittle of book and movie fame!  Oh, to have conversations with a parrot or hedgehog or llama or horse.  What a wonderful life that would be.

Say, what!?!

For years, people (scientists included) believed that we, human beings, were the only animals that had language -- and that's what made us different.  In recent time, scientists have been surprised to find that many animals have complex forms of communication, though they are quick to say that these forms do not fulfill all of the properties of human language.  (If you want to learn more about the properties, they are: arbitrariness, cultural transmission, discreteness, displacement, duality, metalinguistics, and productivity.)

Interestingly, many studies of animal communication/language is done with the animal learning OUR language or a human language, in any case.  Koko, the ape studied by Dr. Francine Patterson, learned American Sign Language.  Alex, the famous African grey parrot studied by Dr. Irene Pepperberg, learned English.  And the list goes on...and these animals do not learn to speak (or sign) as well as one would expect from a human.

However, scientists were surprised to learn that prairie dogs' communication system could identify what kind of animal was approaching, how the predator was acting, and give general information about the animal's size, color, and speed of travel.  This research was done by Dr.  Con Slobodchikoff.

While I liked learning about the research done by scientists like Dr. Patterson and Dr. Pepperberg, I am particularly gratified by the studies of Dr. Slobodchikoff.  In my mind, HE is more like Dr. Dolittle than the other two.  He learned the 'language' of the prairie dogs instead of expecting them to learn his language.  I hope he is doing further studies.  (Please note that Dr. Patterson and Dr. Pepperberg were not only studying language skills, but trying to learn more about the cognitive ability of their subjects.)

Yeah, I'm talking to you!

 Here on the Funny Farm, I conduct my own little studies.  Yes, my critters (except Prickly Paul-yet- and maybe Lizzy the bearded dragon) know their names and respond, when they want.  I don't even have to have food for them to come when called, though I have to admit that food does help with some of them.  I am learning to 'communicate' like a prey animal through study with Parelli Natural Horsemanship.  I take my llamas to Llama Camp to learn more about how llamas think from people who know more than I do.  I went to a Macropod Informational Exchange to learn more about macropods (like Clancy, my wallaby).  There is so much to learn.  Oh, yeah, I try to train my animals, but they also train me.

Maybe someday I will be more like Dr. Dolittle and be able to talk to the animals.  "If [I] could talk to the animals, just imagine it.....what a neat achievement that would be!....If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages...talk with the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals, and they could squeak and squawk and speak and talk to [me].".




      

    

      

Why buy Prickly Paul the hedgehog from a breeder?

     I often suggest going to a rescue or Humane Society to find a new pet.  I have found pets for the GEE Funny Farm on Craigslist.

     Why didn't I get a hedgehog from a rescue or Humane Society?  Well, I've watched for one, but haven't seen one.

     Why didn't I get a hedgehog from Craigslist from someone trying to 'rehome' theirs?  Because if they 'didn't have time' for their hedgehog, I would find a prickly ball with issues that I would have to overcome.  Hedgehogs need to be handled a lot, every day, so you CAN feel comfortable handling them.  Paul came with a bonding bag that I've carried with me the last two days.  His breeder handled him every day for the six weeks he was with her.  I could tell, because he was relaxed with her and with me when she handed him over.

     So, Thursday we picked him up and carried him in his bonding bag home.  When Nathaniel or I got him out, he would start out in a ball, but after a bit would relax -- thank goodness!  He is not very comfortable to hold when he is in protection mode!

     Friday I carried him around while I delivered meals on wheels (I even shared him with one of the people I often deliver to).  He was now relaxed when he was in his bag.  I could pet him and even touch his toes:)

     Today, I carried him around when I took Nathaniel home, did some shopping and once, while shopping, I had to take him out of the bag to check on him because he was so relaxed he felt limp!  That was scary -- and he didn't ball up until I touched his tummy -- then he turned into a prickly ball with a huff and a puff, so I decided he was okay.

      When I got home, I let him out and he crawled around on me, ate a little turkey from me, got a drink from a water bottle lid, and let me handle him a lot:)  That in three days.  Trying to 'tame' one that was older and had not been handled would have taken a lot longer.

       I've had people try to give me their unwanted pets.  In the old days, I might have taken them, but now I really need to pick and choose and only take in animals that I can use and that other people can pet.  It is sad, but true.  So, that is why I decided to go to a breeder this time.  I hope you get a chance to meet Paul.

Talking Turkey

Like everyday, morning and night, I've just come in from feeding animals.  Sometimes, depending on weather, I dread going out, but once there it is a joy.

So, tonight, I'll tell you about feeding the turkeys.  I started off by calling them.  They were hanging around outside David's office window where they spend a lot of each day peering in at him and tapping on his window.  One of our turkey hens was hand-raised and she is pretty sure that she should be an inside bird.  She loves seeds given to her by hand and has made our other two hens look forward to the treat, too.  We have been going up to the window and herding them down to their pen.  They have to go in since there are coyotes and other things in the night that would love a turkey treat!  

Once we get them headed in the right direction, they usually go to the pen without a lot of complications -- unless we wait until it is truly dusk.  Then they are perched and if they move they want to go toward light -- which isn't in the direction of their pen.  So, I try hard to get out to them before dusk!!  My latest idea was that, because they love the seeds I give them, we would reward them when they go to their pen.  Last night my hand raised hen came at a turkey trot to meet me at the barn, where I keep the treat, and follow me to the pen; the other hens came running, too.

Tonight, they glanced in my direction, but they didn't move.  It was warmer out today and the snow had melted, but now it is starting to freeze and it is slick.  They are uphill from me and I'm not too happy that I'll have to slip and slide up the hill to herd them.  I decided I'd go ahead to their pen, calling as I walked.  Just about the time I was going to give up, my little hen came running with the other two on her heels.  Whew!  Saved again by a turkey!  Sarah, the hand-fed one, looked at me expectantly and I gave her a treat.  She's a wonderful turkey ambassador!

(In a moment of true confession -- I wrote the blog last night and didn't have a camera.  So I thought I'd get a video tonight.  I opened the garage and there they were waiting for me.  So, they followed me down to the barn and I ended up dropping some seeds to distract them long enough for me to get ahead of them -- I love turkeys!)

Christmas is Coming and so are new Pets!

With Christmas coming, people are out looking for that perfect gift.  A gift that keeps on giving is a pet.  However, in my experience, it is best to let the pet choose the person.  This means that going out and buying the dog or cat or bird that YOU like will not determine that your loved one will feel the same way.  Letting your loved one accompany you and letting the magic happen between your loved one and the pet that is chosen is important.

Happy Valentine's Day 1999

I’ve received ‘gift certificates’ from my husband for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and Christmas with permission to get an animal that my husband thinks that I’ve researched sufficiently (because I’ve been talking about the animal for some period of time with books and articles all over the house).  Even with the research I do, there are always surprises!  So, before you take your friend or family member out to look at the pet that they think they want, it is important that everyone does the homework!!  How big will that puppy get?  Most German Shepherds are in rescues because the people didn’t realize that they ‘would get THAT big.  How energetic will your adult dog be?  While people seem to be able to put up with puppy energy, they expect that once the puppy grows up it will calm down – which is why there are so many Border Collies in rescues or humane societies.  How loud is that bird anyway?  While parrots can make great pets (please research the kind of parrot that will fit what you expect), they can be VERY noisy in the morning and evening when they call to their flock (that would be the people in the house).  They can also be noisy when they hear company upstairs and they want to be part of things.  And they need a LOT of stimulation. 

Happy birthday 2009

Also realize that there are many bills associated with pets.  They need appropriate food.  Cats and dogs need vaccinations.  Dogs need training.  Bearded dragons need crickets (it is surprising how many crickets such a little lizard can consume!!).  Parrots and rabbits need claws trimmed (and some people have the parrot’s wings clipped) and appropriate housing.  Rabbit cages sold in most stores are NOT big enough to house your rabbit full-time.  All animals need toys and some rabbits need specific things to chew on so they won’t consume their cage or your furniture!!  And it seems that rodents and rabbits go straight for electric cords, so you may have to pet proof your home or at least an area in which you will let them run around to play.

Merry Christmas 2000

If you do your homework and know what you want and what to expect you and your pet will be a lot happier!  I also suggest that you check out rescue organizations and humane societies in your area.  There are also rehab places for birds.  These organizations can help you find the pet that will fit your lifestyle.  It saddens me to see the pets listed on Craigslist and Petfinder that are being ‘rehomed’ at six weeks or two years old.  In many cases the reason people are getting rid of the pet that they say they really love is because they did NOT do their homework or they weren’t willing to put in time training or working with the animal listed.  Don’t let that happen to you or your loved one!!

Happy birthday 2012

If a pet is being added to your household I hope that it brings you and your loved one joy and that you bring security and love to the special animal that is chosen!

Life, Death, and Adoption on the GEE Funny Farm

I know you haven’t heard from me in awhile, but don’t you worry: I, Asimov, remain abroad in the land, happily, joyfully at home at the GEE Funny Farm. Unfortunately, however, we recently had another loss. This time it was Boaz the lop-eared bunny. It’s possible that you begin to wonder what’s going on over here with fowl and bunnies kicking the bucket, but that’s the nature of a farm—life and death are all part of the program. Well, not our actual program (I mean, you won’t be seeing anybody kick the bucket on your penny . . . or I mean I hope not), but it just simply can’t be avoided in the everyday life of a farm. It’s unfortunate because Boaz was really quite pleasant, despite not being (ah hem) me. He invaded the GEE Funny Farm from the Humane Animal Welfare Society in Waukesha. For a rabbit, he wasn’t bad. He was quiet. He didn’t mind our music or movies, and when he was out of his cage he was too big to climb into our cage. He tried because, in spite of being a bunny, I suspect he was part pig.  He sure did want our pellets.  Sometimes, as I foraged, I’d throw some down to him.  He thought it was out of kindness, but it was usually some pellet I didn’t like – one bird’s garbage is another animal’s treasure, right?

Boaz, the laid-back lop-eared bunny, we will miss you!

 But, as I mentioned, we have both death and life here on the farm. The black silkie chick had a flock of little ones. They have survived surprisingly well, considering that everyone likes chicken as you’ll remember from our former post about something lurking in the woods. I mean, truthfully, even I like chicken, though I’m more civilized and take mine cooked not raw like wild beasts in the woods. You people get confused and think this is cannibalistic but I would like to clarify that it is NOT cannibalism! You eat other mammals and nobody calls that cannibalism. I don’t eat parrots! So there! Anyway, as far as little chirping feathered munchkins go, the chicks are fairly cute and cuddly.

The dad (rooster) is the black guy by the gate.  Hmm, I can see the mom and seven chicks (all those black dots).  The brown hen is a faverolle, not a silkie.

 

The mom chick, the hen, is leading her babies around --
Now I can see all eight, can you?

 

I see one chick in front of its mom, can you? 
The others are UNDER the hen (mom) to stay warm.



If you haven't had enough of the little darlings, here is a short video.

 I've had enough of chickens!! 

Also, new life with animals (and with people, as I understand it) sometimes comes in the form of adoption, not simply birth. So we’ve had that kind too because Kathy went out and got herself another rabbit from the Humane Animal Welfare Society.  Unlike Boaz who was a lop-eared bunny, Alma is a PEW (pink-eyed white) bunny.  Sometimes his eyes seem to glow in the dark -- ugh!

Alma the pink eyed bunny -- nice background, don't cha think?

 Kathy is talking about adopting some other small pets– I wonder where they will live and what they will be. Maybe they’ll be lucky enough to be in my company at least while they’re young.

 The poor Patagonian cavy, Mary, has been moved away from me. Can you imagine the emotional devastation this must have caused her? You’d think she would be very depressed about it, but I hear rumors that she was dancing in the grass when she was moved out to her own pen adjacent to the wallaby pen. This can’t be true because who, honestly, would prefer to be anywhere other than near my precious little white personage?

Mary the Patagonian cavy dancing in her new digs -- I'm pretty sure the picture has been fixed!

It’s a little strange in here without Mary's company. She was an interesting little critter (okay, she’s bigger than I am, don’t rub it in). She would pick up her pen with her teeth and move it wherever she wanted to go. I was taking mental note of her technique before she got moved so that I could figure out a way I could manipulate my cage because I sure do wish I could do that. I’m afraid, though, that I’ve been in Kathy’s capable hands too long to manage too much cage manipulation. My work in that regard involved opening doors and escaping (not moving the cage itself), but those days seem to be long past since Kathy discovered the padlock. Ah, but what fun it was to put her children into a panic . . . *contented sigh.*

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To Adopt or to Buy

Our sweet lop-eared rabbit, Boaz, passed away a month ago.  It was quite a shock since he seemed fine in the morning, meeting me for a carrot, and was gone in the afternoon, looking like he was sleeping peacefully.  We mourned his passing, but thought that we really needed a bunny in our menagerie.  It is so easy to check Craigslist.com and several pet stores still carry rabbits -- and you can get a baby, sigh.  However, there are always rabbits that need adoption at the Humane Society or at several rescues.  What to do...

I went by the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) in Waukesha.  That is where I found Boaz a few years ago.  I walked along cages and most of the rabbits ran to the far side.  Boaz had come and leaned into my hand -- it was love at first sight!  None of the bunnies were THAT friendly, but one white bunny with pink eyes did hold still and let me pet him.  It turns out that he had been there for almost a year.  According to HAWS, people don't like white rabbits with pink eyes.  Poor baby.

I dragged David in and we spent an hour with 'Downy.'  He hopped onto our laps (we were sitting on the floor) and he liked being pet.  He was a little up-tight about being handled, but by the end of the hour he had relaxed a lot.  So, I filled out the paperwork while David snoozed (he can snooze sitting upright in a chair -- amazing!).  And the next day, after HAWS checked up on us, I was able to bring 'Downey' home.

He has settled in quite nicely and is less jumpy every day (at first he was startled when we walked into the room, when we opened the cage, etc.).  Now, we just need to think of a name...

It isn't always easy to decide to adopt rather than to buy.  On Craigslist.com it drives me crazy when the 'seller' is 'rehoming' a 6 week or 6 month old 'pet.'  It sounds like the pet has not yet been 'homed'.  It is sad that there are so many people breeding or buying animals that they have to find home for in a few weeks or a few months.  It is important that you know what you're getting so your new pet doesn't end up on the list!

If you do adopt, it is okay to look for a pet that meets your criteria.  Our criteria for a rabbit is one that likes attention and is healthy.  When I was looking at Border Collies I was able to find one that had quite a lot of training -- he passed his Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International tests within a month of coming home with me.  There are advantages to adopting an older pet, too.  They are less likely to do the puppy dog chew or to piddle on your floor.  There are a lot of great animals out there that need homes.  So, do your research about the animal you are thinking about so you will know what to expect in temperament and size (yes, German Shepherds CAN get up to 75 pounds, Border Collies ARE hyper, cute little chicks grow into messy chickens, etc.) and think about adopting.