When we moved to Westcliffe last summer is was…dry,
brown and hot. I had a moment or two of panic, thinking ‘what have we done’. We had left a lovely green place with an established yard, garden, flowers
and lovely pine trees. I despaired. The magnificent views, the friendly folk of the valley
and our dreams saved me and inspired me to plan to plant this year!
We had several things to consider. First, the dogs, especially
ones with long coats, do not mix well with weeds nor do muddy or snow-covered
paws on new hard wood floors. Hardscape was the way to go for a yard for the
dogs. It is just off the back deck and laundry/mud room hallway, accessed by a
doggy door. When not out and about with us, they have a good space to run, play
and, most importantly nap!
Secondly, I wanted to try my hand at growing food! A good
friend in Yoder, Colorado told me about straw bale gardening and I was amazed
to see the wealth of produce she grew & harvested. After a winter of research and handy
bales used around my duck coop for winter protection, I was about ready to begin my ‘experiment’.
A bit of conditioning with nitrogen, water and sunshine
helps compost the center of the bales, basically turning them to soil. I used both coffee grounds and bone meal to prep my bales. I kept my 15 bales down by the duck coop to create a cozy garden oasis. I am especially enjoying watching seeds grow. What a miracle…from
a little tiny dry seed comes my okra, radish, arugula, mesclun, bok coy,
carrots, beets, bush beans and string beans! I have only planted a bale of each,
including a few plants of heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, squash, and bell peppers. All seem to be doing well. The
only feeble bale is the herbs, perhaps because they are partly shaded.
These bales have several things going for them: no expense for garden soil, they are out of
reach of my duck girl’s hungry beaks, less expensive than building raised beds and with a
little netting the birds have not damaged the developing fruit and veg. They
also are easy to water, just one gallon per bale – duck pond water works for
us – every other day thus far and the heat generated from composting will
extend the growing season a bit. I
really think our donkey, Sam, and the general commotion around our place deter
the deer, rabbits and predators. We have fenced in our front and back yards, as well, to
keep out the wandering cattle, too.
So we shall see how bountiful my harvest is this year. We have already tasted one sweet strawberry and in a few days, I will make a big salad from the mesclun greens, then sow some more. Thank God for a year with precipitation and green. Happy gardening!
We moved to Westcliffe to embrace a rural lifestyle, give our animals the best life possible and pursue our dreams. We visited Sable Ranch to see all the spring/summer babies (foals and Dexter & yak calves). Just to look, mind you. Well that was until we met a colt (Morgan x Fresian). It was all over!
We were able to bring both the mother, Raspberry, and the colt home. He is just 5 weeks old. Ras will stay until he is weaned. His name is Theodoor’s RedFox Sable. RedFox was the name of Jessie James horse, so this handsome fellows barn name is Jamie.
My husband, Bill, and I moved to Westcliffe, Colorado in June, 2018. It was a momentous move. We came with our ‘family’ of three ducks, six dogs, 4 horses and donkey. The minute the horses were let out of the trailer, it was pure heaven!
We moved to have more land, more connection with the things that make us happy and truly create our forever home. This is what this blog will be about, home making & dreams becoming reality. Coming home to Westcliffe was the best decision we ever made.
I am starting a new business, Nest Home Services (mymountainnest.com). I believe that a basic need we all have is to nest, to have a place(s) called home – whether that place is for a short period of time or longer. At Nest we aim to ease the transition from home to home away for the families with mountain homes in Westcliffe. While this blog is about home making and settling into a new community, as well as our life with our Foxhaven critter crew, Instagram will document remodeling our Westcliffe home, offering a few nesting tips along the way. Follow us on Instagram at mymountainnest.
My new business website is https://www.mymountainnest.com/ and you can find us on Facebook.com/mymountainnest too. Check us out!
Sad news. We lost our Beatrice due to an impacted egg. A good friend and bird lover, Linda, helped all afternoon to save her. We followed all the suggestions to loosen and release the egg: warm epsom salt bath water, lubrication of clocea, and gentle massage. We buried sweet Bea on our farm, our first loss at Foxhaven. Our best guess is that her prolapsed vent last year, although healed, may have led to some scar tissue making passing eggs, especially if large, more difficult.
We thought it best to add to our flock, so we never have a lone duck. After research, we decided on Khaki Campbells. They were developed by Adelle Campbell in 1887 by cross breeding Indian Runners, Rouen and wild ducks. They were named in Khaki Campbells because their coloring reminded her of British khaki military uniforms. They are prolific layers and docile creatures.
With proper and easy introductions, the girls, named Kate and Meghan (after guess who?), will do fine with their big sisters, Mary and Skye. They will not be going to live outside in our garden until fully feathered, but at 3 weeks will be going for daily sun bathing and exercise jaunts in the secure duck pen. Ducklings require proper care, including a warm enclosure, proper feed and water. More ducklings are lost to drowning or becoming chilled (as well as fall prey to curious dogs or cats), than any other cause. So please, be a good steward and educate yourself should you become a ‘duck parent’.
I was wondering
which members of the Foxhaven clan to introduce next and I came upon an article advising
against giving bunnies, ducklings or chicks for Easter gifts to children. Most
will end up in a rescue or animal shelter, or released in the wild. Many may
end up dying due to lack of proper care or euthanized. This does not teach
empathy or responsibility to children, and is a high price to pay for a few
days of enjoyment. Moreover, these are domesticated species, and
will not survive long in the wild.
So, with all
those thoughts rambling in my mind and heavy on my heart, I decided to introduce my ducks, my Welsh
Harlequins, my “ducky girls”. They were not bought on a whim, but after thoughtful research into
their care, the habitat they’d need to thrive and our lifestyle & needs. Here are a few facts about
the breed:
The Welsh Harlequin originated in 1949 bred by Leslie Bonnet, a Welsh duck breeder.
They are lightweight, averaging around 5 pounds.
Harlequins are primarily raised for their wonderful practical
attributes. They are highly adaptable, outstanding layers producing 240-330
white shelled eggs yearly and are active foragers.
Docile in temperament.
Lifespan of 9 to 12 years; can be productive egg layers for
8+ years.
We
wanted ducks that were friendly, foraged and would produce a good quantity of
eggs. We also wanted to raise ducklings and experience the imprinting process.
As they grew, we would use them, too, to teach our smooth collie, Rose, how to
herd. (More about that in later posts.)
So our
research continued into care and habitat. A great resource and primer is Fresh Eggs Daily with Lisa Steele.
She includes a wealth of knowledge and resources, including everything from care of ducklings to building duck coops.
We have a darling coop made by Urban Coop Company and secured it in a pen giving adequate room for the girls to waddle about safe from predators. A dog kennel and a dog house with straw would also do the trick, as long as it is secure top, sides and bottom from raccoons, foxes, and the like. They are typically let outside in a fenced yard for the majority of day to forage and swim in their little pool and then only when we are home. In the winter we moved the coop to a secured side porch enclosure. It worked wonderfully. The evidence of happy & secure ducks was in the eggs. The three
girls laid an egg a day consistently –
that is 21 eggs a week – until the stress of our move to Westcliffe caused
them to stop laying until recently.
Let’s
meet the girls!
Hello.
I am little Mary. I am brave. I was
the first duckling to navigate the ramp to our pool and sundeck. I don’t mind
being picked up, as long as you move slow. We are prey, you see, and hard-wired
to evade or hide in order to survive. We are pretty clumsy and slow. That
makes us really vulnerable. Believe it or not, dogs are our number one predator. Ouch, onto brighter thoughts…. I have remained the smallest of my sisters, but I
think the cutest with my browner plumage.
I loved the wildflowers and roses at our first home in Evergreen, but
love the herbs that were planted in tubs around our coop this summer in Westcliffe. Ducks
love greens, but surprisingly can’t have some things, like iceberg lettuce and limited spinach. We
get something green every day! I
especially love swiss chard and peas, even the frozen kind. We now have a whole front yard to peck in
all day and are tucked in at night in our secure coop and pen. There are some blinking lights that sort of
disturbed me at first, but mom assured us it was for our protection and would
scare predators away, so we could rest easy.
I’m
next! My name is Skye and I LOVE
water! Ducks drink a lot of water, up to 4 cups a day each. We also need to dip
our heads in to rinse our eyes, since we don’t have tears. Water is needed to keep our feather and
beaks in the best condition, too. Preening after a good splash is awesome! Some
folks say we create a muddy mess, but that is just natural for us. There are
lots of things you can do, if you are a neat freak, like my mom. We don’t need
a large pond, just a wading pool to splash in to keep us
thriving and our mucous membranes moist. Elevating the pool, using a baby pool or plastic child’s sandbox you change out daily are good things for us ducks and for you human caretakers, too. Just know that nothing beats
watching us frolic and swim! You could go quackers with glee!
Saving
the biggest and brightest for last! I am Beatrice.
I am the biggest of my sisters, and the best layer. I did have a problem early
on with a my vent, but was cured
in a short time. That is why we ducks need to be checked regularly, even to have
our nails trimmed. Just flip us gently on our backs; we don’t mind as long as you are careful. We are otherwise fairly easy to care for. I like to snuggle
at night in my shavings and straw, tuck my head and dream of tender green sprouts. We do
NOT require a heat source, just need a cozy secure area and a break from the
wind AND a coop or little house with ventilation, too. You see, we give lots of moisture when we breathe
that can actually lead to frostbite in the winter without ventilation. A few extra steps will give us good winter care, too. Mom
utilized straw bales and heavy duty secured tarps on the sides of our
kennel that our coop is in to keep us safe. The straw bales will be used this
summer for her straw bale garden…and treats galore for us! (See later posts about this adventure.)
That’s
my girls, who bring me joy and lovely eggs. The eggs are higher in protein and fat content making them prized for baking. They also have more iron and B-12 than chicken eggs.
They are larger and their shell is harder too. Poached, scrambled or in a
quiche, are go-to favorites. One of my favorite recipes is for sponge cake.
I hope you learned a bit more about ducks and their care, as well as how they can enrich your life bring a smile with each waddle, quack and discovered egg!
Our move to Westcliffe, in large part, was our desire to provide a better home for our animals. We also wanted to experience a rural lifestyle and enjoy the pace of a small town.
We named our ranchette Foxhaven, after our favorite wild animal, the fox. Their resilience, cleverness, and sleek beauty speaks to us. Plus, their antics and play make us smile.
For the next month or so members of the Foxhaven clan will be introducing themselves. Enjoy their stories!
Hello, my name is Legend, Perfecta’s Little Andy’s Legend. It is rumored that I started this “whole animal menagarie” at Foxhaven! A bit of my history might be helpful. I lived until I was five years old at Indian Peaks Ranch. It is a great ranch in Bennett, Colorado. John and Jennifer Bennett loved, trained and showed me to my championship, with a standing of top five in the world of miniature stallions! I sired several colts and was loving life when Bill and Lise visited the ranch. It was love at first sight for all of us.
Bill helped me learn new skills and we became a driving team, and compete in combined driving contests. It is so fun to zoom around the obstacles and show off my handsome trot. Everyone says I am a handsome chap, and I am confident that I am a charmer, too. Maybe I can charm you someday?
Lise and Bill work with me as a therapy horse too. I love visiting people and have good manners inside human homes, even those with elevators. I am not afraid of the different sounds or unusual things in these indoor places we visit. I also get lots of smiles and feel the peace & calm that surrounds my new friends. I like to get all brushed out and clean, too, for the visits.
Most of all though, I love being in the pasture with my equine family: Sneakers, Sam, Gold and Dakotah. Sneakers is my bratty son; Gold, my best friend; Sam, my knight and protector; and Dakotah, my role model.
Loving life here in Westcliffe. I can feel the calm in my human family, too. Makes my heart smile, my tail flick and …. neigh neigh …. I get more treats, too! I am Legend…legendary in my love, talent, big horse heart and the sweet memories I leave until my trail of this life.
My husband, Bill, and I moved to Westcliffe, Colorado in June, 2018. It was a momentous move. We came with our ‘family’ of three ducks, six dogs, 4 horses and donkey. The minute the horses were let out of the trailer, it was pure heaven!
We moved to have more land, more connection with the things that make us happy and truly create our forever home. This is what this blog will be about, home making & dreams becoming reality. Coming home to Westcliffe was the best decision we ever made.
I am starting a new business, Nest Home Services (mymountainnest.com). I believe that a basic need we all have is to nest, to have a place(s) called home – whether that place is for a short period of time or longer. At Nest we aim to ease the transition from home to home away for the families with mountain homes in Westcliffe. While this blog is about home making and settling into a new community, as well as our life with our Foxhaven critter crew, Instagram will document remodeling our Westcliffe home, offering a few nesting tips along the way. Follow us on Instagram at mymountainnest.
