Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Our Sunny goat, born in May had wanted a boyfriend a few weeks ago, and I found a neighbor named Paul that has a nice dairy buck. And Sunny told us again on the weekend that she was in need. Baaing and tail twitching etc. So Cath and I loaded her up in the truck and the three of us went for a connubial visit. And four or five or six of us came home.

How can this be you ask? Well, Paul has a female lab, and she has puppies three months old. The daddy is a great Pyranese Paul says, but I am not sure, looking at the pups, there could be more than one daddy there, time will tell.

Just visiting, I asked what he was asking for them. “Nothing” he said, “Which one you want? The rest are going to the auction Wednesday and I give away or sell there.” Puppies. Who can resist?

Our very good dog Lop is about six. So a puppy right now means that in a few years, we won’t be dogless, and he will keep Lop active. So Catherine and I picked out one of the smaller puppies, marked a lot like a blue healer. He has a black mask, kind of like the Lone Ranger, so his name is Ranger. He is kind of timid, pees a little when you call him, but that’s part being puppy, it will change. Into the kennel for the night, no barking or whining, just accepting that it’s the way it is. Lop has barked in his face a couple times, but generally it’s going well.

There’s nothing cute as puppies. Except maybe if it’s new chicks. Fondue has a clutch of five about four days old. She brings them over to me and clucks and insists til I get a handful of grain and squat down with an open palm then they climb all over my hand eating it.

So older dog, puppy, hen, chicks, goats with child. The garden and the trees are taking their winter nap. The circles of life are going round and round as they should.

Catherine and Colin

Lovely Pup, like his face! CUte chickes too.

Looks like a Bernese Mountain Dog face.

Ranger is a cutie! And well I want Fondue and chicks lol. She is a gorgeous colour.

Congrats, sounds like you have a busy fun place going on.
my son's Bernese pup for comparison , definitely some color similarities, love the eyebrows!

Ha! Ha! She's a good mama, teaching her babies how to suck up.
Ohhh that puppy is sooooo cute.
Love that Bernese puppy!

How is the new puppy doing? Such a cutie!

Doing pretty good. Nice natured. He and the older dog rassle and play fight all day long. He has grown a bunch. He know commands, but like my wife, decides when and if he is going to do what I say. Come, sit, stuff like that. Took about a week to get him to not chase the chickens, just constantly at him. He just wanted to play, not attack, but the chickens didn't know that, glad to say its a non issue now. Got nailed him to the chain link fence, which had a lot of spring to it; he wasn't hurt but plays heads up much more now, which will be important when there are baby goats in March. So much for us to learn in a lifetime, but better learned when we are young. I not so young any more, still trying to learn stuff I should have as an adolescent.

And Fondue. The chicks are still eating out of my hand, they're close to two months old now, and she is starting to send them out on their own. I expect that before the end of February she will have laid for a couple weeks and be broody again. I will have to decide what eggs to set her on. I only have the Marans roo right now, so thinking I will pick the bluest Americauna eggs and get a batch of olive eggers. Or, I might see if I can collect her eggs and keep her line going. Will have to see. She raises about four clutches a year, its her mission in life.