21-01-2018, 09:29 PM
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Not Ploppy - another Mr. P
Just thought I'd show you a picture of my beautiful 'Mr. P.' I had when I was at the farm.Isn't he grand? He thought he was, too.
He was such a character. He used to fly up on to the porch roof and peer through the windows at you.
When my husband was coming up the field with the tractor and trailer, if Mr. P was down the field somewhere, he used hitch a lift back up on the barn sitting on the trailer, then fly down when he got back.
He was also a brilliant watchdog. If he was up on the roof, or high in the trees, he could see everything and would sound off immediately if anyone even looked like they were coming near the farm gate!
He fathered quite a few babies, the little ones make such a strange, pitiful noise as they wander around outside behind their Mum, always sounds like they are almost crying.
I also had a stunning pair of pure white ones, but Mrs. White got taken by a fox early one morning, and her hubby went to pieces. He was a nervous wreck, scared of everything that moved after that.
I loved my birds, all sorts I had. I had about 200 or so in all. I'd have 'em back tomorrow if I could.
21-01-2018, 09:58 PM
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Re: Not Ploppy - another Mr. P
Originally Posted by lovemyboys
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He sure was a beauty.And a bit of a character from the sounds of it.
What other birds did you have? Ducks? Geese?
Hi Jackie, yes I had quite a few breeds of ducks. I loved the little Call Ducks, and lavender Muscovies, along with lots of pure breed poultry.
Cochins, Frizzles, Silkies, all sorts, but I think possibly my favourites for looks and kindly nature were the little Pekin bantams. Super little birds.
I also kept Lavender Guinea Fowl, Brecon Buff geese - lovely birds - and a pair of the huge Toulouse geese.
Then there were the 7 Peacocks and Peahens.
I also had an aviary full of Budgies, loved those little chaps too
, and some Cockatiels to round everything off and keep me out of mischief. 
It was at this time I also had my beautiful German Shepherds - 7 of them. The most wonderful, handsome, loyal dogs in the world. I adored them, and I know they did me, as well.
Ooh, I'm getting quite emotional thinking of all my much loved animals again.
Now I have these little rogues, but Gertie is missing from that photo, so it is 5 I have really, not four.
P.S. I forgot the dairy goats. That were real characters too, and clever old things.
Bet you wished you'd never asked now!
This was one of the goats. Pretty isn't she.
She's just a youngster here.
21-01-2018, 10:07 PM
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Re: Not Ploppy - another Mr. P
Nope, not sorry at all.You had quite a menagerie going there!
A past neighbour had Pekin bantams - they were lovable little darlings, and were so good with their kids. Loved their feathery feet!
Can I ask what made you go from Shepherds to Bedlingtons?
Love the markings on the goat!
21-01-2018, 10:32 PM
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Re: Not Ploppy - another Mr. P
Originally Posted by lovemyboys
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Nope, not sorry at all.You had quite a menagerie going there!
A past neighbour had Pekin bantams - they were lovable little darlings, and were so good with their kids. Loved their feathery feet!
Can I ask what made you go from Shepherds to Bedlingtons?
Love the markings on the goat!
Good question.
This lad here -
was the love of my life. I bred him so knew him from the minute he hit the whelping box floor. We became inseparable.
He died on my living room floor, with my arms around him as I lay on the floor next to him, waiting for the vet to come.
I won't go in to it all, but I thought he'd broken my heart.
I had his son, which made me carry on, and he seemed to take over his fathers job in being my constant companion.
A few years later, in 2009, I lost Biff too.
I loved the Shepherds so deeply, I couldn't face such depth of hurt again - and by then I was getting older too.
So it was these two facts that made me think of having a different breed altogether.
I had just one Bedlington at the time, who Biff looked after from the day she came home. He used to wash her, make her wee and clean her up, and let her sleep in his long belly hair when he layed down. They were always together.
When Biff died, I have never witnessed another dog pine like she did for him. It took several months for her to stop looking for him.
I had done a lot of homework for months on different breeds and their health problems before I bought my first Beddie, then because I was so pleased with her, I decided to stay with that breed.
I am not as strong as I was anymore, so these smaller ones make more sense in a way, and if one was ill or injured I can easily pick them up and whisk them off to my vet. I couldn't do that with a full grown Shepherd nowadays.
These little toe rags don't know what loyalty means though, and certainly 3 of them would go off with anyone who waved a biscuit at them, the big boys would never have been bribed like that!
This was my Biff with his little friend he was always with, and that is Douglas, an all black long coat Shepherd in the background. The little Beddie with Biff, is my Mups (the true Mups
) and I still have her. She was 12 last November.Sorry for waffling on so much.
21-01-2018, 10:34 PM
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Re: Not Ploppy - another Mr. P
Originally Posted by doctor
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thoses peacocks are noisy sods though
They are doc, that is true. But we had no neighbours for a mile in any direction, so it wasn't a problem, and I used to love to hear them calling.
They hardly make a sound out of the breeding season anyway, it's mostly when they are either looking for a mate, or something has startled them.
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