We have a new critter...

[kpinnc 12,061]

Like the title says, a new creature found my home. For those who don't know, my wife is "Ellie May Clampett" at heart. Stray animals always find us, and she always feeds them. And they always stay! The sadder, more pitiful, and ugly, the more she likes them.

 

...Makes me rethink why she picked me! 

 

Anyway, now for four days we have another squatter. I've never seen a pheasant take up with people like this, but here he is. My wife named him "Rango", so I know he's here for as long as he wants... 

 

 

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,318]

I fully expected a cat…maybe a dog 🤣

[kpinnc 12,061]

36 minutes ago, Sparky said:

I fully expected a cat…maybe a dog 🤣

 

Yeah, me too. But for 20 years now she keeps surprising me. 

 

And for the record, I have been corrected: his name is Johnny Ringo, not Rango. Like I care. 

 

We have:

3 dogs,

3 cats,

6 goats (nigerian dwarf, nubian, and two fainting),

1 donkey (not counting the jackass she shares a bed with),

And one giant tree frog.

...And apparently a damn pheasant named Johnny Ringo.

[tunahead72 2,412]

@kpinnc  I feel your pain...  My wife has named a rather large black snake that hangs out WAY too close to our house in Virginia.  He's now Sneaky Pete, for obvious (to her) reasons that actually escape me completely.

 

[Achto 27,577]

10 hours ago, kpinnc said:

 

 

I notice that he seems to have rather short tail feathers. In my area this would signify that this was a bird that was raised in captivity and then released to the wild. Pheasants that were born in the wild usually have long tail feathers by adulthood. There are 3 places near me that hatch raise & release pheasants. They will release a few roosters and a bunch of hens in the spring.

 

In order to get some financial help from the DNR, in fall they will release several roosters in various spots about 1-2 weeks before hunting season. These birds are dumb as a bag of hair & usually don't make it through hunting season. 

Edited April 28, 2023 by Achto

[Achto 27,577]

18 minutes ago, tunahead72 said:

He's now Sneaky Pete, for obvious (to her) reasons that actually escape me completely.

 

 

[kpinnc 12,061]

Just now, tunahead72 said:

  I feel your pain...  My wife has named a rather large black snake that hangs out WAY too close to our house in Virginia.  He's now Sneaky Pete, for obvious (to her) reasons that actually escape me completely.

 

I guess I'm fortunate that snakes are not loved at all by my wife. And it's good because we have a few big black snakes here too. 

 

She wants one of those mini cows, the little $10,000 ones. Not until I get something with a bucket loader and backhoe attachment! 

 

We already have cows next door. They come right up to our yard, so that's enough for now.

 

 

[kpinnc 12,061]

4 minutes ago, Achto said:

These birds are dumb as a bag of hair & usually don't make it through hunting season. 

 

Well, he's in the right place! 

[Handy Don 12,232]

45 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

Hey, cool!

My dad got us a burro when I was about 10. As the oldest, I was elected to get her used to having a bridle, then a saddle, and then being ridden. Got bit once or twice, collected thrown saddles at least three times, and had more “forced exits” than I can remember (no hospital trips, though @Pullstart). After about three weeks, and a box of ginger snaps, she’d become fully calmed and would let any of my siblings ride her. We 3 oldest took her all over roaming through the woods and fields--miles from home. The “stubbornness” often associated with burros and jacks (female and male) has to do with their surefootedness. They won’t readily step anywhere they don’t think is solid footing. This was a boon for the safety of little kids riding all over! Over time, though, they’ll trust the rider and slowly go through mud or puddles.

Thanks for triggering the memories, KP

[kpinnc 12,061]

4 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Got bit once or twice

 

Our jack doesn't like males of any species, though he's gelded. He used to let me brush him and walk him, and then flipped his script. My wife and daughters can go in with him, but he loses his mind if I go in the pasture or stall. How got out one time and chased me into the house. Haven't figured out what happened yet, but no chance of ever riding him for sure.

 

My wife wants to get a full sized Mollie to put him in check, but I don't know if that will work or not. He thinks he's king of the hill, and donkeys aren't known for changing their minds much. I guess we'll see eventually...

[ebinmaine 67,507]

6 hours ago, Achto said:

notice that he seems to have rather short tail feathers. In my area this would signify that this was a bird that was raised in captivity and then released to the wild. Pheasants that were born in the wild usually have long tail feathers by adulthood

I caught that too and had never seen one without the long tail. Thanks for the description. 

I've always thought these adult ring-necked pheasants are a beautiful creature. 

Where I reached the adult human size back in North Central Mass they were very rare. Up here in Southwestern Maine I see one every two or three years maybe. 

 

6 hours ago, kpinnc said:

our yard

 

That's fantastic right there!

 

Trina would love to have a horse or two someday but she's got a LOT of camping trips and things to do in the next few years. 

Someday.  

I'd like goats, myself. Grandparents had em when I was young and I really enjoy the personalities. 

Goat-alities((??)) 🤔

 

 

[squonk 41,118]

I live in a village and farm animals belong on the farm. My ex neighbors across the street had a son who wanted to be a farmer. So in HS he started raising chickens ,ducks, pheasants, turkeys ect. He kept them in their beat up old barn and had a pen. Problem was no one there new how to build a fence. They couldn't even keep their elderly dog in the yard. 

 

I used to work on cars for my B-I-L. one day I'm under a car on a creeper and I sense I'm not alone. I look out from under the car and I see feet surrounding the car. Every stinking bird he had got out and were now in my garage! Nobody was home so I had to wrangle them all back home. I shoved a wheel barrow into the hole in the wall where they got out! 

[953 nut 55,236]

10 hours ago, tunahead72 said:

 My wife has named a rather large black snake that hangs out WAY too close to our house

I don't particularly like snakes but am glad to have a black snake.       They love to eat rodents and I like them way less than snakes.

11 hours ago, kpinnc said:

The sadder, more pitiful, and ugly, the more she likes them.

 

...Makes me rethink why she picked me!

Thanks for giving me a good laugh this morning!        

[WHX?? 48,815]

Same here KP. This guy showed up at the bird feeders one morning and hangs out. 

I named him Walter.

Doesn't like the cats tho. His squawk sounds like opening a rusty faucet.

No surprise where he came from there's two private shooting preserves just down the road so likely a pen raised bird but has extremely long tail feathers. 

 

Last year plow day one showed up to inspect @Achto's horse!

Edited April 28, 2023 by WHX??

[ebinmaine 67,507]

2 hours ago, WHX?? said:

named him Walter

Seems right.  

[Horse Newbie 7,069]

14 hours ago, kpinnc said:

Makes me rethink why she picked me

😆

[Wheel Horse 3D 3,795]

Had this critter help herself to my office chair at my office in the middle of an industrial park. Took to leaving eggs on my workbench! She'd just cluck her way right in whenever the door was open.

[ebinmaine 67,507]

1 hour ago, Wheel Horse 3D said:

Had this critter help herself to my office chair at my office in the middle of an industrial park. Took to leaving eggs on my workbench! She'd just cluck her way right in whenever the door was open.

Free eggs for lunch !! 

[Beap52 811]

A couple of years ago mom had a two pheasants show up at her house.  They're not native in southwest Missouri and we learned that some farmers went together and bought  some hand-raised ones for hunting and these two managed to escape.  Mom feeds birds all winter and these two would show up when she called knowing they would be fed.  I suppose they spent most of their time in the timber and even got tame enough to come into her garage.  We figured that coyotes likely killed them.  Those two pheasants sure brought a smile to mom.  She is in her late 80's and has given up tending animals.  She has had goats, chickens, ducks and dogs but we're afraid she will get knocked down and break a hip--and many older folks don't survive something like that.  So, she feeds birds, neighbor dogs, watches deer and shoots 'possums that invade her barn. 

 

Mom does not like snakes.  She had one under her deck some time ago,  I went out there with the two grand children who were probably 5 and 6 years old at the time.  The grand kids had their eyes plastered to the cracks between the deck floor boards looking for the snake and their hind-ends straight up in the air.  I never told mom that I found 6 or 8 black snake skins in the attic of her house. Apparently, the previous owners had a mouse problem and the snakes were up there helping themselves to a smorgasbord.  

 

We had a donkey when we were kids.   She wasn't broke to ride but if you'd put an ear of corn in front of her, she would reach down to eat the ear and then your could jump on her head and she would throw you upon her back.  My youngest brother would lay on that donkey's  back and just let her take him where ever she went in the pasture.   It sure seems life was simpler back then.

[WHX?? 48,815]

17 minutes ago, Beap52 said:

We figured that coyotes likely killed them.

Prolly what's gonna happen to Walter... lots of eagles by the river too. Other day with morning ☕️  saw a eagle flying straight down the road with something black and heavy. Eagle was using the road as  runway!

[ebinmaine 67,507]

1 minute ago, WHX?? said:

eagles

Most of em izz Way too layzeee to take a live bird. Too much work.   

[kpinnc 12,061]

14 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Goat-alities((??))

 

I'm using that one! 

[Rob J. 1,942]

When we used to feed the birds we had a mallard pair that would chill out under the big feeder during the day. They came every year for about 4-5 years and then they didn’t. 🤷🏻

[wh500special 2,184]

22 hours ago, Beap52 said:

“ They're not native in southwest Missouri…

Not only not native to MO, they’re not native to any part of the USA.  They’ve been imported as game birds but can thrive in the prairie states of IL, IA, NE, SD, et al. 
 

They show up around here every once in a while.  I also see them frequently where I go fishing as the state stocks them for hunting in the surrounding parks. 
 

Those raised in captivity for release and those that are born in the wild have strikingly different behavior.  It’s nearly impossible to get close to the wary, wild ones but many of the released birds just sit there when you walk up on them.  
 

Beautiful creatures regardless. 
 

Steve

[kpinnc 12,061]

6 hours ago, wh500special said:

Beautiful creatures regardless. 

 

Very true!

 

I still can't believe my wife's cats haven't eaten him yet. 

 

Same for the neighbors dogs (both labs), but they just walk by him like he isn't there. Go figure.