PLAYING THE ODDS
Sod’s law proclaims that you are more likely to get rain if you cut hay and more likely to get dry weather when you sow a field in corn and oats for summer hog grazing.
So yesterday we did both.
Take that, Weather Gods!
The hay is thick and there are still showers around, so I have asked my co-worker to only do one field at a time. Kind of spread out the weather luck. He can’t lift things at the moment either and I would rather throw smaller batches of hay up into the barn. Too much at a time wears me out.
Given that we get this hay as far as the barn. Let’s not count our chickens before they are hatched. But – last nights forecast rain went around us – so far so good! and we have showers in the forecast about every day. We might be sowing a lot of oats this summer.
I made a mickey mouse backyard run for the ducklings yesterday. They grow so fast. Suddenly they all look like tall drakes! But they loved getting out in the grass. 
The Thistle Eaters are ready for another move. One has to wonder how much charge is actually running through this fence!
There is milk in that bowl. And no one wants to give in until it is totally gone – even though there are two other bowls full of warm milk. 
Until this one goes for the bucket! Sensible pig. No one else can get his head in there!
This rather odd video is for you duck people. The ducks are almost all feathered up now. Look for these funny hats. These better be females – just sayin’. Watch out for the Mohawk.
At this age we look for what they call iridescence on the wing ( I snagged this pic off an internet duck chat as a reference) to identify the males. I see a LOT of orange feet! And am hoping light orange can be female. My drake got his deep orange/yellow feet with maturity. 
I will look closer today. If most of these are males I will raise them and sell them and be hugely disappointed. I wanted layers. And my money back!
Anyway – as Dad would say – worse things happen at sea!
I hope you have a lovely Sunday/Monday.
C
28 Comments on “PLAYING THE ODDS”
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Way to stick it to the weather gods! You father was right, worst things definitely happen at sea. There must be some females in there 50/50 odds are pretty good. 🤞
I hope so – but even fifty percent is not that acceptable given how much they cost.
Looks like they gave you a crested Khaki or two. I always judged a male by the curled up feather on the tail which happens at 3 months of age, I think.
We have three ways to tell here – dark at the base of the tail, orange feet and that whiteness at the end of the wings. It would be good to be able to tell what’s what early enough – I don’t feed the layers that much we don’t want them to get fat. c
That first photo is my favourite of the day. I have my fingers crossed for enough dry weather for you to get that hay stored. And then just enough rain for that seed to sprout!
I am doing the hay in stages so who knows how it will pan out. But what we cut is really thick – it will take some drying.
Good luck!
They all look the same to me. Even with the red circles. I hope they are egg layers.
My hope too!! c
Being a maritime sort I’d been informed that Sod’s Law always accurately predicted that your toast landed jelly ( or butter) side down. Glad to see that he didn’t ignore the Flatlanders.
Lou! My father was a boat builder in New Zealand . His workshop was right on the waterline. I learnt to weld working on aluminum crayfish dories. Lovely to meet another ‘maritime sort’. !
My dad was a marine engineer and spent a lot of time in the Pacific. One of his favorite sayings was ” this is Liberty Hall, you can spit on the rug and call the cat a bastard.” I found out that many years later that Liberty Hall was a seaman’s hiring hall in New Zealand.
I am going to send that comment on to my Dad. He will get a laugh. He spent his younger years as a marine engineer for the union steamship company. I can’t remember his title. He is 90 something now – how funny! Maybe they crossed paths in some dreadful dockside bar somewhere.
Oh wait – I stand corrected – he was Chief Engineer. Spent the first three days of every voyage throwing up – so the legend goes
Hey Lou! I just read The Two Bag trick on your pages. Fantastic! I loved it!
Good luck with both the hay and the oats. Laura
All about playing the odds!
“Iridescence on the wing”–there’s a poem there.
Yes there is! Huh.
Gorgeous photos of the fields, Ceci ! My favorite for a giggle is your piggy with his head in the bucket! Little smarty pants, that one! Thanks for the video of the ducklets. Hugs, Weather War Goddess! – Sunny
Those ducklets are being really sweet today.
Good plan – I got up and did some washing when it was sunny and the forecast was sunshine for days. It all clouded over at 5pm, but I got lucky.
If I had a few drakes, I have to confess, I would eat them!
That’s what my co-worker said.
It depends on how much you like the taste of duck…
Him and his Mum! LOVE duck!
Me too!
I sneezed at the first photo.
Were they supposedly sold as pre-sexed (and pure-bred) C? If so, I’d definitely be ticked (and calling!) as well:/ Oh, and about your electric fence, if the grasses are touching it, the whole system will ground itself out. (LOL, Just guessing by the way those piggies are leaning into it, that’s definitely the case; )