Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Show me your blacksmith pets


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 1.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

1 hour ago, BlasterJoe said:

This is little Bea. She’s 1 year yellow lab. She’s like my daughters. Comes in to watch me work and falls asleep. I must be a pretty rhythmic hammerer.

A one year old Lab that sleeps?? Sounds kinda strange to me...

Coco was super active at first, but they say Labs will act like turbocharged puppies for only the first 10 years... lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, these are not the usual blacksmith pets, but guinea fowl are curious things and mine always hang around the forge at home just keeping a check on what's going on. This was a funny sight yesterday. I tossed out a piece of bread, but before the guinea fowl could move in on it, one brave rainbow lorikeet zoomed in and took control of the situation. He fought off many advances from the flock of 25 guinea fowl until he had consumed the bread right under their noses. The pugnacious little guy really called their bluff. Here's a picture showing the stand-off:

 

guineas.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guinea fowl are a trip. Fairly self sufficient eating bugs and seeds and with the bug eating quite helpful with the pest control. Just don't think you will control them. They like to roam the country side.  Thanks for posting the great picture Aus. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, SLAG said:

Did you have enough chow left over for the guinea?

Yes, there was plenty of bread for all, but I held it back while I watched this scenario unfold.

As Das pointed out, guineas are very much self-sufficient. They roam all over my place catching anything that moves - they are great for cleaning up ticks and they don't hesitate to give a snake a touch up with those claws. But that lorikeet had them all bluffed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ausfire,

Remind me to never get into a poker game with that lorikeet. I wouldn't stand a chance!

Australia is indeed fortunate in having so many wonderful & often powerful creatures.

Were I a resident I would be sorely tempted to head off to the nearest animal shelter and adopt a taipan or Eastern brown snake as a pet.

That would keep relatives at arm's length!

Happy Easter mate!

SLAG. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Dan. And a Happy Easter to you too. A very busy time for us with many visitors to the forge. A cyclone lurking off our coast has kept some away, but still plenty of on-lookers at the demos.

I smiled at your comment about adopting a taipan. Yes, it certainly would keep the relatives away. We have a friend who has a death adder in an aquarium tank in his home. I don't mind snakes but I would draw the line at that. I used to have a carpet python in my classroom and it would often go walkabout (or crawlabout) around the room. The school cleaner would never come in to clean my classroom until she was sure it was back in the cage.

There's a black-headed python at our museum. It's not really a pet, as it can come and go as it pleases. Tourists like it, and it's a handy rat catcher.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the picture of the fowl standoff Aus. Reminds me of a poster in a vet office up here, says, "What matters isn't how big the dog in the fight is it's how big the fight in the dog is." 

Another memory your pic brings to mind is from my young years, a friend and I would take weekend long drives and we were eating lunch by a popular lake, Crowly lake I believe. The lunch stand also sold stale bread to feed the ducks and geese that hung out for the easy eats. Tom and I were sitting there watching talking about our next stretch of road and commenting on a city guy trying to get a large goose with goslings to eat the bread he was throwing at it. The goose was collecting the bread in a pile but not eating any, saving it for the babies. yes?

Well the guy throwing the bread was getting frustrated and said out loud, "if that stupid bird won't eat the bread the ducks will!" With mamma goose standing over the bread the pile of bread crumbs, hissing and flapping her wings in full threat display he reaches UNDER her to take it back. She grabbed his nose and started beating the stupid out of him. Wings and clawed feet while she hung from his nose.

The Whuppin (that's where the term comes from you  know. WHUP WHUP WHUP is just what it sounded like except for the screaming that is) only lasted maybe 10-15 seconds and left the fellow bleeding and bruised. Among the stunned and wonderfully entertained applauding crowd was a Fish and Game officer to whom the badly beaten fellow complained. He was also evidently ignorant of all the laws protecting migratory birds and was again stunned to find he could be cited, fined hundreds and even serve time for messing with a goose. The officer let him off with the warning. 

Like mamma goose needed help. I'm sure not a crumb of bread was eaten by anything but her goslings. 

If you don't know getting hit by a goose's wings can easily break your arm. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, a goose with babies is nothing to mess with. We stay well clear of them when kayaking. My family raised some geese when I was younger and I know all too well how mean they can be.  I give the ducks with babies distance as well.

I'm also cautious of roosters around their hens. ( one almost took my eye out. 5 stitches on my left lower eyelid. ) also peacocks. Was bent over giving them water and got a thwap on the head that drew blood. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My boys and their 'little' sister...
The boys are just barely a year old (Akbash/Great Pyrenees/Golden Mountain Dog) and the little Golden princess is my wife's baby. She's amost 5, I think.

Haley, Winston and Trooper, in that order. Doing what they do best, guarding the dining room so no food escapes.

20180220_183858.thumb.jpg.6420b755f124775be090a4fda757e33a.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...