What is it like to live in upstate NY? A very different world from most people's impression of the cosmo lifestyle of NYC, that is for sure! But what is it really like? Well, I think it is pretty much like living in central VT, most of NH (at least the northern 2/3) and all of Maine. What? You don't live there. Well, that's because few people (relatively speaking) do. So here is your postcard of the somewhat insane (and certainly surreal) world of Upstate NY.
These two videos are from Saturday Night Live's satires of our NY governor, David Paterson.
Video #1 - "I want somebody from upstate... somebody with a game-y arm or big gums and tiny teeth." "What do I have against New Jersey? Unfortunately, a southern border!"
Video #2 - On our current junior senator (Gillibrand) and her 100% NRA approval rating - "C'mon, Upstate is like 'Deliverance' with snow tires."
We started with Muscovy ducks last summer - got 6 ducklings from one of our local friends (not bad at $3 each, half the mail order price without the shipping!). Once they differentiated into drakes and hens, we kept one male and two females overwinter. The other three were packed into the freezer for winter and very careful consumption!
One of the hens became the roast duck centerpiece of Carol's birthday (recipe and pic here).
Now, we are one year into our duck project and here are the things we have learned.
Muscovy will sit chicken eggs, but because she will set 20-30 eggs in 3-5 layers, chicken eggs must be near the top or the hen will inadvertently suffocate the newly hatched chicks.
Muscovy ducklings are small enough to easily move through 4-inch goat fencing all the way up until 8 weeks old. Mom hen flies over the fence and the ducklings slip through it to follow her.
Ducks' poop is very wet - wetter than chickens - and so they need more clean bedding when they stay indoors. They actually will be sitting then stand to poop and sit down just slightly ahead of where they pooped.
Ducks are very messy with water - especially problematic with the hen and her 5 ducklings that live with the goats. Goats do NOT like dirty water at all. Ducks say, "Feh, water schmater."
Muscovy are pasture trimming monsters - they will eat greens all day long - sometimes they just sit down into it and nibble a circle around themselves.
Muscovy do fly - although their wings are not as strong or large as other ducks - but they love to roost! They are treefowl more than waterfowl. This leads to wonderful pictures like this one:
OK, beyond the question of how the wire got bent down close enough to loop up one of the horns, how exactly did this work out? 
