More Bits and Pieces

We are seeing quail daily now.  We don't always hear them, but when we look out in the evening, sometimes one, sometimes five or six quail are eating around the wild bird feeder.  Tomorrow I'll go to the feed store on the way home, and get another 50 lb bag of gamebird feed.  I'll mix it good with the economy mix from Tractor Supply (9.95 for 35 pounds) and make it stretch that way. 

We went up to 97 degrees today, and that should be the hottest day for at least the next five.  I felt badly this afternoon, I had so much to do at work today that I left much earlier than usual, and forgot to go out and fill Inca's pool, which I found this morning with hardly any water in it.  We suspect there is a hole, either made by her, or worn out, since this is the second season we have used it.  Tonight when I got home, she was laying in it, and there was only a tiny puddle.  I started the hose to fill it before I even went in, since I knew Keith had let the dogs out to go to the bathroom when he got home.  Sometimes she doesn't quite make it in it, and we suspect that is tearing the pool up, too.

Why the pool leaks, sometimes she doesn't make it all the way in!

The molt is in full sway here.  Reddy and Eagle, who live with Butch in the pen in the pasture, have hidden their laying spot from me, so two weeks of eggs have gone to waste. 

For two days, I've found Ruby, my old production red girl, who by rights should be long past laying, in the feed room.  She walks across the rafters, and flies down to lay by herself.  The spot she was using is not very big, and there was no egg in there last night or tonight.  I looked high and low and could not find them, so maybe she just came over and changed rooms on a whim. 

Buffy, the Polish girl, is no longer laying after her injury.  She formerly gave us a beautiful white egg daily.  Birdy, the crazy last daughter of Old Rambo, is four and quit laying long ago.  I'm of several minds about these girls.... with the price of feed going still higher.  I'm going to dig out some old receipts tomorrow night and compare what we are paying today and what we paid when.

Here is an example of the molt:

The mighty Rambo has lost his shakin' tail feathers

By the bye, I saw Rat Cong in the henyard last night when I went out to close popholes.  They are not Norway Rats, but they are fat rats, and this one was like a baby piglet!   I should let Lilly loose in there for a night.  If the little chicks would JUST GO INSIDE, I would.

Yes, they are still roosting in the tree.  We are expecting thunderstorms tonight, so I hope they can hold on tight.  I found this one in the pasture today, pacing the fence and unsure how to get back to his buds:

Speedy Gonzales, the littlest rooster, he's one of my favorites.

I'll close for the night with a short video of the two Naughty Girls. They flew up to the fence in the little henyard and proceeded around to the farthest corner of the big.  As Lilly was lurking just outside the walk gate below them by the llama tank, I was praying they would not fly down, though I read it in every wing movement. 

In fact, I have no clue if they took themselves back around and went in for the night.  The way they were looking at the roof of the big henhouse, I suspect they might be up there, or in the walnut tree.  It was too dark to see when I went back out to lock up. Muffy and Bitsy are the Wild Children.