The Rest of the Story

First off, I want to thank everyone for their comments last night.  I admit I was pretty torn up about it.  Annabelle had turned into the most spectacular hen, with gorgeous shining plumage.  She was also very gentle, and since she was attacked in the barn on her nest one night, rarely left the henyard, where she felt safe.  We noticed in the last two weeks that she was trying to fly up to the top of the little henhouse with Jackson every night... she would try, but she was so heavy she could not get going enough, and couldn't figure out how he did it... walk up the ramp precariously... go to the top of the rabbit hutch, then up to the top of the henhouse. 

 

So she kept roosting on the doghouse, where she and Clarabelle had slept for so long. 

This is her last picture alive, I took it Thursday night as I was locking up.  It was very humid out, and she was breathing through her mouth... she had tried to figure out how to get up (you can just see Jackson's feet on the end of the henhouse in the background) and finally gave up and came up on the doghouse. 

 

I was talking to her as I went out, and always gave her a scratch on her breast. 

 

About 3 or 4 months ago, Keith and I realized that, instead of putting dead birds out in the trash, which we had done for a while, we would just put them at the bottom of the pasture for the wildings.  Any bird who died or had to be put down was put away down there by the "door" where the fox came under the fence.  You might remember that we recorded a fox, a skunk and a possum all around Clara's body when it lay down there through two nights, then disappeared.  Clarabelle weighed much less than Annabelle.

 

We cannot figure out what got Anna.  She was chased around the yard, and up and down the south and west fencelines, with feathers being pulled out of her by the dozens.  She did NOT make it clear around the fence.  We guess Lilly saw or sensed it, because that night she ran up and down the fenceline over there by the pen, but did not bark. (Keith was on the porch).

 

The flimsy gate to the pasture which I bungeed shut at night was as tight as I could make it. The only reason we don't use the gate in the big henyard is the fence has settled and the gate does not open fully.  It will be repaired next year.  We did see that the makeshift gate was pushed OUT about six inches on the north side of it.

Keith has now closed it completly and permanently.  We also had used that "gate" for the birds because Beau, and then the llamas, would come into the yard if the real gate were open to eat all the chicken feed.  Keith also strengthened the wire along the eastern boundary (this side).

So, what got her?  We don't think anything as small as a raccoon or possum, because they could not have chased her as they did.  We don't think it was the fox, because she was so big, and because of the damage done to her body.  

 

Coyote?  They have been up very, very close this week.  Yes, we miss having the llamas here as guardians, and no, we can't handle another big dog... like an LGD... Lilly is far too possessive of her place, and I would not want to have any dog tragedies.   But a coyote going OVER an eight foot high fence?  Unlikely.  Like I said, the flimsy gate was pushed OUT.

So... what got her?

 

We think a cat.  If anyone wants to see the damage done to her... I have a very graphic picture that I can send to you if you will contact me at ksredhead1950@gmail.com, and I would value your opinion as to the wounds.  I took the picture after Keith carried her to the bottom of the pasture... and it shows plainly her wounds and the damage done by claws, we think, to her neck.

 

This morning, being the inquisitive person I am, I walked to the bottom of the pasture in order to see if anything had come in the night to disturb her.  Our Moultrie camera had malfunctioned, and was sent back this week, so I got another less-expensive camera and will set it out there tonight to see what is coming in and out.  But, I digress (as usual). 

 

This is what I found, where the approximately 20 pound Annabelle was laying last night (Keith thinks she weighed much more).

 

That's it.  Zip. Zilch.

 

There was one drag mark of about 18 inches just about a foot to the west of this paltry pile of feathers.

 

No partially eaten carcass, NOTHING.

 

Keith and I both looked.

 

It meant something PICKED THE BIRD UP AND CARRIED IT AWAY.  She was too big to get under the fence, and there would have been feathers there in the fox opening... there were not.

 

We did some reading on www.cougarnet.org.... could this be what did it?

 

Do you remember my writing about two strange sounds I heard in the night a few weeks ago that I ascribed to foxes?

 

There is a confirmed sighting of a cougar in Atchison County, only one county north of us, from last fall, confirmed by Kansas Fish and Wildlife.

 

Tonight the new camera is set up and functioning in the pasture, pointing downhill towards the treeline.

 

It's going to be interesting to see if anything is on it tomorrow, as it has been raining and storming off and on all day.

 

For now, Jackson is sleeping in the big henhouse.  He is not necessarily very happy about it, but goes in without any trouble when we come out to put them up.  When I go outside, he talks to me constantly, and responds when I chirp back to him.  If you have ever had a turkey, you know how personable they can be, and we want now to protect Jackson as best we can. 

 

If I have to, I'll have fencing put up for him, like the new henhouse.

 

But, in the meantime, we shall see.

 

 

 

 

 

Devastated

 

April 1

 

 

September 17

 

 

 

October 2, with her beautiful new plumage all grown in, gorgeous.

 

 

This morning.

 



A Conundrum for Jackson

Yesterday, after I hauled the branches down to the brush heap in the pasture, I sat down to watch the birds for a while.  I like to do this from time to time... it helps me see if anyone is injured or not well... and then I can catch the bird and check it out.  So, as I sat there, I took a look at everyone.  Two of the hens from the little henyard had come over and were dust-bathing in the big henyard.  I have purposely left the gate open between the two yards for two weeks now, so that everyone (roosters) will get used to each other, because I am moving all girls to the new henhouse, and part of the roosters.  The seven trouble makers and Handsome will be staying in the little henyard. 

 

I digress.

 

Here is what caught my eye:

I'm making them big on purpose so you can see what's going on.  That's a Tom Turkey... Jackson... circling Mack, the hen in the dust bath.

As he scrutinized her... he tried ever-so-carefully placing a big foot on her back.

 

And as you see... he is much larger than she.

 

Finally, as he stretched a foot out again, she jumped up as if seeing him for the first time, and ran back into the little henyard.

 

Clarabelle and Jackson were a couple before she died... and I have never seen Jackson try to breed Annabelle.  I suspect she is just coming into adulthood, but frankly, I have not had an egg out of her in two months.   During this whole episode, she was napping ten feet away.

 

 

I don't know, but if I were a Tom Turkey, I'd be going after this beautiful girl!



The Day After

Things were rather uneasy here today, and despite the heat and blowing wind, quite a few birds hung out inside during the day.  I did water a second time at 1, and then again this evening... it was so hot.

 

As I sat in the pasture filling the bin of water.... everyone hung close to me...

 

 

You can really see Annabelle's new feathers coming in in this picture, especially on her sides, rear, and her chest.

 

 

I was on the phone with Keith when I saw this guy come down out of the maple tree, and come across to the side deck, where he proceeded to go under, to get out of the heat, I'm sure.

 

 

Then, as I checked the big henhouse one last time at dusk... this fella was in there looking around for mice (I hope) because gosh knows I am not getting ANY eggs.  I'll be lucky to have three dozen between the owl attacks, the snakes, the heat... the moult.

 

The owl appears to be a great horned.... I'm hoping to get it on the game camera.  Last night we forcibly put the turkeys in the big henhouse... Jackson will go in willingly, he wanders in and out during the day... the Turkettes had to be lifted in.  Tonight, Jackson flew up to the top of the gate to the big henyard before Keith got here... and we could not get him down.  I'm praying the owl will not visit him tonight.. nothing would convince him or Clara to go into the little henyard, (where they normally sleep) though Annabelle went right in and up onto her doghouse - roost.  Keith, however, lifted her down, and she and Clara are in the four x four pen tonight with the pullets, locked up where the owl can't find them.

 

I did a little research, and Great Horned owls will attack full-grown turkeys.  I would absolutely hate to lose Jackson, I just went out there at 10:30 and he was still awake and looking around on his gate. 

 

I'm hoping we can get a small shed to put in the pasture, where I can lock them up by themselves nightly, away from the chickens and away from predators, the four legged AND the winged kind.

 

Several people commented a few days ago about burying the wire for the new henyard.  The wire IS buried for the old henyards, but this chain link is in the garden, within our yard.  Lilly, who would kill every chicken she could get to.... is also the best protection the chickens have.  She will prevent any critters from getting near them, but just to be sure, Keith and I are going to wrap the inside of the chain link with poultry wire as a second defense, and we will hang netting from the top... we'll show pictures soon of the ingenious way that Keith has created to do it.  We'll also put four x fours at the bottom of the wire, clear around it, if we need to.

 

 

 

Gratuitous picture of pug cuteness, Gertie Lou.

 

 

Another Picture-Heavy Post

Okay, you're warned!

Jackson, preening himself this evening.

Then the other side.

Then the wings, gently.

Under the tummy.

Fluff up

Finished, and bright-eyed.

Gee, it might not be a problem not donating eggs this week... this is all I got out of two whole henyards today!

Annabelle and Jack, about an hour ago. 

Annabelle and Clarabelle are finally getting their feathers in on the terribly bare undersides they came here with.  Remember, they were taken from a pen sodden with mud.  Can you see the new feathers on Anna's side right at the tip of her wing, in between her legs in the picture?  Her chest and the back of her neck are also getting covered, as are Clara's.  They are going to look beautiful!

Goldfinches on the feeder tonight.  Neighbor Kathy and I were talking about 20 feet away, and counted 8 males and about 7 females on and around the feeders as we spoke!



Whew

I know everyone is sick about hearing of the heat, since you are all going through it yourselves.  So, here's what's going on besides heat stuff....

Hey, we're just hangin' out here watching the world go by!

Wait!  What's that over there?

Let's all go see!

(And that's just how they act... like little kids!)

Here is Annabelle the Turkette in the corner of the barn tonight.  It was actually dark, and the flash lit up the corner.  She was on a turkey egg and three hen's eggs.  I'm not sure if the turkey egg was hers or Clara's, since I let Clarabelle out this morning.  We just went out and checked, and Anna is still in the barn, so we locked the henyard up and I'm praying nothing smells or sees her tonight.  (Yes, I worry more with Tony out of the pasture).

Speaking of the llamas... they are doing fine in their new home with Renee and Brian.  Renee is much cuddlier with them than I was, and has been kicked by Tony already, so she is straightening him out in short shrift.  They have been sheared and had their feet trimmed, and have fans for their comfort during this hot summer, though they are about 200 miles farther east and north from us.

And work is continuing apace on the new henhouse.  Keith thinks I'll be able to call the fencing company in about two weeks... once the fence is up the final things will go in... nest boxes, roosts... and a brooder cage to use in the spring.  We'll also need an isolation box too, our nursing cage has come in handy so many times in the big henhouse. 

BTW... have the reading lists disappeared off your blogs?  My reading list of blogs to which I subscribe seems to be gone from my blog... not the featured blogs, but the many, many blogs I like to try to keep up with... they just seem to have vanished!

SIZZLIN'

First off, I want to ask everyone to pray for all those who are affected right now by power outages, fire, flooding, too much rain or too little rain.  The entire nation is suffering, it seems.  You can't turn anywhere without seeing stories and signs of it, especially here: Go West, Feral Woman...if this story isn't enough to raise the hackles on the back of your neck, I don't know what is.  I'm almost embarassed to complain about the sustained heat, especially since Keith keeps reminding me we went through it last year, too.  Like childbirth, it fades in your mind. 

I'm taking it personally, though, right now, because of this:

Last night at 4 PM, we went out and did every single waterer... refreshed with cold well water, and in the metal waterers (four of them) we put a frozen water bottle, plus three of the plastic waterers. (No metal waterer is exposed to the sun)  Each fortex was filled full after cleaning. 

I know I have showed you many pictures of  Wrong Way Corrigan, or Jackson... who would come up on the west side gate to the henyards and not be able to get in, as we keep that gate closed, it is too close to the perimeter fence.  Lately, Annabelle has been coming up from her nest in the high grass to that gate, and we find her pacing back and forth, waiting to go in.  Last night, after we watered and came back in to wait to go to the TBones game... she came up. 

We found her, heaving, in the only shade on that side thrown by a few weeds that we almost cut down over the weekend.

She appeared to be dying. 

I ran and got the hose on and sprayed out all the hot water as fast as I could... and then soaked her.  Luckily, the Turkettes like to be sprayed.

Then Keith told me to stand back and he (God Bless him!) picked up the heavy, wet bird, and carried her into the henyard and plopped her into the fortex. 

You see her here gulping water, her head almost submerged.

I continued to spray her as she stood there, and she drank and drank.  Then she wandered into the duck house, the large dog house in the henyard, and stood in there.  Keith told me to leave her alone, but instead, I filled a bucket of water and went down to the high grass and to Clarabelle, and doused HER, too.

You see the hen in the foreground eating melon that we had frozen and put out as a treat. 

I kept a close eye on the Turkettes today, and we got only 3 eggs from the whole kit and kaboodle.  It's only 101, but it SEEMS hotter... maybe the humidity has kicked in.

These two don't care if it's hot, they're going to set...except I keep taking any eggs I find in there.

These guys are holding on in the pasture pen... I'm going to move the hens into the new henhouse when it's ready, and am not sure what to do about Cocky... he may be moving into the feed room, as Butch and Fancy and their girls will go to the new henhouse.  This pen will be a breeding pen only in the future.  See the one little chick the four girls managed to hatch?  (Biggify the picture).  It's a cockerel, of course.

Our Big Fella likes to lay on the cool kitchen floor, there is a fan going around above the table.

Gert the Squirt prefers the couch.

Abs prefers the blue pad.

But the Farm Queen prefers the comfort of the spare room bed!

Keep cool and pray for rain!

Turkey Love

I'm worn out tonight, and don't know why, as I have had a lighter week than normal.  I didn't sleep well, so maybe that's it.  Went to a friend's baby shower just after work, and then home to do chores.  Sometimes I like to sit down and watch "Chick TV".

And the chicks like to watch "Turkey TV" 

Where I am, Clarabelle is, in the evenings.

And Jackson wandered up... notice his wattles turning red? And the foot delicately placed on Clara's back?  I was less than a foot away from her, but Jackson hath no shame.

He tried this way and that, but kept falling off.  She lay there stolidly.

Finally, balance was achieved and the Deed was Done.  Notice Annabelle had to come over to observe.

Whew. 

No wonder I'm so tired!