And it's not over yet.
I've come in for a while to get Abby out of the sun... it's 75 degrees and very, very windy, and just too hard for a little pug to be out a long time, and thought I would do a post while I'm in here.
I'll catch up on pictures I didn't get to post earlier this week.
On Tuesday or Wednesday, Keith came home from work a little earlier than usual. We walked across the yard, talking about projects... and we heard the chickens in the old henhouse making a huge ruckus. I made a joke about mice, and we walked in the house. After a couple of minutes, I called out to Keith that I was going to do chores a little earlier today, and when I went back out the door, I realized the ruckus was still ongoing, so I knew something was wrong.
I walked in the front door to find Rooster Three, one of the 5 year olds, hanging from the wire that is supposed to close off the coop side from the feedroom side. As the wire is all gone to heck in there, he had tried to come across, caught a spur in the wire, and was hanging upside down, resigned to his fate.
I ran back in the house to get my taller better half, and we have a small stepladder in there, so once Keith came back out, he was able to get up there and release Three and get him down. We decided then and there to trim the spur, but I took a blurry picture of it as Keith held him.
Can you see how it is curving back around on itself? I knew we were going to need to trim it before it grew INTO him, but wow... so I got my dog nail clippers that we keep for rooster spurs, and was able to clip it off about a half inch up, so he won't get caught again.
Thank heavens for Keith, I would have had to get a taller ladder to get him down (and of course he flapped around) and then dealt with him with one arm wrapped around him.
That was the last year we had four roosters in the same hatch who looked like peas in a pod. Rooster Four died in the horrible winter three years ago.
One and Two are still with us, too, and these are all descendants of our Japanese Bantam rooster, Fred.
Today, it is extremely windy out, but these two had their first soccer game, EVER . It cracked us up to see them running up and down the field, because the coaches of both sides ran along with them, yelling "Kick the Ball" or "The other way, the other way!".... the little kids run off and act like they are dying of thirst...
The team is co-ed, and Paiton, who is four, ran right along with her brother, Jax, who is five.
Kids as little as three were playing, though they didn't all get the idea. Paiton thought she could come back to Mommy and Daddy to get a drink whenever she felt like it, and didn't get the idea that she had to sit on the bench when she was out.
Jim explained, laughing.... five times.
And shoes have to be tied, too... think about it, most of these kids are too little to tie their own!
(that's mom Amy)
And... after all our cheering... the Sharks won, 7 to 5, and Jax had assisted on three goals, and scored TWO! WOW!
His dad was a champion soccer player... so it's good to see it carry on, and Jax shoots and dribbles with both feet, like Jim did.
Then, twelve year old grandson Jake played his game... his team has no subs, so he played the whole game. He had scored the three goals for his team (they won) and they put him in goal at the last 3 minutes... he was up and down the bigger field so much, I couldn't get clearer pictures of him. How proud we are of all three of these kids!
(Done bragging now)
This is a remarkable picture, and I'll tell you why.
Oldest grandaughter, beautiful Madison, is standing with her two little sisters. These two were on opposing teams today, and they met at mid-field, realized they were both in the game at the same time, and stopped running and hugged each other!
Madison's Mom and Dad divorced, and her dad remarried, and Amy, her mom, married my son Jim.
Maddi has two little sisters, Lydia (called Peanut) (in the black shirt) and Paiton. Lindsey, her stepmom, watches the kids during the week... so they are all great friends, and Paitie and Peanut are best friends, hence the hug at mid-field!
We are so blessed to have such strong, happy grandkids, and eight of them, to boot!
The wind is still howling outside, though the clouds have broken up a lot. I'm going to finish this and go out and water the henspa side, since I did the old henhouse already.... and oh! I have something to show you!
This morning, we moved Nugget out of the ammunition box she used as an incubating nest in the closet, into the nursing cage. The other hens are very disgruntled, they lay in here daily. (they'll live).
She has 8 eggs left under her... I waited 24 hours, and knew this chick HAD to have water and feed. Another chick tried to hatch yesterday, and died, poor little thing. This is a standard bird, the other was a bantie. The rest of the eggs are standards. I suspect... they are not going to hatch, I'll be surprised, because they usually all go within 24 hours of each other. This little fluff ball got his beak dipped and shown the food by ME about an hour ago, so Nugget wouldn't have to get up to show him. Of course, we're using a frisbee again as a feeder. We've found this device, with the small lip, allows the chicks to step in and feed. A small chick waterer is in there, too.
Of the eggs that are left, one is an Ameracauna (green), out of Chatterbox, and another is white, out of Buffy, the Polish hen. I looked back through some old pictures this morning, and we have had Buffy for four years... so she is approximately four and a half, and has begun to lay again, giving me an egg every other day.
This MAY be the only chick born here this year, and after the coming week's rains, Nugget and her chick or chicks will move outside to the white pen to live until the chicks are old enough to be on their own.
I wish I could have gone to the Local Foods expo, but sometimes... there is just too much life going on!
That's it for a windy Saturday at Calamity Acres.
