The First Day of the Rest of my Life

I spent today trying to do too much...  Laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen, cutting weeds on the mower (the only things growing!) and just generally TOO much in the heat, and yes, it got hot again.

One more day predicted of possible triple digits, and then a plunge to the lower and middle 80's, and some possibilities of rain.... yayyy!

This picture shows the three little older hens, Whitey, Suzi and Fluffy.  Whitey and Fluffy were born here, and Suzi is an old English Gamebird bought several years ago.  The white rooster on the right is either One or Two, one of the three little old roosters out every day with the flock. 

Keith and I talked last night... my original plan was to move all layers to the new henhouse.  It will not have as big a yard or access to the pasture as this one in the big henhouse... but if we can move everyone for a while, he can get into the big henhouse, rip out the sheetrock and expose all the mouse nests... repair the walls and wire off all the access holes at the bottom.. have the electrician re-wire... and make the big henhouse as good as new for as long as we live here.  We are also going to have the electrician run a line to the little henhouse, and put a light fixture and a plug in there so that the roosters who will be batching it in the future in that yard will be good during the winter.

So we will disrupt everyone's lives for a period of about two weeks, and then move all the older birds back, including any non-layers I discern. The Ameracauna hen in the above picture, the buff Chatterbox, is the only green egg layer I have left, but she only lays about 3 times a week.

The standard size juniors are moving into the new henhouse and will stay there, and then Butch, Fancy, and their two hens will move over when the other roosters move back.  My goal is to be able to get clean eggs, and not have to hunt high and low to find them. The four in the feed room, Butch, et al, will move into the outdoor pen as soon as the juniors move out.

We have way too many roosters right now. 

Here is one:

This is the chick born in the pasture pen that survived three months ago, purebred Mille Fleur D'Uccle.

Here are his little siblings born last week:

One is a purebred Mille, on the left, and the other, a Mille/silkie/Brahma (I think) cross.

I'm praying they are both girls!

The females in this pen will also move, I'll leave one with Cocky, the adult Mille Fleur in it, to keep him company, but the others will move with the other layers, including this mama you can barely see in the picture, Fleura.

Gratuitous Pug Cuteness.. Gertie Lou was sound asleep and snoring after getting the toys she wanted!

This little girl is so very dear to our hearts, and we continue to marvel that not one but two families cast her out as a young girl.

We continue to be so grateful she came into our lives.  

Are We There Yet?

It's not even summer, but back in the nineties tonight for chores.  I took a few minutes to sit and watch the little birds.

Here you can see the Half-Mille Half Silky chicks.  Cute, aren't they?  They have Silky heads and Mille bodies.   They are doing great in the little coop Kathy made.

I'm thinking of ordering a second one, so that I can put Fancy and April outside for the rest of the summer.

Here is the pasture pen. As you can see, the hens are still steadfastly setting.  I am not sure if these are the original eggs (which would be 8 weeks old now!, and therefore unhatchable) or if these are new ones.  Only one chick hatched and is healthy.. another hatched but one of the hens killed it.  I am debating whether or not to pull all these eggs this weekend.

Notice the tail up?  Inca stood in front of Tony for ten minutes tonight, inviting him, and finally kushed.

She gave him a very perturbed look, finally!

He ignored her.  When he was gelded, he was truly gelded, and I have only seen breeding behavior once since then.

Click on this to see the big healthy muskrat in the middle of the picture, eating out of the feeder.  He wasn't the only one.  I was sitting in the pasture filling the trough and pool when I realized it's no wonder all the food is disappearing.   It's like they are pets, I went into the yard and one calmly stayed there, eating, not six feet from me.  Sheesh.  I have poison to feed them, but I am always wary that the chickens, who love to chase and kill mice, will ingest a poisoned mouse and infect the eggs with the poison.  I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet and do something about it, the mouse situation is out of control.  The Duck House, out of view to the left, had no eggs tonight, because our resident snake has moved into it.  I sure hope he doesn't find the standard chicks in their pen... he can't eat them, but he could suffocate them trying.  They are not the smartest chicks on the block, instead of roosting in the little hutch, they pile into a corner and snuggle against each other.  In the hutch I could protect them by shutting it up each night, and the snake could not get through.  I guess we'll have to see what happens (and cross my fingers).

And while all this fun was going on, look what was approaching from the west?  I am praying we get some rain from this one, too, as the ground needs it so very badly, as do all the crops around here that will start suffering with it's lack.

A Soggy Day in Tongie Town

Whew.  We've had a lot of rain, and it looks like it is about to cut loose again.

Farmdogs Gertie and Lilly (by Oscar's tree); the driveway is pretty flooded, and can you see the lowering clouds in the distance?

Need I even say that the poor chickens have nasty yards... and the smell!  Whew!

The poor new Milles are toughing it out in the nursing cage together, since their pen is almost too sodden to be in.  I may let the little girls out tomorrow on the feed room side, for Butch to take care of.  Well, two of them, anyway.

Even Bessie wanted back in, and did her best to get me in the door.  I was glad to get in as well.  It is 63 degrees out at 9:13, but still blowing and misting.  We expect at least another day and a half of rain, and then hopefully clear skies for the weekend.  I'm not sure but that the grass may still be too wet to cut by then.

The Poultry Auction and Why I am an Idiot

I am.

After about 15 years of going to this auction, I LET my BRAIN run away with me!

First off, I left about 30 minutes late, and really wanted to see if I could snag an incubator this year.  Of course, the equipment had already started, and I saw no incubators at all.  I was also stunned that there were so few lots for sale... usually about 1400 cages in the spring, the numbers went up to about 800 or a little more.  (Each lot receives a sale number, and the sale is held in order of the lots).

Here is a view of the barn:

That's a line of cages reaching back in order behind the kids who moved cages for the auctioneer.  The first 50 cages or items were donated for the Heart of America Gamebird Breeders Association scholarship fund.

It was breezy and cloudy out, though the sun came out later in the morning.

Last year's spring sale was on the day of a blizzard.  I imagine you could have gotten some good bargains that day,

Here are some of the birds offered:

WHY DIDN'T I BID ON THIS SEBASTOPOL GANDER????

Too stupid. Also, I didn't stay to the 500's. 

This is where I stop and explain about the cages.  The sale announcement always says the cages shall allow the birds to stand up and move around, and that there will be no plastic or paper cups attached for food and water.  As you can see... there is not much criticism of cages now.  There were probably 100 laundry baskets with straw in the bottom, birds in them, and wire wrapped all around selling.

There were also many cages so small the birds could not stand up.  Once the birds are checked in, no one goes back to water or feed... or, let's put it like this...many do not go back to water and feed. The ducks, especially suffer at this sale, and this is why I haven't gone for two years.  Also, the gamebirds freak out.  I saw no swans this year, and very few turkeys.  Many, many pigeons of every kind, beautiful birds.

They stop at 1 to auction large animals, but this year, there were very few.. about ten pot bellied pigs, a small goat wether, and two large goats, that was it.

Peacocks that went for 150.00 a few years ago... males.... were now going for 50.00, and some (India blues) went for $35.00.  There was a time that the peacock breeders would have stopped the auctioneer and declared "No Sale".  The cameos and whites went higher, of course. (and the pieds). Top price was still under $300.00.

 I bought some Mille Fleur D'Uccles, to keep the Naughty Girls company.  I saw only one cage of Porcelain D'uccles, and I let them go.  I'll get chicks again. 

Here are the Millies I got:

The hen with the white was by herself... she was 17.00. The other three were a trio... and I paid 15.00 apiece for them, but when I got them home, am not completely happy with them.  The rooster is going to my friend Diane, for one of the 4H kids. 

A blurrier, but closer picture.

And here is the reason I am so stupid.  I let my brain run away.

These are Egyptian Geese. 

Only.... they are not a goose, they are related to shelducks. I thought... "How beautiful!  I'll just put them in the little henyard with that flock".... because I thought they were exotic geese.

Mama mia!

They are described as "vicious" and "agressive"... especially when breeding.  They will attack other waterfowl, and other birds.  Yes, they are gorgeous.... but they are in the 4x4 pen because the remnants of the tarps are still on it, and these birds will go up and OUT. 

As you can see, they are planning a way to get OUT. 

They eat seeds and grasses, none of which I have in the little pen. 

I could find only one place, Feathersite, where someone actually wrote anything nice about them.

I bought some wheat and some cracked corn at the feed store, but I also read some accounts of Egyptian geese sightings all over the midwest, flying with Canadas.

We intended to put them in the bigger pen with the dog house, and the Milles in here, but thank heavens, I came in and looked them up first. It's untarped until tomorrow.

Whew.

I did give them some lettuce and the outer leaves of the St. Patrick's Day cabbage... plenty of water... poultry pellets.  I'm Craigslisting them tomorrow.  I haven't done anything this stupid for many years, and frankly, I could have spent that money on any number of nice Pekins or calls.

Live and learn, I guess, and never too old to make a mistake.

I had a good time at the poultry auction, though it is much reduced from it's heyday.  I did run into a friend (the one taking the rooster) and she is going to sell me six hens for $5.00 apiece.  That fits the budget.  Even if they are only laying  two or three eggs a week, (each) that's enough for what we want.

There are four poultry swaps during the next six months, and I'll hit a couple of those to find some nice ducks for my retirement.

The pictures of the sale were taken a little surreptiously... they make an announcement as the auction starts that there are to be no pictures or filming.  I put the camera away at that point.  

I'm going to ask Keith to make a little henhouse for the big pen, and that's going to be Millie Fleur land for the summer!

"Let me at 'em!  Let me at 'em!  I'm bustin' out of here!"

(Nuff said)

Depressing

She fought hard.  Very, very hard.

This morning I found the fortex in the big henyard full of feathers and water.

I had already poured the water out in this picture, but it was full of feathers.  You can see some on the ground, too.

It dropped her here, by the duck house in the middle of the yard.

And again, on the other side, where there was another pile of beautiful feathers.

This was the little girl that was:

And People, I'm mad and I'm not going to take it anymore.  First Eagle, Ameracauna of the beautiful green eggs... then tiny Brownie, smallest of the hens, Old English Gamebird pullet... then Little Red, the red cochin cockerel, then Teeny, mama to the three teeny babies, and now, we suspect, the baby we found dead with the big slash in the side was dropped by that bird.  And now, Baldy, called that because the first night she was in the little henyard side, the three (at the time) Brahma roosters literally bit her bald, and she never grew a comb.  She stayed at the side of Big Boots and Little Boots, who are still safe.  So far. 

I have not seen George, the second partridge cochin rooster, for a few days, so in the morning, I will look specifically for him. 

Not one bird on the big henhouse side has been taken... and except for Eagle, all the birds were small.  As Keith says, of course they were, they are easier to lift.  I suspect maybe May, the second porcelain hen, was lifted off by the hawk and dropped in the yard, where Lilly got her. 

And of course, the hawk has not taken the elderly trio of roosters.

The stupid thing is, I love hawks.  I love to watch them, I JUST DON'T want them EATING MY BIRDS.

We are looking into bird netting, but I think it is so expensive, I might have to come up with something else, though Keith is calculating how we could do it.  We definitely will be netting the new henyard in the spring. 

It wouldn't hurt so badly, but these little birds I took care of especially well this year, and really spent time (and money) making sure they were strong and healty.

I have two Mille Fleur D'uccle pullets left, on the little henhouse side, and two roosters, so the start of a little flock, but it still hurts. 

Drat it!  

A Full Day for the Porcelains

Yesterday or the day before, a porcelain pullet flew down as I was getting their water for them, and was pounced on and scared half to death by the only Bantam Brahma we have left.  I rescued her, and put her back in the rabbit hutch, but it was very clear that the three porcelains wanted to be out and about.

So today, I caught Mr. Brahma as he barreled out the little henhouse pophole, and carried him, protesting, to the big henyard.  Then I opened the door of the rabbit hutch, and did other things until I saw that the porcelains were not going to be molested.  I did wonder and worry all day at work, but came home tonight to find them intact.

They had never been on the ground before today, and it was comical to see them walk across the grass (that needs to be cut!)

They stuck together in a little bunch all day, I think, and when I sat down in the chair in the henyard to watch, they clustered at my feet.

These two also greet me and chatter to me daily:

They are Mille Fleur, but their coats are not great.  I like them anyway, they are wonderful little birds, and are called Muffy and Bitty.  We are going to cut their flight feathers this weekend as they almost fly like wild birds, and like to be up high.  We are afraid a hawk will get them while they walk along the 8 foot high fence tops. Keith is amazed at how tame and friendly they are.  My friends Nancy and Paul had a very tame Milly named Tilly, who rode around on Paul's shoulder and lived in a cage in their house.

Here is a bad picture of my favorite of the three cochin cockerels.  I like this red one... but I also like the partridge-colored ones... and they are actually better-looking birds to my mind, but this little red guy is nice.

Here is one of the two partridge colored cochin cockerels.  You see he is a much better bird... and probably the keeper.

That's the surviving OEG in the back ground, and I still have the little brassy back girl, too. The Welsummer cockerel is in with this bunch, still, as are the three young Ameracaunas.  They are all about ready to go in with the little birds in the little henhouse.

All the females are moving over to the new henhouse at the end of summer, anyway, and then the little henhouse hopefully will be used for breeding.

This little pen will be cleaned out and used for a breeding trio of bantams.

I end with a picture of one of the Welsummer pullets... they and the Rocks are turning into beautiful young birds, I am so happy with them!

Okay, now I'm laughing, because I'm pretty happy with all the birds.  After a long day at work, I'm happy to come home and watch "chick tv" from my old plastic chair in the henyard. 

I even feel sorry for Mr. Bully Brahma, who was caught with the net tonight, and plopped down in the big henhouse.  I stepped in to check on him, and he was standing there totally bewildered, didn't know where to turn or which way to go.  As there is PLENTY of room in there now, he will just have to make his way.  I'm sure he'll be greeted by Rambo before I can get out there in the morning, so I'll try to rise early and get out there before he gets drubbed.  He spent the day running up and down the fence looking at his buddies in the little henyard, but I'm afraid if I let him back in, he'll beat up on the porcelains, and this weekend, on the Welsummer cockerel, who is about to be moved there. 

I'll be watching to see that he is not beat up upon too badly over the next few days, until he adjusts.  I did see him eat and drink as I was doing the llama water tonight.

Another Conundrum

I was going to write about something very serious tonight, but it is so cold here in Tongie right now that I have had to turn the furnace on again, and I've left it til late to post, so it will be short and sweet. 

I had planned to move the bigger (standard) breed chicks out of their water tank quarters tonight, and into the little henhouse, so that they would wake up in the morning and the other birds not be freaked out.  However, it was so chilly when I got home, and we are now expecting rain for days in a row, that they are going to have to stand their tight quarters for a few more days.  The temps are supposed to come up, so I may try it. 

Once they are moved, the banties can be separated and moved half and half in the two horse tanks in the shop, because they are also getting big. 

And then, of course, I lost my mind when I stopped in the feed store tonight, they had some pullets from Cackle Hatchery there, and somehow, three more came home with me.  They are in with the porcelains in the nursing cage, locked up tight against the snakes. They are supposedly three americaunas but let's just call them two Easter Eggers and what looks like a barred rock pullet.  I let the clerk pick, as I could not bear to look at the ducklings in their box.  So that makes.....28 new chicks Mary Ann has bought, plus the 12 year-olds bought earlier.  Yes, folks, the chicken population is growing exponentially, and I am going to be buried in eggs soon.  Maybe Keith won't notice..... (faintly hoping).......

This weather is also delaying garden work, because it's just too cold to get out there for long... and I've had to unpack the sweatshirts for about the third time.  Crazy weather!

These are the Welsummer and Partridge Rock birds in their tank.  They are almost too big for it, this perspective does not show how big they really are, they are at least twice the size of the bantams.

There are seven of these big birds.

Three more cockerels in this picture of the little guys.  The brown one whose back you can see is one of two Brassy Back Old English gamebirds. 

That's a Mille Fleur on the left, but they are not coloring out as nicely as I had hoped.  There are a cockerel and I think two pullets in the batch.  Once I went to a swap near here (but many years ago) where a guy had a huge tub of Mille Fleurs... and I asked him why he had so many... they were all of his culls!  One of the most agressive roosters I have ever had was a Mille Fleur.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can get the bigger chicks out of the shop and into the little henhouse.  They will probably stay there while all the laying hens move into the new henhouse.