Here's Muffy tonight, waiting to see if I have any treats.

She is such a pretty girl!

And here goes Bitsy, following Muffy into the house for the night. 

One of the Welsummer hens was the last to go in for the night.  It was 63 degrees here today.  We have rain coming Friday, and after 60 tomorrow, we are supposed to have a week in the 40's.  I might even have to put the liner back in my winter coat!

And I understand I falsely accused Speedy last night of attacking Keith... this is the culprit!

It's Fancy, the Porcelain D'Uccle.  He has taken a dislike to Keith and attacks him now when he comes in to fill the waterers or feed.  Once a long time ago at the old Calamity Acres, I had a Mille Fleur rooster that was pretty combative, so I am not surprised.  Fancy doesn't bother me, though. Hmmmm.  He likes women, I guess.

Down for the Count

Had to come home at 12:30 today, probably should not have gone in... flu symptoms from the get-go.  Keith even had to do evening chores, I could not stand up long enough to go outside. 

I felt marginally better at 8:30, went out and shut up, since Keith had fallen asleep early.  Muffy is back!!!  She was perched with Bitsy on the door of the little henhouse when I went out.  I don't know where she had been or what adventures she had, but I was glad to see my beautiful little pullet.  It cheered me after a long day.

Here was the other thing that cheered me... these guys flew!

I was so glad to see at least two of them flying along with their parents and at least four other swallows.  One perched on the edge of the nest... and tonight, three were back in it, and being fed by mom and dad.

Even though the weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow, I'll keep the dogs in so that the babies can get launched right. What a blessing it was to have watched for weeks, just over our own door!

Down Two

Tonight, as we walked in the heat towards the henyards, Keith laughed and pointed to the Naughty Girls on the fence top, walking along.  I laughed and talked about how naughty they are, and then didn't think anything else.  While doing chores, I gave the little henyard birds a treat... cottage cheese, which they inhale.  I noticed as I gave it to them, that only one of the Naughty Girls was there... Bitsy.  She has a comb now, almost like a rooster.  Muffy, the prettier of the two birds, was gone.  I looked for her all evening, and did not see her anywhere.  Lilly is in all day, so I was not worried about that.  I went over to the "big" henyard (the smaller of the two) and looked through the ever-growing weeds and realized Speedy was gone, too.  Speedy is the tiny brassy back red Old English Game cockerel.  I really, really like him.  Last week one night, I found him outside, pacing up and down the fence.  He had gotten through, then couldn't figure out how to get back.  I shooed him in that night, so tonight, I assumed he was on the pasture side.  I filled the llama waterer and pool and the waterers for Butch and his girls, but no Speedy.  I was really sad about it. 

Muffy, the Beautiful Naughty Girl

Coupled with this discovery, I went around the back of the little henhouse and opened the door to see a bird laying dead inside.  I had not checked inside this morning, as I was pooped.  I opened the popholes, gave some fresh feed in the outside feeders, checked the water, and went on. There is one cochin hen who NEVER comes outside, no matter how hot, the black.  I thought it was her for a minute, but no, it was one of these beautiful girls:

A gold laced Wyandotte, here shown with two Welsummer pullets.

Last night, I became ill while doing chores.  It was hot, but I was having a blood sugar drop, and was getting shaky.  I finally stopped and went in, and asked Keith to finish up.  I fixed something to eat, and felt better after a while, but right before I went in, I sat down for a minute in my chair.  I looked around at the birds, and noticed out of the corner of my eye a bird crouched down tightly to the ground, with her eyes closed.  It was a Wyandotte.  I thought to myself "Uh oh"... I had not heard any telltale coughing or "barking" like in the spring... but I made a mental note to check her out in the morning.  As I said, I was very tired... and it was she who was dead.

I checked all the birds tonight, and there did not seem to be any others who appeared to be sick. Indeed, I got ten eggs from the little henhouse tonight.  I'll keep an eye on all of them for the next few days.

Tomorrow, we are heading up into triple digits again.  Keith will not be able to come home at midday, so I filled all the waterers full and will hope for the best.  The birds and llamas did not seem too stressed out tonight when I got home, and after chores, I cut grass on the mower for an hour and a half.  It was really not bad when the sun began to go down.

Still no sign of Muffy, but when I went to lock up, there was Speedy, running up and down the fenceline on the pasture side.  I was SO GLAD to see the little stinker.  I opened the gate and let him in, and he ran right up on to the duck house, and up into the tree with his buddies. 

Addendum:

If I have not commented on your blog lately, we have had a terrible time with Hughesnet over the past few weeks.  At least, we think it's our service.  On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, we are unable to open many sites.  We attribute this to large usage... but it may be

Blogger, I don't know.  There are many blogs I cannot reliably get to open, and one I suspect is infected and closes itself constantly.  If I have not commented, it is not for lack of trying.  I am so tired by the time I get home from work, do chores, fix dinner, straighten up... and watch a little tv... that I can't always stay awake (as tonight) and do a little blogging and read some more.  I love all of the blogs I follow, and am always looking for links to more on your wonderful blogs.

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.