A Late Saturday Post

Nathan has been here today with us, and absent the television, we let him use the computer tonight.  Keith went somewhere to watch a bit of the playoffs, but the second game, the one we wanted to see, is not going so well for the Broncos. 

We had a very quiet day without the squawk box going in the background, I must say.  I have to admit that I am going to sorely miss Downton Abby tomorrow night, but I will catch up next week. 

Today Nathan and I saw a very good movie after doing our Saturday errands.  We saw "We Bought a Zoo", and despite it's so-so reviews, we liked it.  Based on a true story, it stars Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansen, and I have to admit I had tears in my eyes at the end.  Despite the fact that there were several curse words in it (which Nathan noted afterwards, asking how it could be considered PG13), the subject of puppy love in it was handled very well, with the young couple of 13 and 14 hugging, instead of kissing, which I thought was very refreshing for once. I am going to look up Benjamin Mee, the actual person who did this, to read more about it.

Tonight I made the most wonderful dinner.  Keith was still out, but Nathan and I enjoyed it, and then I fixed Keith a big bowl when he got home, and he devoured it.  I found it here at the Pioneer Woman, and it is as good as she says it is!  Called "Cheeseburger Salad", you just follow her instructions and do it like she shows... and believe me, it's good! I highly recommend it!

Last night I stayed up for a while and did a little surfing, reading some blogs and doing some research. 

When I bought the chicks last March, I was told that the larger chicks were Rocks and Welsummers.  As time wore on, the Rocks began to look like Wyandottes, so I got very confused.  I had a rooster and two pullets, all gold-penciled, and what looked like a rooster and three pullets of the Welsummers.  So last night, I got on Feathersite and took a look.  Here is the Welsummer rooster on Feathersite (thank you, Barry Koffler)

And here, this morning, is our Brutus

Definitely the Welsummer rooster.  Note Starling poop on the fence and doghouse.

What then, was Rocky?  Wyandotte or Rock?

A Buff Rock trio on Feathersite.

Rocky and Rockette, this morning.  We lost the second hen months ago.

I think Rocks, for sure, since they do not have rosecombs.

And last, Speedy, the OEG rooster, whose little pullet I also lost months ago, and we now think was the first lost to the hawk.

I had many pairs of OEGs at the first Calamity Acres.

On Feathersite:

But then I started to think... I don't ever remember a comb like this on one of mine, and I think it has been dubbed.  Here is another picture:

This cock looks more like Speedy, and also like those I had years ago.

Here are the three roosters Boots (Mille Fleur), Speedy, (OEG) and George, the partridge cochin, with Buffy, the Polish girl.  Buff caught herself AGAIN today, a long toe that you see here, stuck through the metal grill of the juvenile hutch, trapping her.  I realized everyone had gone in but her, and knew it.  It took me a minute to free her, and then I set her inside the pophole on the ramp of the big chickenhouse.  She froze... they have so much trouble seeing.  Tomorrow, I am going to have Keith hold her while I trim her beak, and cut some feathers around her eyes.  No more Polish!

Here is what I found after sleeping a little later this morning, when I opened the back door of the little henhouse:

They are on the INSIDE.  All the feed was gone, of course.

And outside:

If you biggify this, you'll see some of them perched on the branches of the walnut tree, waiting to swoop down. They were only a few of the hundreds around.  I ran outside three times yelling and clapping my hands, til Keith was laughing at me. He ended up having to replenish twice.  It's pitiful.

I spent an hour looking at home built feeders designed to keep vermin, ground and flying, out of the chicken feed. My problem is I have six little tiny hens, and I don't know if they could open the lid to eat.  I have a design I am going to run by Keith tomorrow and see what he says.

We close the night with gratuitous cuteness:

Notice the toys are in the bed with them. Gerts must ALWAYS tuck her little nose in.  Abs just likes to be close to you.  Keith and I were talking for an hour in the office, he standing in the door and me at the computer.  The girls settled in, and Hannah was at my feet.

More Chicken Stories

Last night, I put two cockerels from the juvenile pen in the little henhouse at dark.  Confused, they froze just inside the door, but Muffy and Bitty, my two little pets, were still up, and I saw them approach the two boys.  I shut the door on them, I knew they would be okay. 

Sure enough, when I opened the pophole this morning, out rushed the Welsummer cockerel.  He took on the three roosters, and I was satisfied before I left for work that he would be able to protect himself.  I figured the partridge cochin would stay in the henhouse with the three hens who are setting, and the little black cochin who rarely comes out.  When I got home, he was still inside.

While I was doing chores, someone snuck in the door behind me:

Uh Huh.

I sat and watched him for a while, and he was not fighting or hurting anyone, so I left him for the time being.

Here are my two little pets with Handsome, the cochin, who finally came outside.  He's still very immature, and doesn't bother anyone.  You notice Bully is leaving them alone, he just checked them out.

This is Rocky, the partridge-colored Plymouth Rock cockerel.  He has not started crowing yet.  He is easily going to be the biggest of all the juveniles, but has been in the little henhouse for several months already.  He is going to be as big as Rambo, but is a gentle giant.  I ran out of space on my card in the camera, or would have gotten a picture of the Welsummer cockerel, who has this one cowed already.

Over the weekend, as we did an errand together, we saw a chicken tractor in a yard in Tonganoxie, full of what looked like bantam Buff Orpingtons.  They were merrily eating away in someone's front yard.  Keith commented tonight that he is going to build a couple of chicken tractors for us.  Butch and his girls have been in their pen for six weeks now, and it is nasty and the dirt is churned up and gets full of flies during the day.  I leave them in while I let Rambo and the others out during the day, and when I get home, I lock up the "big flock" (big and little birds) and then let Butch, Angel, Reddy and Eagle out for a couple of hours.  They go back to their doghouse when it starts to get dark.  Keith noticed how nasty their place is, though, and is going to make some tractors (probably two) so we can breed like to like if we want.  (welsummers, or rocks, etc. etc. ).  We can move the tractors so the ground beneath them doesn't get nasty from a static pen.  I think it's a super idea!

The porcelains had their gate down all day, but stayed in their pen til I got home, when they jumped down.  The rabbit hutch has about had it, so I am going to have to get them used to the little henhouse, and how to go up and down the ramp.

Here they are playing in the wet dirt of the little henyard.

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.