As gorgeous as raptors can be, I would appreciate it if the pair of goshawks flying overhead would bugger off. I have one hen held up under the coop who won’t come out. She left a pile of feathers where the hawk almost snagged her. Snow is a five year old Easter Egger and she’s lived through a lot, but I’d feel better if I could check her out.
On the plus side, the two Roos worked well together to keep the ladies safe.
Posted in Animals, Uncategorized
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve updated in here. As spring starts picking up speed, things are happening fast and furious. Chicks are being born, seedlings are being planted, ideas are being hatched, and dreams are being shattered – all at once, it seems.
Carrot is most certainly a rooster. Given his attitude, he’ll be good eating. Am I sorry I spent so much time rehabbing him? Not at all. Dealing with his unabsorbed yolksac issue and subsequent infection was a perfect learning experience. He’s healthy, happy, and thriving. Unfortunately he’s a rooster and an ass to boot. He’ll make a great stew.
One of our current roosters, Amp, is in the freezer. He was getting nasty and the girls were getting bare baked having two boys. By the end of the summer, Gucy will be joining him. As fantastic of a job as these two boys have done, they don’t really fit the bill as to what we want to eventually have for traits in our flock. Selecting and culling in this manner is tough, but will pay out in the long run.
Seedlings are kinda, not really started. Having two kids to keep me busy has been difficult. I forgot how trecherous planning a garden while having an infant could be. Thankfully we’re close to being past the last frost date and it won’t matter, seeds can go straight into the ground. Unfortunately, there’s still some I need to start sooner than later.
The wood pile has diminished substantially. It’s time to think of next year. That’s another fear that looms on the horizon.
Tagged chickens, chicks, freezer camp, homesteading, roosters, seedlings
I have to be honest, there was a time I was scared to death of birds. I never knew this fear existed until a lovebird my then boyfriend (now hubster) adopted had lit out of her cage and was dive bombing me in our bedroom. I freaked. I ran out of the room bawling my eyes out, shaking, and calling him to come home. Of course he couldn’t come home, he was at work. Of course I knew no one who knew birds well enough to come to my rescue. Of course I was on my own. On my own I can deal with, but this sudden new fear of birds? That was something I couldn’t deal with.
Fast forward twelve years and now I’m the one in charge of chasing chickens, pinning down pissy roosters, tending to torn combs, popping feather pimples, and binding busted beaks. I keep track of who is laying, who is holding out, and who is hiding the eggs. I pick up, hug, kiss, and love on chickens every day. I never thought that I would be able to overcome that fear of avian animals until we decided to start our homestead. Every now and then it just hits me how far I have come and I can’t help but be amazed at myself.
Second day of cat chasing. This time it was the big tomcat that we’re trying to get to adopt us. The roosters chased him off once and would have done it again if I hadn’t chased the boys off.
I repeat yesterday’s comment: roosters are assholes.
I was playing on the floor with Little Miss when I heard the chickens making noise outside. Luckily her big brother is taking a nap, so I scoop the little lady up and put her in her downstairs crib.
I rushed outside thinking there was a fox attacking. Gucy, the eldest of our two roosters, was by the back brush line by the barn, making a racket. I went over there only to see a small female cat cowering in the bushes. I tried to chase the chickens off, but the rooster followed the cat, chasing her from one hiding spot to another.
Once Amp, our younger rooster, realized I was outside, he took off after the cat too, assuming that I would keep tabs on the hens. So I end up having to chase the two boys and threw them away from the front brush line so the poor feline could escape. Took three attempts before the two roosters would actually go back to the flock.
They work well together, which is great! Yet those two can really be assholes.
(Gucy is on the left, Amp on the right.)
