It's been an eventful few weeks with foxes and hawks and other mysterious and invisible creatures....
Yesterday I went out to check on the girls and my favorite, Raven, was nowhere to be found. I freaked out! Did she slip out the door the last time I was out there? Did someone let her out? Did something get in? All of the chickens were very frightened and skittish, so something had happened. They kept hiding under the egg boxes. I went outside and walked around the coop, looked on the roof, etc, called for Raven...nothing.
I looked under everything in the coop, no Raven. I looked a second time, and there, stuck between the wall and a cement block, upside down, was Raven. Not making a peep. I tried to get her out but she was so wedged in, I had to push the coop up with my shoulder and move the cinder block it rested on so she could free herself. She had pooped all over herself. She wobbled away, shaken. I picked her up but she didn't want to be held so I wondered if she was hurt. I sat in the coop with them for awhile, watching. They were all very shaken, so something had come after them. I imagine Raven got stuck trying to run to the safety corners under the coop. I worried that perhaps her egg had been crushed inside of her, but not long after, she hopped into a nest and laid a perfect egg. Whew!
They are all still a little skittish today, but better. I have also upped their protein intake to try and prevent the feather picking that was going on. I also raked several piles of leaves into the run to keep them distracted. It seems to have stopped it. A can of tuna works wonders.....for these little velociaaptors of mine.
Today, I couldn't resist and went to the Tractor Supply Store. They have received their first shipment of chicks. Chick Days run from March 4 to May 4th, but they got some in early. So darned cute and so tempting. I really want Java's and Dorkings and found places I can get them, but before I take on any more animals, I need to add on to the chicken run, ideally, three 10X10's would be great. One for the banties, one for Dorkings and Java's and one for my original crew. I can see it now, my neighbors will love me....
However, job hunting and having an income coming in takes precedence over these "wants". I imagine all my fellow chicken lovers in the world are going through the same excitement, dreaming and anticipation right now. Our old neighbors that bought a mini-farm have a hen sitting on eggs and just got a third baby goat.
If anyone is reading this.....tell me what your favorite chicken breeds are and why.....flying the coop for now...until next time.
Monday, February 28, 2011
February 28, 2011: Pip Squeek, the watch "cat"
When you have chickens, there never seems to be a dull moment. A few days ago, as I sat on the couch with the back door open, enjoying my first cup of coffee, Pip Squeek, the neighbors black and white cat (looks like he wears a tuxedo!) who has adopted me and my yard, went tearing off the deck. Who knew "fat boy" could run so fast???? I have affectionately named him "fat boy" because he is a rotund little fellow. Seriously though, I didn't realize he could run so fast. Lessened some of my worries about him being chased by a dog. I jumped up to see what he was after. By the time I got there, a large red tailed hawk flew off the ground and into a nearby tree. There was something on the ground that the hawk had killed. It was large. At first I thought Pip Squeek was after what was on the ground, but he only sniffed it and stood guard. He had actually gone after the hawk who had ventured into his territory. Not only was I amazed that a cat would go after a huge hawk, but I was secretly pleased that I now had a guard cat. Who knew?
I looked down to find a very large pigeon. Sad, I had seen it flying a few days before and wondered what it was doing all alone. It was a greyish/blue and white flecked bird with red feet. Very pretty once and so large, it had to be about a third of the hawks size. The hawk had decapitated it and it's head was nowhere to be found. Odd.....
The hawk flew over the fence to a bigger tree and waited there. Fat boy and I went back to the porch. I expected the hawk to come back. I figured I might as well let him eat it since he had already killed it, but I didn't see him come back that day. However, the next morning, "something" had had a fine meal for there was nothing left but a pile of feathers and part of a wing. Poor little pigeon. I wondered what the chickens must have thought because I'm sure they saw the entire scene. The pigeon was bigger than my two little bantams....
Every time I get the bright idea to let my chickens free range as I feel they were meant to do.....something like this happens. This is the fifth hawk kill I have seen in the back yard since this adventure began. I imagine this probably always went on, but I was at work and never saw it. I would occasionally see a pile of feathers in the back yard and assume a cat had gotten a bird. The brutal facts of nature. Sometimes I am amazed chickens, basically defenseless, have survived this long.
I looked down to find a very large pigeon. Sad, I had seen it flying a few days before and wondered what it was doing all alone. It was a greyish/blue and white flecked bird with red feet. Very pretty once and so large, it had to be about a third of the hawks size. The hawk had decapitated it and it's head was nowhere to be found. Odd.....
The hawk flew over the fence to a bigger tree and waited there. Fat boy and I went back to the porch. I expected the hawk to come back. I figured I might as well let him eat it since he had already killed it, but I didn't see him come back that day. However, the next morning, "something" had had a fine meal for there was nothing left but a pile of feathers and part of a wing. Poor little pigeon. I wondered what the chickens must have thought because I'm sure they saw the entire scene. The pigeon was bigger than my two little bantams....
Every time I get the bright idea to let my chickens free range as I feel they were meant to do.....something like this happens. This is the fifth hawk kill I have seen in the back yard since this adventure began. I imagine this probably always went on, but I was at work and never saw it. I would occasionally see a pile of feathers in the back yard and assume a cat had gotten a bird. The brutal facts of nature. Sometimes I am amazed chickens, basically defenseless, have survived this long.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
February 20, 2011 "Feuding Chickens"
The girls had geared up laying, five out of six are now laying and they were laying up to 5 eggs a day. The last three days however, they have slowed down to 2 and then yesterday only 1. This morning though, they are raising a regular racket as they have all decided to use the same box. They have five boxes to choose from, but now all want to use the same box. Who knows what goes on in a chickens brain, because last year they used three boxes and began using three this year but have now changed to one. Is there such a thing as "prime" chicken real estate??
Must be, because they are brutal over it. Raven, my little black bantam was in the box ready to lay and Chanel, the French Black Copper Maran, hopped up onto the platform, grabbed Raven by the feathers and tossed her to the ground!!!! Mean little so and so..... She has become quite the bully, chasing Raven any chance she gets and not just pecking, but pulling feathers out as well. I had never seen any hen throw another physically out of the nest though.
It's as if the older hens had had enough of Chanel - and Ellie, the Silver Lakenvelder, turned around and gave Chanel quite the peck on her comb, drawing blood. It's times like these that a rooster would come in handy to establish the peace and keep everyone in line I think.
Other than that, yesterday was an eventful day, we went over to visit our old neighbors who had moved to the country (5 minutes away) and bought a mini-farm. They had built a new HUGE chicken run and now have 11 chickens. They also have just purchased two baby milk goats, Nigerian dwarfs. They are the cutest darned things you have ever seen! By the time we got there, they had been fed and were sleepy, so the white little female hopped right into my lap, put her head on my arm and dozed off. I have been kidding my husband for quite some time that all we need now is two pecan trees and a milk goat and we can "live off the land", our whole half acre of it....lol I fell asleep counting baby milk goats instead of sheep.....so, so cute!!!!
Garden is coming along as well, I'm a little off on the planting dates, because it is a slooooooooowwwwwwwwww process with and injured knee. I have to do everything slowly now so I don't pay for it later. So............almost all the soil is turned and amended and fertilized and all the cold weather crops are in except for turnips and carrots. It has been unseasonably warm the last few days (up to 75 degrees) so I've been trying to take advantage of the warm spell to get things done.
Chickens appetites have become ravenous for greens too, I cannot pick enough grass and weeds to satiate them and have taken to buying kale and collards at the store to supplement them. No matter what kind of goodies I feed them, they will drop everything and run for the greens. I suppose that is their "natural" diet and what they crave, but it seems to really have ramped up since the weather has turned nicer and they have begun laying more eggs. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon with their chickens?
Lastly, I am doing all I can to avoid chick fever.....I REALLY want some java's and dorkings and have found sources.....and a beehive or two......
Must be, because they are brutal over it. Raven, my little black bantam was in the box ready to lay and Chanel, the French Black Copper Maran, hopped up onto the platform, grabbed Raven by the feathers and tossed her to the ground!!!! Mean little so and so..... She has become quite the bully, chasing Raven any chance she gets and not just pecking, but pulling feathers out as well. I had never seen any hen throw another physically out of the nest though.
It's as if the older hens had had enough of Chanel - and Ellie, the Silver Lakenvelder, turned around and gave Chanel quite the peck on her comb, drawing blood. It's times like these that a rooster would come in handy to establish the peace and keep everyone in line I think.
Other than that, yesterday was an eventful day, we went over to visit our old neighbors who had moved to the country (5 minutes away) and bought a mini-farm. They had built a new HUGE chicken run and now have 11 chickens. They also have just purchased two baby milk goats, Nigerian dwarfs. They are the cutest darned things you have ever seen! By the time we got there, they had been fed and were sleepy, so the white little female hopped right into my lap, put her head on my arm and dozed off. I have been kidding my husband for quite some time that all we need now is two pecan trees and a milk goat and we can "live off the land", our whole half acre of it....lol I fell asleep counting baby milk goats instead of sheep.....so, so cute!!!!
Garden is coming along as well, I'm a little off on the planting dates, because it is a slooooooooowwwwwwwwww process with and injured knee. I have to do everything slowly now so I don't pay for it later. So............almost all the soil is turned and amended and fertilized and all the cold weather crops are in except for turnips and carrots. It has been unseasonably warm the last few days (up to 75 degrees) so I've been trying to take advantage of the warm spell to get things done.
Chickens appetites have become ravenous for greens too, I cannot pick enough grass and weeds to satiate them and have taken to buying kale and collards at the store to supplement them. No matter what kind of goodies I feed them, they will drop everything and run for the greens. I suppose that is their "natural" diet and what they crave, but it seems to really have ramped up since the weather has turned nicer and they have begun laying more eggs. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon with their chickens?
Lastly, I am doing all I can to avoid chick fever.....I REALLY want some java's and dorkings and have found sources.....and a beehive or two......
February 19, 2011 "A Fox in the Hen House"
Last week, I noticed my cat had seen something through the window, so I looked out to see what she was looking at. I saw a movement at the back fence line, too fast and too big for a cat. A fox!!!! It appeared he was on the other side of the fence, looking for the hole in the fence that has never been repaired since a tree fell on it. I suppose the neighbor who has repaired his fence three times since I've lived here, has given up on repairing it, so there is a small section that is mangled, the wire bent up enough for a fox or other animal to crawl under.
I went out and started piling up anything I had against the opening, old wire fencing leftover from building the coop, held tight with cinderblocks and old boards from the torn down deck. As I turned to go get another board from the pile, lo and behold, Mr. Fox was in MY YARD, halfway between me and the chicken coop, the little stinker. I started screaming at him like a regular maniac and barking at him. He didn't even bother to break into a run, but casually trotted to the side fence, hopped over with no problem at all and sauntered off. WHY was I trying to block the hole on the bottom of the fence when the little rascal had no problem jumping the fence?
I suppose he had decided he was going to have a late lunch at KFC and I thwarted his plans. It wasn't even dusk, but more like 3pm and he didn't appear to be anymore afraid of me than the man in the moon. Didn't act rabid, just.....unconcerned. My neighbor had come over a week before to tell me he saw TWO foxes playing in his front yard one evening.
It is probably the animal trotting away in the leaves that I had heard several nights in a row when I first saw an opossum on top of the coop one night.
This week, I saw a dead fox in the road and wondered if it was "the" fox. Still, there is obviously another one. I cannot see where they have attempted to get into the coop so at least that is good news. The chickens did stop laying for a few days and I have a feeling that could be the reason.
I went out and started piling up anything I had against the opening, old wire fencing leftover from building the coop, held tight with cinderblocks and old boards from the torn down deck. As I turned to go get another board from the pile, lo and behold, Mr. Fox was in MY YARD, halfway between me and the chicken coop, the little stinker. I started screaming at him like a regular maniac and barking at him. He didn't even bother to break into a run, but casually trotted to the side fence, hopped over with no problem at all and sauntered off. WHY was I trying to block the hole on the bottom of the fence when the little rascal had no problem jumping the fence?
I suppose he had decided he was going to have a late lunch at KFC and I thwarted his plans. It wasn't even dusk, but more like 3pm and he didn't appear to be anymore afraid of me than the man in the moon. Didn't act rabid, just.....unconcerned. My neighbor had come over a week before to tell me he saw TWO foxes playing in his front yard one evening.
It is probably the animal trotting away in the leaves that I had heard several nights in a row when I first saw an opossum on top of the coop one night.
This week, I saw a dead fox in the road and wondered if it was "the" fox. Still, there is obviously another one. I cannot see where they have attempted to get into the coop so at least that is good news. The chickens did stop laying for a few days and I have a feeling that could be the reason.
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