Happy Harvest Blog
Summertime cuteness overload
I rebaited the trap, in case there's a second raccoon, and the hens really, really, want that egg. Ok, we gotta work the problem! The little silver chick is the cutest thing ever. I wonder what s/he will turn out to be. Their colouring is uncannily similar to their mom's. Only, she's not their real mom. This one was hatched out of a full-sized egg, so there's no direct genetic connection to this mom. Maybe she's really the aunt, though (?). Whoa! What is that!?
PIGS FIRST MOVE
(David Attenborough voice) After the new enclosure has been prepared for these lucky piglets, the fence is parted, allowing access to the abundant unspoiled greenery this species thrives upon. But how long will it take them to discover their new freedom? Their attendant retrieves the food bowls they are familiar with and places them in plain view just beyond the fence opening, filling them with fresh food. The young pigs observe these proceedings with interest but from a distance.
Circus chickens
What's happening here? I know it might be hard to tell. That would be the notoriously mom-surfing chick, the yellow one, sitting on her mom. Not only that, mom is perching on the swing. With other chickens. The swing is swingy. I rarely see them use it at all. Obviously, she is far too large for mom-sitting at the best of times, but like one of those huge dogs that still thinks it's a lap-sized puppy, she doesn't realize she's outgrown it. And while perching on a swing might not be the best of times.
Too cute for chick school
Perchick is very watchful. She mostly trusts me around her chicks, though. She has chicks poking out. Cream Puff does not trust me, and wow, a full size henpeck is more meaningful than a Silkie peck. No chicks poking out here. The one "old chick" looks much like a tiny, brown bald eagle. Like a yellow chick wearing a brown cape. And this brood, well, they're not grown up enough to be above a good wing pit warming.18 chicks: I'm going to need a lot of names.
Selfie with falcon
Apples was out with me for enrichment time, while I was building stuff by the house. I take her with me outside when I'm working in one area, so she can act like a real chicken for awhile. She doesn't much act like a real chicken though. Oh! A wild chicken encounter! Ohohohhh. Nervous:)Then I thought I should try and get a pic of our transportation arrangement. I pick her up and she squirms until she's happy with her grip, and then she rides. Will this work? Selfies: not so easy with an SLR. Worked, though!
All aboard!
Another guinea down. This morning she was sitting in the greenhouse-like she wasn't ready to leave yet, and I looked at her twice, and had a feeling, from her posture. When she let me pick her up I knew it was bad. I tucked her in this corner, gave her food and water, which I'm sure she didn't touch, and the other two stayed by her, doting. She just seemed to be breathing a bit hard. An hour later, gone. Such a pretty bird. The feathers around her neck are lilac coloured.
Chickens in trees
And otherwise being funny: I'd like to call this meeting to order....They sure love their pine tree. Yesterday was rainy. A good soaking, the kind where the water table seems to rise to the surface of the earth. My GH eavestrough is working (first rain test), and the tank was filling faster than the tap was running inside. The Silkies had hairdos, the way they get when their heads get wet. Most were huddled grumpily under their rain tents, but there were a few brave ones wandering about. The wet chicken gets the worm.
Well, I'm back
Back on track. I survived my alarming and exhausting 5 days of wretchedness. It started out a big rain day. Only Cleopatra is out there wading for worms. The barred rocks say Nah, too wet for us. The first broody hen of the year has her own box, finally. She's been determinedly trying to warm eggs in the prime nest box of the big coop for a week, but I haven't been able to manage to get her own box. That means that the big hens have been laying eggs right on top of her some of the time.
Shoulder chicken
HW had a theory, when I called him later ("You're not going to believe this...). Just before he left in the morning, he'd asked me when I was going to put Apples back out in the world. He figures she heard that, and wanted to put a stop to that line of thinking.
Instagram.
I may not make a blog post every day, but at least I Insta.
Bite size.
