Happy Harvest Blog
Oh great, it's time to move blog platforms again
I’ve been blogging here at WordPress for nine and half years, and I was perfectly delighted with it for eight and a half. I’ve never had so many problems as I did this year. Coincidentally, this year is also the first time I’ve paid for the top tier account, for extra storage (nine years of images, yo), and to keep my blog free of annoying ads. To hell with that.
Little cuties
Baby barred rock. Two Silkie crosses, apparently They like to tightrope around on the coop. It's just challenging enough that they look tentative.This little leghorn has moved in with the Silkies (sitting on the swing). I don't know why they make the choices they do.
P. Petit and his best girl, Cheeks
Philippe Petit and his girlfriend, lounging in a shady patch by the path. He likes his ladies bearded.
We lounge hard
Chickens do an awful lot of lounging. They lounge under trees, in the sun, lots of time on the paths, and in dust baths. Their favorite seems to be dappled shade. Big group lounge under a secondary pine tree. Early post-breakfast perching is common. Big dust bath near the house. Barred & Brahma lounging. The birds have this odd tendency to sort themselves out by colours, like laundry. The darks.The lights/colours. There's some big boys emerging out of the tweens. It's adorable how much they cuddle.
The misadventures of rabbits
I was carrying some wood past the house with my friend and paused to pick up some tools off the deck. Through the open door, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a brown...shape passing the rocking chair. It might have hopped. Things I never thought I would say out loud: "Uh, I think there's a rabbit in my house."I dropped the wood and stepped in, and the very-definitely-a-rabbit leaped up on the windowsill and hunched under an arm of aloe vera. My first thought of course was for the camera.
Oiseaux Tableaux
The Famous Five. These didn't grow up together (different Silkie moms), but they have found each other. They clearly share genes. These are the smallest of the free chicks (they grow up so fast!), and they're very adventurous. There once was a time when chickens perching in low branches was a novelty. Now it's de rigeur. The tweens. At least one of these culprits is starting to practice his crowing. Little Pepper is still in this mix despite getting quickly outgrown (Silkie/Barred cross) by the big Chanticleers.
Perching faithful
Interest in the new trees was muted. There was some investigation and hay scritching, but the first tree is still the crowd favorite. I do mean crowd. I mused "Why is it always the chicks that are so excited about the trees?" And HW said it makes sense; kids usually enjoy climbing trees more than adults. The winter is going to be interesting. I'm going to have to build some serious multi-level structures in the greenhouse this year. Somebody left me a nice feather in the garden.
The before bedtime lounge
Before it’s bedtime, 7-8 pm-ish, it’s the hour for serious lounging. The various chicken cliques are scattered around, and more likely to be settled down on the ground than perching above ground. They just sink down in the grass/weeds (or wherever they are) and have a little lull, maybe even a proper nap. Two of Ursa’s new chicks came supplied with the most amazing permanent eyeliner. It’s too bad I used up the name Cleopatra already (although it was entirely appropriate) because these two have totally Egyptian eyes.
All you need in a heat wave is a pine tree
Because of the crazy (now four) days of heat, I've been releasing all the birds, so that they can manage their own needs, and won't ever possibly be trapped without water. The Silkies move no more than 4 feet, piling up under the pine tree they're under anyway. Some of them are panting, and some hold their feet wide and wings out flat like airplanes for a draft under their wings, but they've been just fine. There's a stiff breeze, and under the pine tree, it's quite cool. All they need is for the drinks to keep coming.
evening snacking
The evening is a peaceful time. Chicken peace ebbs and flows. The early morning is not peaceful at all. The afternoon is a long siesta, usually broken by a period of ruckus, and then the late evening is time for some mellow scrounging before bed. A coop time snack. Here come the guineas. They get right in there. So different, yet so accustomed to living with chickens. At this time, the Silkies are all mostly in bed. The guineas are so cute, grazing in the lumpy field in their pair bonds, looking like rocks.
serene afternoons
The chickens are getting used to living both in and out of the greenhouse. That's good. You're supposed to implement change slowly with chickens, let them get used to one thing at a time. I was transitioning the GH today, hanging the screen doors (this year with orange snow fence to better help pollinators find the doors, cleaning out all the winter chicken crap- all the ugly snow fence and sticks, and the greenhouse looks bright and spacious again. Just hay, the composting coop cleanouts in the feed sacks (not sure what garden they'll go to), and the tomato safe.
Bunch'a house sitters
The chickens like to stand around all afternoon on top of their houses. All of the houses are fair game. And a bale sitter. I love this hen. The little silver adventurer. She's the best. She needs a name. Cream Puff. They are just, just about to get evicted from the greenhouse. And those old dusty poopy houses will get a good rinsing in the next rain. And then the birds can't sit around all afternoon indoors. They'll have to play outside. Right now they wander around outside for a few hours, and then like they're slacking off work,
Instagram.
I may not make a blog post every day, but at least I Insta.
Bite size.
