Happy Harvest Blog
Velvet and Ghost
The co-mamas.These are the first hens to successfully hatch babies in the large coop. Right through the heatwave, they sat on eggs, and I brought them water. They would even switch eggs, so it makes sense that they're one family now. They only spent two days in the chickeries, maybe three, before release and integration. Nosey visitor, They still had unhatched eggs, one each (they did not hatch late, they gave up on them), so the hatched chicks had a nice slow transition).
An extra puffy tail
The little (lone) Silkie chick has just had one extra puffy tail sprout out today, along with a tiny head crest and tiny feet feathers on those little black legs. Looks especially good with evening back-lighting. It's funny what a transformative difference a day makes - chicks grow so fast. Feathers just pop out here and there, and they go through some pretty funny stages. This poor little chick is now only one third the size of its nestmates, which are bigger than some of the other chicks get before their Moms move on.
Jacket chicken visit
It was a COLD morning, and husband noticed this little hen shivering up on a perch, so he grabbed her (Get your hands off me! Put me down, you big brute!) and stuck her in his coat (Oh. OH. Ok. This is good.)Then he took her for a walk. When they went outside in the cold cold air she sucked her head all the way inside the jacket like a turtle.
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.
Shenanigans
Cheeks put herself back in her box after breakfast yesterday. I'm done. Either I spent too much time with the other chickens, or she thought if she was settled back in her box when I got back, she might avoid the pill procedure. Today she just settled on her box. In the greenhouse, all it takes to create a stir is a half dozen hay bale chunks set around. They disrupt the chicken run flow, make something to pick at, and they must all be inspected.
Middle Chicks and greenhouse chicks
The four middle chicks are kinda loners. A little little chicken gang. On the left is a Silkie cross. She's experiencing the unfortunate phenomenon of her friends all growing up faster than she is. Her growth has stalled. Caped crusader on the right. The four of them are very attached to each other, and haven't become latched on to either flock of grown chickens. Their preference so far is to be in the greenhouse with all the babies, but I often put them outside, where they just pal around with each other.
Mini release
She's got four! Two and two. They're still ridiculously small, but in spite of being the size of golf balls, they are developmentally old enough to be bold adventurers. Time to prop open the chickeries so they could creep out and join the chicken greenhouse society. Here they come! Mom immediately dove into a sprawly dirt bath. Nothing celebrates freedom like throwing dirt over your head. Brown Bonnet was a bit more furtive.
All they needed was a keet ladder
Last night when Galahad and the keets went to bed in the greenhouse, there was a lot of noise, and G was running laps around the greenhouse-like he wanted out. He settled down, but I felt he was distressed, and maybe frustrated with sleeping on the ground. Tonight after bedtime, I thought the greenhouse was remarkably quiet. I peeked...and just about died! In case it's unclear what you're seeing, that is one keet perched on Galahad's back, yes, and all the keets lined up on the (swinging) perching rail, at 6' in the greenhouse.
I was asked if the birds actually use their tents when it rains
Yes. Yes, we do. That's how I endure the ugliness of the plastic A-frames - seeing the birds all run to it when the rain starts pelting down. Haven't seen them all day, as they've been out somewhere being adorable, but Sir Galahad and the keets of the round table know where to find shelter. Awww, they're starting to snuggle in for warming!
Galahad is step-fathering the new keets
The bee swarm denouement can wait - this is too cute. So, also yesterday, I picked up ten beautiful little guinea babies! Keets are crazy cute, with their orange puffin beaks and long necks. They were almost completely silent on the drive home. Birds seem to like car rides, if not the transitions and banging doors. I was looking forward to Galahad's reaction to them, but I got home at bedtime. G hopped right up to his perch, and I installed the keets in a vacant chickery,
A lot of pictures, for a day I didn't take any pictures
All the things I didn't take pictures of today: Moving the piggies into some lush new jungle land. I paid for it in bug bites, but they're piggy pleased. Chris and Cream Puff canoodling. They really are always together. Two new chicks, little Silkie chicks. Two new broodies, and wooo Nelly, one of them is vicious! This one was broody without eggs. I wasn't sure she was broody because she was sitting, but not on eggs, and she didn't know what to do with herself because she didn't have eggs,
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!?
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.
Instagram.
I may not make a blog post every day, but at least I Insta.
Bite size.
