Happy Harvest Blog
Early morning perching practice
The fuzznuggets have started perching. They all keep the same schedule; I’m so used to seeing moms raise their chicks now. First, there’s very close to home chickergarten, where scratching is strongly emphasized – Mom shows them vigorous scratching in loose material, clearly for practice. Good fling. Look at how well Daisy is kicking. Second, comes explorer time, where the moms take their chicks off, to some distance, for I don’t know what, world acclamation, and exposure to strange and unusual things.
You Tarzan, me chicken
Now I know why the other chickens weren't impressed by Nosey. This is what they do when I'm not looking. The white one was up there too, before I got the camera. Just walking around up there on the tomato vines. She's going to practice swinging in a controlled environment.
those feather askew blues
One of Foxy's (the oldest of the small chicks) chicks has a feather issue today. This sometimes happens, more often to the Silkies though. Can you spot it?What?It has little outrigger feathers growing sticking straight out from its shoulders. It's so funny. It's like only two feathers are committed to flying. They'll be gone in a couple days. Guineas doing their guinea thing. They're growing so fast. Galahad has a feather stuck on his face. A keet is about to notice and pluck it off for him. It's the most beautiful time of year.
Cuteness is a full time job around here.
The rooster is making himself comfortable in the food tray. I’m just gonna lay down right here. The three pine trees I pruned up are seeing the use I imagined. Ursa and her chicks are under this one, and the teens have decamped from Pine Tree One (leaving that one to the grownups) to their own clubhouse tree, where they are cuddling (too much!). All the trees now have established dust baths, too. There’s a new addition! One teeny tiny little silver chick.
Friends
Apples and Sprout - inseparable. I'm pretty sure now Sprout is a hen, so they should stay friends for a long time. Cheeks and Galahad. Both are a little more adventurous than the rest of the Family, who are never far away. They are plucking the seeds off the ends of the dry grass together. Ketchup and Mayo. Ketchup is developing some scrappy cheeks, so she must be part Ameracuana. I gave up trying to teach them that they sleep in the big coop.
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.
Full perching potential
Well, the chicks are all out. I figured it was today. The hens let me know when it's time. They become dissatisfied with the playpen and start doing this. Can you let me out? Then usually a chick leaks out (all of them can jump out the top anytime and sometimes do), and instead of helping it back in, I let all the rest out. Ursa Minor came out first and launched into a scratching demo the likes of which have never been seen. She was scratching and scratching, like crazy, like she meant to dig a hole.
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.
Bloom
The quince is a blaze of hot pink. I have one little tiny magnolia bloom starting to open. Cute. I'm pleased that it survived the winter. It's covered with little green buds. Outside, the chickens are doing very well at large. Even the wretched roosters are acting less like weirdos, finally. The Colonel keeps them at bay from the hens, but they are part of the general flock now, and have even been observed food clucking (which the hens totally ignore). I got something good! I really do! Why doesn't anyone listen to me? Actually, there's been a surprising usurpation!
Sunny bird times
I have a guinea who's been taking an interest in the former skycoop, now grounded. I don't know if she's the mother who raised a brood in it, or if she was one of the brood. I was born here. However, she's been spending time in this little coop every day, very much making herself at home, like she's rocking on her front porch watching the world pass by. And sometimes she has company. The others hang around near her. Then there are the Silkies. They love a good pine tree.
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