All my Bantam Cochin hens were great; my Bantam Cochin rooster was a mean, little jerk who seemed to hate me. He is now living at someone else's property and we're both happier, I'm sure.
It's easy to blame yourself; I've done it, too.
But, my goodness, you must have taken great care of her or she wouldn't have lived for 12 years. I've never had a hen live into double digits!! There's bound to be a hole in your heart for a very long time. Take care.
How adorable! I've never had silkies, but none of my chickens has ever been remotely that attentive to me.
I'm sorry your sweet, one-of-a-kind girl has passed, you must miss her terribly.
I've never thought about how or why the coops would be different. Although now that you mention it, I can understand that the little "red barn" and "farm-style" coops that are popular in the U.S. Midwest would look out of place in Africa. And, perhaps, the availability and types of building...
Help is on the way! Or, at least it will be in a few hours. Five friends have confirmed they will be here today to do the projects that: 1) I can't do because I don't have the skills and/or physical strength and; 2) could do but haven't gotten around to yet. Or, likely, ever.
Two days of rain...
No. 8 is unsettling!! After years of chicken keeping, I still sometimes freak out a bit when I see a hen on the ground with outstretched wings and eyes closed. I've been known to roust them a little, just to make sure!
I feel your pain. In a similar situation with my runner ducks, I set up the most "romanced" girl in her own small dog house. Sheldon bred his favorite, Blair, so hard and so often that she regularly bled from the back of her head and nearly lost her right eye.
Spring over-mating this year...
I could feel tears welling up as I read your post. I admire you and my heart breaks for you at the same time.
Kudos to you for loving the old ones and trying to make your bad days into good days for another cat. It's clear you not only love your cats dearly but are willing to do whatever is...
Yesterday, Daphne and Lavinia took turns yelling at each other to lay or get out of the nest box. I finally got tired of the drama and removed Lavinia -- who proceeded to scream at me with great volume and enthusiasm.
Happy ending: Eventually, both laid eggs and peace was restored.
How sweet that you met Annie on a trail ride!
When we were kids, the neighbors had horses, and at 7 years old, I loved to ride. My mom was less than thrilled, one day, when she saw my 2-year-old sister, plopped onto the back of a saddle-less horse. I'm sure she believed it was the ONLY time it...
Only one of my originals, Sheldon, is still alive, and he's clearly in charge of the girls -- and one "accidental" drake. Although Shel and the original boys didn't fight among themselves, he and Layne (who was sold as a female duckling) do get rowdy with each other during spring mating times...
I am always happy to see that someone else has fallen under the intriguing spell of runner ducks!
And, I applaud you for your approach to managing your property. Best wishes with adding to your food forest!
I don't know what your ideal ratio is; when I got my first runner ducklings, I ended up...
Good luck purging stuff. I'm hoping to send some unwanted stuff home with the guests I'm going to have this week. One has been promising to take Jim's sandblasting cabinet for the past two years.
Yesterday, I specifically went to the annual Pumpkins and Ponies festival to see the U.S. Veterans...
I hope you get the deck done this weekend. You nailed the joist hangers?! Good for you!
Sorry for all the drama with your pets. How are Eva, Con and Brianna doing? BTW, the photo of Annie and Finnegan is great!
I am still incredibly sad about losing Goo. This week, one of my hens, Phyllis...
Congrats on putting your garden to bed, Lisa! Mine still needs a few more buckets of goat manure -- of which I have plenty.
Hope your strawberries survive winter, Jim. The short fence my sister and I built around my strawberry bed still needs a cover to keep critters from climbing inside and...
This is a great place to learn about all things related to poultry, Tony. Congrats on joining!
Wyandottes are lovely birds, both in appearance and temperament. I had a Blue-Laced Red and currently have a Colombian and a Sliver-Laced.
Although most of my birds (chickens, ducks and geese) live...
In 16 years, I've never figured out what kind of tree it is. I just call it "the big evergreen." What I do know is that it is toweringly tall and incredibly attractive to eagles; the ones that live near by like to perch on its highest branches and cause chaos for my flocks on the ground.
Great...
Okay, my curiosity got the best of me. I have an evergreen of some sort that produces long, skinny cones. I tried out the Nut Wizard on those, with less than perfect results. It picked up about half of the cones, but the little scales often got caught on the wires.
I have never tried the Nut Wizard on pine cones, but I suspect it wouldn't work. It's good on intact walnuts, because they are round and slip between the wires. But, it often runs right over and ignores walnuts that have been broken open or crushed by car tires.
Sorry about the frost and cold...