A Journey Through a Different Way - Funny Story Pg. 69

[lovemychicks9]

That is such a beautiful girl Ruth. I know that Rex will teach her to take good care of all those precious chicks and ducks for you. I think you will have quite the pair in those two now and I pray that all your kids will be in very safe and loving paws with them. She is gorgeous and I love her name. You and yours are always in my thoughts and prayers. Keep up this wonderful thread it is such a delight to read. Trudy

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Hey Ruth thanks for the update. I was wondering how you all were doing. What is the story behind the dropped off chicks I missed that one? Thanks again for letting us live the free range life with ya.

 

[ruth]

Quote:
It's the usual story. Mom buys cute little Easter chicks at school auction for her precious kids - pays $90 for them. Two months later doesn't want them anymore. Heard I had chickens so asked if I would take them. I say "sure". She has their hired-hand drop them off. The ugliest bunch of 4 young roos and a female that I have ever seen. Totally bald spots, quill feathers sticking out everywhere, huge pumpkin orange combs way too big for their heads.

I'm not sure how she raised them other than he also dropped off a cage, huge bag of cedar shavings, corn, and layer feed - so I guess that's how she was raising them. Keeping them locked in cage, on cedar, and feeding them cracked corn and layer feed. I don't know this woman. We were actually touring another plantation home in town and the tour guide was talking to us and introducing herself and the topic of chickens came up and she said "Oh, my daughter has some she needs to get rid of."

The good part is they have adjusted well. I only kept them in their cage, in the run, for one day. Didn't imagine they would have any diseases coming from a private home. Now they are in coop/yard/run and free ranging with everyone else. So far they haven't left the two large fenced runs but the gates are open when their ready.

I have actually grown to like the "Little Girl" as I call her. She's very tame, only one of my chickens that is. She runs up to me when she sees me and follows me everywhere. Lets me pick her up and pet her. You can tell the kids must have played with these chicks because at least they are somewhat tame and none of mine are. HOWEVER, I reached for one of the little roos and he BIT me, drew blood. Little bugger.

The comparison between these two-month old chicks and my two-month old chicks is unbelievable. Mine are twice the size of these and are beautifully feathered. Of course mine have lived outside their whole lives.

But it does go to prove that with plenty of space you can add new hatchlings or new chickens to an existing flock and there aren't any fighting/pecking issues. These chicks just fit right in.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Oh Ruth I knew I liked ya lots for a reason. I get the worlds left overs too and they just seem to touch our hearts. The latest here is a 2 1/2 year old Boxer. My daughter (20) was living here while trying to find an afordable apartment and came home one day with this boy and said mom I rescued him it only cost me $150 to get him off this guy (It was my $150 I sent her to town with to pick up groceries and chick food with). She says before you get mad you need to know I couldn't leave him look at him, well he was 25 lbs under weight had a sever urinary track infection ($300 vet bill and 2 months later still on meds), the only bonus is that he was fixed. Top if off one week later she moves into an apartment she can't have him at. Now he lives with Grandma. Do we have dump your animals on us signs on our forheads or what LOL. Side note is he is a really nice boy and fits in with the 3 chihuahua's here very well. He also just loves the chicks but they don't like that big nose by their butts LOL.

 

[ruth]

Yes Zookeeper - I'm a real softie too. All of my pets, except Rex and the new GSD puppy, are strays that I find and take in and nurse back to health at considerable time and expense. Don't know if you saw the post where I found the dead possum with the tiny baby that was still alive and I tried hand feeding it and did my best to keep it alive - all the while thinking "What am I doing? What am I going to do with this chicken-killing possum if it lives and grows up?" But couldn't help myself - slept in separate room so I could get up every hour and give it another drop of milk supplement I got from vet. Unfortunately or fortunately it didn't make it or it too would be living here in the house with us and our little zoo.

My husband keeps saying - and it used to be a far-fetched joke - "now we just need an ostrich" - but now that comment doesn't seem so far fetched. I've got peafowl eggs in bator so what's an ostrich or two???

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Yes Ruth I seen the post with that little baby that you lost I was thinking the same thing what would you do with that baby if it made it. I am sure you would of loved it and trained it to leave the chicks alone. Thanks again for sharing I really enjoy reading about farm life with you and your family

 

[ruth]

I started a separate thread on this weekend's activities which included evicting the ducks. Here's the thread with lots of before and after pics of the ducks' new home.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=61654

As you all know I have been raising them all together and they have gotten along just great. The problem is that the ducks are so messy. I have been keeping the run gate closed because some chicks were still a little too young for complete free ranging and the ducks were keeping everything a wet and smelly mess. I had to dump their pool once a day and it would just leave the dirt ground wet and smelly. I was having to clean the waterers three times a day and when dumped, same thing, now stinking dirty water in coop or run. Anyway, fixed up their own coop next door. Large grassy, fenced run and the best thing is there is a pipe buried in ground with other end on other side of fence. Now when I dump their pool it just goes down the drain and out the yard.

First night the ducks wouldn't stay in their new home and it started raining, of course, so I went out in rain and they were all by the gate to the chicken yard honking and saying "Hey let us in". I let them in and put them back in their yard the next day. Actually I have been herding them in there every morning and back every night so they were used to it. But now they are staying in their new home.

Their chicken friends still hop the fence to hang out with them or go through the gates when I do but I am now able to leave the chicken gates and new front door wide open all day long and everyone gets to freerange now that everyone is old enough.

I don't let the ducks free range - but they have a large grassy run. I'm still afraid of what my dog Lucy might do if she caught them off by themselves. So they now have their own home, yard, pool area and the chickens can BE FREE.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Morning Ruth was really glad to see a post from you this morning hope all is well with you and yours. Heading over to the new thread to read and look at the pics. Thanks again for sharing with us.

 

[lovemychicks9]

Good morning Ruth , I am so glad to read your new posts. I so look forward to them and I am going to move to the other one next. I hope all is well with you and your family and critters. Take care and talk to you soon, hug that beautiful pup for me! Trudy

 

[ruth]

Latest updates have to do with life on the farm now that there are four very active juvenile roos. My Valentine Day hatch gang that started this thread are all now four months old. Four roos out of the bunch. Two beautiful Barrred Rocks one brown Ameracauna and Cousin It (mixed breed). It was Cousin It that crowed first and first tried shagging a little female when he was only 4 weeks old. Now that he's four months old he's chasing every thing that moves and grabs her. Luckily they all seem to get away because he can't seem to figure out what to do next. Actually all four seem to hang out like some kind of pack and if one catches a female they other three crowd in like they're next in line. Thank goodness so far all the females are having nothing to do with this gang activituy.

Here's some pics of some of the guys.

My big beautiful BR roo - one of twins - I can't tell them apart and they are always together.

BR and Cousin It.

Finally, I do have the Motely Crew of drop off chickens (or whatever they are). There are four roos in that batch. I posted under another thread asking for clues as to what they are but here's one of them if anyone has any ideas. They have legs like tree trunks and a body shape unlike any of my other chickens.