Chickswich

[transformerchick]

Keep up the good work telling the story of our entry into the world of keeping chickens and loving it!

 

[farmergal27]

When the chicks were 8 weeks old, it became clear that most all of them were roosters. And what better way to get girls than a visit to the land far far away?(tractor supply). So now I introduce 12 new chicks to the saga. Four RIR's-Red,Sun,Coco, and Peep,Four SLW's-Silvermist, Oyster, Moonshine, and Nightshadow, and four barred rocks-Chatty Kathy,(by far the loudest chicken I know), Shimmer, Plymouth, and Charcoal. These new chicks have stories soon to come, but right now this record keeper will take a break. What do you think happens next?

 

[farmergal27]

When the newer chicks were 8 weeks old, they were introduced to the older chicks, which King Pepper still commanded. All but tw of the originals were boys, so we were hoping the introduction of new girls would help even out the odds. Soon, a love began to brew between Red and Chirp. Chirp was always by Red's side, diligently digging up worms to give to her as gifts. Red responded by cuddling with and grooming Chirp as they perched for the night in their new coop.

 

[farmergal27]

The chickens now had a permanent coop and run, but that did not stop an overly adventurous Sun from getting herself into trouble. I went out one morning to see her ten feet up in a tree, squawking to get down. A little annoyed, I had to resort to shaking the tree until she fell disgracefully to the ground. This little adventure led to a name change:Isabella, Izzy for short. Named because Queen Isabella was the one that sent Columbus on his voyage.

 

[farmergal27]

The next two weeks led to even more romance between Chirp and Red, but then, tragedy struck. My mom ran out when she heard squawking, and in the few seconds she stood there helpless, she saw a hawk that had broke into the run swoop for Red. Red ran, so the hawk changed its course to poor Salt and Tatiana, killing them both in one fell swoop. As my mom ran, the hawk turned its attention back to Red, who had unknowingly ran for a corner. But out of nowhere, Chirp charged the hawk, fearlessly putting his life on the line for his lady. With a squall, he launched himself at that evil dragon that would he would NOT allow to hurt his hen. Clawing and pecking, but did it care? No! It flung Chirp into a bush and flew at Red, knocking her to the ground. As it was about to kill her, chirp leaped out, viciously scratching at the monster's throat until the blood flowed. The hawk let out a terrible screech, and clawed at poor Chirp's face. Chirp fell to the ground, and that thing, oh, that evil, rotten dragon flew up, up, away from this land where he had almost been killed. But it was too late. Two hens lay dead. Chirp, oh, faithful Chirp had given his last, nobly fighting to save his one true love. Red was barely breathing, but as my mom held Chirp and his lungs stopped breathing, his heart stopped beating, she made a vow, a vow that she would not let Red die, that Chirp's sacrifice would not be in vain. Not on her watch! So we wrapped up Red in a blanket in a dog crate and hoped for the best.

 

[farmergal27]

The next days Red managed to eat and drink as she lay helpless, but it wasn't much. Her days are surely numbered, we thought. And we prepared for the worst. Would Chirp's sacrifice be for nothing?

 

[farmergal27]

But then a miracle happened. God must have blessed us that day, because Red got up, and she walked! So with joy we put her back in the pen. As I write this I vividly remember what happens next. I end this chapter saying that Red has been renamed Angel, in honor of the angel that must have saved her.

 

[farmergal27]

Now we will fast forward in time. The next couple of stories come from a year ago instead of three years ago.

 

[farmergal27]

First of all, the chicks we hatched were given away because they were all roosters. We have five of the original chicks from tractor supply. A week after Angel's accident, she became Queen, and is a no-nonsense, protective Queen that my family is proud of.
Charcoal is narcoleptic! She will be happily free ranging one second, and her head will be drooping the next, and within three or four seconds she is completely and utterly asleep. It is such a riot to watch.
We also have a new coop. It is nice and big, easily housing our 30+ chickens.
We have ducks now! We recently bought 3 ducklings:brown,yellow, and black. Their names are Hershey, Sunny, and Ebony. They are adorable, and since they are Runners, they stand straight up.

 

[peep peep betty]

what was the monster