The rat update is not great.
I have confirmed that they are not burrowing in from outside. Have done multiple smoke tests.
They do however march in and out the door when it is open for the chickens to play outside.
In the middle of the day. Bold as brass.
And they have taken up residence under the floorboards of the servant’s quarters where I cannot reach them.
I am deploying rat contraception (no, seriously) as well as a safe rat killer (RatX). They are extremely trap shy and have avoided all traps and bait stations so I am trying to get creative.
Tassels, now she is not brooding, is very aware of them and seems to want to catch them. She has come close a couple of times but no kills so far.

I am buying a rat proof feeder for the Princesses and may start using only the nipple waterer inside the Chicken Palace (though I suspect rats can operate the nipples).

I think water is a big thing. Apparently rats drink a lot, so I need to repair the pipe that the girls dug up. The rats do seem to like that damp area.

Here is one watching me from outside as I fill up water for the Princesses. A minute later it walked in through the door. While it was too wary for me to be able to grab it by hand, it was not nearly as scared of me as I would like.
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ā€œNo floorboard is immune from taking up!ā€ (says an old carpenter’s helper here - me…) But you will need a carpenter. The Palace is on cement posts, no? Or is that part on a foundation wall?
 
Hmmmmmm


So that means it is ā€œrooster confirmedā€ for Nestle.
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Still no crowing from Cotton, but it is pretty obvious he is a cockerel. This picture was a week or so ago, comb and wattles are even bigger now.
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Yes Cotton is a laddy šŸ˜Šā™„ļø He’s lovely.

Gosh the look on those pullets faces when Nestle was crowing was hilarious, so much fun when they are young and first learning to crow.

Will you keep both Roos?
 
Mugs Monday

Some Blast From The Past (BFTP) of some fancy mug shots.

Clyde
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And his girlfriend Patches
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And a fluffy lavender ball with a head, Laverne
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Looks just like Cheetah as a chick, so gold. Campine and Hamburg are pretty similar as chicks, comb and leg colors being the big difference (had a dive down when figuring out what Cheetah was)
So many lovely chooks, and I don’t have a big enough barn!

Or cheque book hahahaha!
 

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