Gideon's Got a Girlfriend! Gideon's Got a Girlfriend! She Isn't Pleased!

[speckledhen]

Thank you. I'm actually glad I can take BYC with when I go. I remember from my previous move abroad, how much I valued anything familiar, even some product brand that I recognise is precious when every thing is different and strange! And Europe and the UK is completely different from here. I think BYC is going to be a huge comfort for me while we're finding your feet over there!
And, like I said, I'm going to need some help and info when I'm buying chickens there. I really don't know anything about most of the breeds you guys talk about. We have such a limited selection. When I told an egg customer I wish I had some colourful eggs for them for Easter he thought I meant painted eggs and when I told him some chicken breeds lay coloured eggs he looked at me like I was barking!

 

[sumi]

I think I must download some pics and take the laptop round and show him

I suspect one of my favourite hens, Raven, is broody. I hope I'm wrong... We already have 2 moms with 11 chicks between them that I'm not giving up yet.

 

[speckledhen]

No more broodies, please! Have enough of those this year. Three of them crushed chicks, two of those were very experienced moms. It's just too darn hot for anyone to be sitting on eggs right now-we have enough to worry about as it is. My two co-broody Belgian d'Anver hens are raising 5 chicks together and that's enough right now until Fall weather. Actually, I don't want any broodies until next year at the earliest. Of course, I never get to choose.

Ike ran Gideon off one of the hens yesterday. I was walking toward the coop and I saw Ike take off running, but the coop was blocking my view. When I got down to the pen, I saw a cloud of dirt, a BR hen running up the hill and Gideon beating it out of the vicinity and Isaac standing in the middle of the cloud. So, guess he finally noticed his son getting fresh with someone, but I don't want Ike killing himself in this heat running after that little brat.

 

[sumi]

I was wondering how long it's going to take him to notice what's going on! Hopefully gideon will calm down and get it out of his system.
You all are talking about the heat, but it's so cold here! We had frost again this morning. I rinsed some washing outside in cold water, but my hands hurt too much so I just left it. Didn't feel like boiling gallons of water either. But if I have to choose I'd have this over summer any day. Temperatures in the 110-130 range every day... No, I'd rather be cold! My chickens, even the broodies handle the heat well, luckily.
I really hope I don't get another broody now, but my hens are so hormonal. If one decides to go maternal on us I guess I'll give her eggs to hatch and give her and the babies away. I've a friend who'l putting a flock together and I've already given him a mom and chicks to give him a boost.
The last thing I need now is more chicks to love and more heartache when it's time to go.

I keep forgetting to ask you: who's that in your avatar and what breed is he? He's gorgeous!

 

[speckledhen]

The big blue guy? That is a picture of my Blue Orpington rooster, Suede, in his younger years. He's gotten brassy in his old age, but he's just as sweet as can be still. Here is a pic I took a few days ago of him showing his wenches where to deposit the rent:

 

[sumi]

Love it! think I must put Blue Orpingtons on the list. DH loves grey/blue chickens. Here's my beautiful Blackie doing the same for his ladies. That's my sewing basket by the way... first he showed Indi



Then Butter...

 

[speckledhen]

Gotta love a good man!

 

[Chicken Frenzie]

Oh yes... roosters are so silly

 

[sumi]

That's why we love them so...

 

[speckledhen]

Well, my silly teenage rooster is in the house. It's 98* and he was making them all nuts, including keeping Tiny from drinking and eating because she crammed herself under the coop and refused to come out. When we put them inside with a bucket of ice and fans blowing on them, he was panting so hard, I thought he was going to keel over and he still grabbed her, so we snatched his butt off the bar and took him in the house and put him in a rabbit cage in the living room to chill out.

He, of course, turned over his glass pot of ice water-no biggie, the cage has a plastic bottom with high edges and standing in cool, wet shavings is a sure-fire way to bring down his body temp. Brought in Dru to keep him company, and I also had to bring in two of my Ameraucana hens-one looked like she might be near death on a nest.