have I got a STORY!

[rural mouse]

Backstory: gifted 3 hens and a slw roo to start own free range flock on newly purchased property with coop. Lost 2 hens over course of winter/ spring. Had to separate remaining hen from roo as he pestered to the point of not being able to eat or drink. hen in garage and allowed out in morning, roo in coop allowed out in afternoon. ordered chicks from mcmurray (coworker recommend). Ship date: 1st week of Aug. set up space in garage with hen for chicks. Chicks arrived: NOT the 6 light brahma hens (yes to subs) but 7 partridge rocks, 4 australorp hens and 6 straight run giants plus yellow mystery (and so dubbed). Can't tell australorp from giant, but 2 smallest black birds look slightly different. 1 all black (no lighter marks like most of the black birds) and 1 with yellow head spot (suspected nothing until started trickling at 6-8 weeks). Grasshoppers everywhere, so catching them and loosing in chick run by 4 days old for the "rugby scrum" entertainment. Hen still going out in morning, roo in afternoon. Babies get feathered, start allowing them run of while garage with hen....watching interactions, she took command and otherwise ignored. Babies WANT OUT with hen in morning, keep sheltering under French lilac near by....royal pain to get out....figure out they won't go far from there. Let out, go get coffee in house. See hen wig out, run head down flat, wings out, loop around chicks, they run for bush. WTH? 10 sec later deer wander round the corner... AHA! Babies now sleeping in pile in corner of garage by door (lamp in opposite corner). Load babies in box after dark, pack box and hen out to coop. Hen on roost next to sleepy roo, babies in corner by lamp and lower roost they can get on (roughly 6-8 weeks). Keep roost locked next day. Discover hen not eating/ drinking again....put food/water for her on TOP of nest boxes (5 feet off the ground). Babies can run with Buster (roo). 1 disappears (sus hawk), 1 spraddle leg (nurse in house lose at 4th day). Dec, occasional egg. Mystery crows. Barred rock "ausrtalorp" crows. 4 of the 7 remaining black birds crow. little all black bird doesn't but has hints of red edging breast feathers. new years eve, butcher all but 2 of the roos (both giants, 1 shiny black 1 with rusty patches on shoulders), accidentally get a hen in that also (had a layer of fat on her an inch thick). eggs flying fast with in 2 weeks. older hen keeps going off by self (ghostly: she's colombian wyandotte ) . spring: 2 hens go broody (1 of partridge , and black with red ). Partridge starts new nest. black keeps on...babies due...overdue....black bails...done. (2 young roos banned from perch so roost on TOP of boxes). Work with family with lone hen (RIR), they just got chicks (mostly polish). Offwe a roo (so hen getting babies in her turf isn't nasty as I know RIR can be feisty. Kids want shiny black roo, so out he goes.....she fights, he's bigger.....currently she's at his side always, babies now in coop with...meanwhile....

 

[rural mouse]

Teen goes out to close coop: only 4 birds. It's dark. Flashlight, go looking, can't find missing 6. Next morning: go back out. Find feathers from Buster. All hens who usually stick with him are gone too. (Sus foxes) I hope he put is spurs to good use and did some damage. Have colombian wyandotte and 2 partridge rocks and 1 jersey giant roo.....hens not laying (shook up, no idea if broody partridge got snatched or is 1 of those left, but nest abandoned). Ordered chicks again: hatchery's choice assortment as it would ship the next week. Yes to freebie in case something happens to rusty. Babies arrive (1 doesn't last more than a couple of hours, lost another (fail to thrive) at 2 weeks. Rest all fine, but new game: what breed of chicken is this?

 

[rural mouse]

Identify birds (currently 5 weeks)
1. RIR
2-3. Golden wyandotte
4-5: Houdan (dubbed Thing 1 and Thing 2)
6. Dorking (1 of 4 chipmunk striped)
7. Gold penciled Hamburg
8. Cuckoo maran
9. Dominique
10. Welsummer (2 of 4 chipmunk)
11. 3 of chipmunk (sus silver Phoenix)
12. 4 of chipmunk: rose comb (dubbed "Twerp")
13-14. yellow, slate leg, single comb, developing grey undertones, possibly neck ring, possibly splash marks

15. 2 week: cw or ssh?
16. Almost doa: red, lighter than RIR
As this assortment is supposed to lay assortment of egg colors, including blue and green, 12-14 may be whiting trues.

 

[rural mouse]

At the 2 week mark, moved babies into coop, fenced off from adults for look but don't touch. At 3-4 weeks, started letting babies run around in coop while adults not in. friday evening, let babies loose (so could escape) after adults on roost for night. Saturday morning, Silver (the cw)is in babies area....walked in...ok fix fencing...babies fine. Put back inside fence, let adults out, go to work. Saturday evening, repeat. Sunday, let babies start exploring in and out of coop, i sit outside, toss a pinch of scratch, weather cooler, intermittent drizzle to help, off and on over course of day, babies secured behind fence otherwise. Twerp (when twerp gets name) and the dorking are 1st out, persistent and twerp tries to circle the coop. Also discover Things 1 & 2 are the dumbest of the lot. Rusty has stayed near by, alerts for magpies, and anything bigger. They don't even pause when he sounds alarm. they dont startle (i tried). The tried to hid against outside coop wall, went to jump into hatch (4 inches), plowed chest first into threshhold...Monday morning, find 1 of rocks in baby area, reach to get out, she flew in, can't fit through baby hole (that solved). She squawk (the rocks have always NOT wanted to be handled) Rusty protests verbally, otherwise does nothing and settles once she's released. Chase babies back so can let out adults. Houdans must be part ostritch. They tried hiding beaks in corners rather than running for safe area. Anyway, monday afternoon, let babies out for a bit, they all did better. Yesterday came home to do same....2 came on from outside while I was getting water changed....(figured out how at bedtime). Ok, adults have been babysitting, no one missing, they did well. Let out babies, watch for a while. Go inside for dinner (even Houdans are listening). 4 adults are tag teaming who is on duty. After dinner, go back out, 1 rock and all babies out. Babies start going in, rock goes in realize other adults already in. Close hatch, step in to watch more. Babies mostly behind fence, raise bottom so they all can go back and forth along whole length . RIR (sus future flock leader) is looking at top of fence (it gets folded down so I can reach waterers). She hops up on bricks holding low roost for them (2x4) then fits to fold of fence. Twerp promptly joins her. The 2 yellow find the top wire to perch on (by this point looking like doves on a wire, phone wouldn't cooperate for picture). Now I know how they got out earlier. Took down fencing.the determine little things are going OUT!

 

[rural mouse]

Had one of adult birds go broody, beginning of July. Don't need more babies now, but with summer heat upon us, was unlikely to convince her to give it up...bigger challenge: broody on empty nest. She was HARD brood: rooster chivvied Her out of coop and it sounded like she was cussing out entire flock. Lead hen not laying much (supervising the littles). Hen 2 not laying fertilized eggs as she refuses Rusty's attentions (but is quite willing to be courted). Co-worker has newly hatched chicks so know eggs are fertile. Come home with 6, put under broody while wearing leather gloves...she's displeased with anyone/thing getting within long stretch neck length of her.
Broody settled in nicely on the eggs. Meanwhile babies growing. Hamburg is a cockerel. All are running with the adults. A week into brood, decided to put babies on roost (7 weeks). They were up and down it every morning anyway. Houdans borderline refuse....discover chicks start perching around 4 weeks, don't start roosting until 8-10 weeks. that explains a bit. 2nd night, all were up on the roost except those 2. Took about a week for them to get the idea, still working on roost location. outside going great.

Broody came out for a dust bath Tuesday evening

Came home tonight...

Got to watch the little get taught to eat food and witness total change in mama's demeanor. total witch plus cranky like a grizzly with a sore paw to sweet, tender, gentle, nurturing lady spreading her skirts wide to shelter the little one. Wasn't expecting any until tomorrow, caught glimpses of the other eggs, and thought I heard sounds of shells cracking under mama. 1st successful brood, for both of us!

 

[TheCluckyClucker2]

What happened? Love this story!

 

[rural mouse]

What happened? Love this story!

Mama was killed by a dog, along with 6 of the half grown babies and Rusty the rooster. little baby not killed, 3 weeks old. Mama taught her enough to get by in the flock as the youngest member. She's now 11 weeks and starting to pop a crest and have a voice change.