Hector's World: Adventures and Mayhem at Mountain View Poultry (or Sequel to The Evolution of Atlas

[getaclue]

Looking good, and strutting his stuff.

 

[1muttsfan]

Do you think he knows the camera is there?

 

[speckledhen]

Do you think he knows the camera is there?

It's crazy, but he seems drawn to it for some reason. Smart boy is just really curious, I guess. Maybe it makes some high pitched sound when it takes a picture and he's hearing it.

 

[speckledhen]

Also caught this in the same spot just this morning. Later, we had some drama. The 2nd old ladies' group was out free-ranging and when I went to put them in, could not find Alice. We looked everywhere. Blue chickens look like gray shadows so we looked under all the low hanging trees, etc. I was about to decide something got her. I made one final pass and decided to actually walk all the way around the back garden and adjacent compost pile. On the back side where the fence that encloses the huge compost mountain attaches to the side of the garden fence, I happened to look to the right and down and saw this roundish flat shadow. Then, I realized it was Alice. She has actually pushed herself into the compost pile. She did not respond when I called her and didn't move. I didn't even know if she was alive! I picked her up and she was positively frozen in fear. Makes me wonder if a hawk, maybe even this little young one, made a dive on her. Just a while before this, there was a lot of commotion out around the barn and I never could find what caused it.

 

[getaclue]

It could have been a hawk that scared her. Poor thing! Good thing she's got a good chicken mama. I'm sure you comforted her, and got her back into familiar surrounding with her flockmates.

 

[speckledhen]

It could have been a hawk that scared her. Poor thing! Good thing she's got a good chicken mama. I'm sure you comforted her, and got her back into familiar surrounding with her flockmates.

I don't think I've ever seen a chicken so scared. When I picked her up, she kept her legs tucked underneath her, she was so frozen. Bless her old heart. She's fine now, but that's too much for a 9 year old hen's heart! But, she found the best hiding place ever!

 

[1muttsfan]

Poor old thing. Great shot of the hawk, though!

 

[speckledhen]

That dang Hector. I tried again to give him Jane and Maddie since Jill is broody. All he does is flog them. If one squats and she is not in the perfect position for him, he hits her in the side. If Thea rears up at her, he backs up Thea rather than trying to stop a fight. He literally fell off the roost trying to get at poor, sweet Jane. I'm not having them hurt by that idiot. What is his deal? He's useless to me right now. I am not going to add any birds to this barn, so no breeding duties for him. I've never seen a rooster who was just adamant against having new hens like he is. I really should sell him, but who wants a 3 year old completely spoiled goober who may or may not be good to new hens?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Sometimes a change of venue totally changes the dynamics.

 

[getaclue]

speckled, pen him in a bachelor pad. He needs time away from the hens, for long enough he'll be grateful to be in the company of ANY hen you put him with.