I Built A Bridge!

[drumstick diva]

Not that I know anything but, Krystal looks silkie x cochin to me. Lovely girl.

 

[MistyMountain]

Such beautiful pictures, teila! Your girls sure know how to strike a pose! Sure makes me rethink my plans on keeping a rooster with the flock... the only pose my ladies know is "run from the rooster." Not to mention their beautiful feathers are either missing or pretty roughed up.

Just wanted to share a pic real quick. We spent the weekend in the Gainesville, Ga area on the old family farm. No livestock anymore, unless you call the catfish in the pond livestock, but plenty of open fields and orchards. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, figs, apples, peaches, pears, grapes and pecans are just some of the things they grow there. Great place to let the boys loose. Of course, with the ponds we were constantly worried about cottonmouths, though. Anyhow, Gainesville is apparently the "Poultry Capitol of the World." I did not see a single chicken, but oh boy could I smell them! We thought something had died in the bushes around the house and by the mill. I was later informed that it was not something dead but the smell of the chicken farms that back up to the backside of the property. I couldnot see the houses by day, but could faintly see the lights on them at night. Crazy. My chicken house can get a little funky if it rains a whole lot, but mostly my deep litter smells on the dirt side. I guess thousands of chicke s makes a difference.

Way off subject. While I did not see a chicken, I was sent home with a chicken related gift. Dh's Aunt picked this chicken waterer up from.a local pottery store. She said it was for the next chicken farmer in the family. Is it bad that I have no intention of sharing this beautiful piece with the chickens? I think it looks great right here in the house!

 

[Teila]

Thank you Diva yep, Crystal is a lovely girl and a real sweetie too.

Hey MM good to see you.

As you know, no roosters allowed here by local laws. This is no reflection on anyone who has roosters, but sometimes when I am in the garden with the gals, watching them potter around, I imagine what their life would be like with a rooster around.

I know that roosters are protective and while some are mean, others are caring and gentle, but I just can’t imagine my little girls being constantly harassed by a randy little boy.

Probably a good thing I have one son and no daughters

I confess to having to look up Cottomouth [thank you Google!].. eeew snake!

Yep, I am with you, that waterer looks much better in the house and would be handy for keys, coin change and lots of other bits and pieces.

As long as they still have water, I do not think the chickens will appreciate it’s beauty as much as you do!

My news?
Not much; actually pretty much nothing!

I’m loving the colder temps we are having; the cats and Joel, not so much; they are Frogs!! Lol

Depending on how it goes this long weekend, I am looking at opening the coops and runs back into one.

Dusty looks like she may have some competition for the title of Flock Greedy Guts from KiKi who was cheeky enough to steal a meal worm from between Dusty’s legs yesterday!

There is something about Frizzles, they just seem quirkier!! When we got LuLu at 3 months of age, she bounced into the flock, announced her arrival with her “if you don’t like it, get over it! I am here and I am staying!” attitude. She is such an infectious little thing with not a mean bone in her body.

Crystal is still a little timid/cautious and close to mum on free range .. KiKi is anywhere, everywhere, in everyone’s face and generally fearful of nothing and no-one! She has no qualms stealing food from the beaks of her Aunties!

 

[drumstick diva]

Teila, I have one grown son.

 

[lizgarf]

Hi folks!
Just a quick note to let you know I'm alive and well, as are the flock! Things have been going smoothly enough that I just haven't felt the need to report anything and BYC dropped off my radar a bit. At the moment, I'm just very busy getting things in order so I can go on a vacation! I'm leaving on Friday and very excited to be seeing friends and family all over Europe for a jam-packed 17 days!!

@tommysgirl I'm so sorry to hear of your losses. I hope you get some answers and that the rest stay healthy. Also, as a side-note - were you in Berkeley last Thursday? I saw a license plate that said a version of Tommysgirl - I won't say what, specifically, to protect your anonymity!

Beautiful pics as usual, Teila!

Congrats on the bubbies, MM!

Anyway, please know I'm well and thinking fondly of all of you, even if I don't check in much these days. Oh, this just happened: Reggie, who hates baths, but got one yesterday because we went to the beach and I wanted to clean her up for her sitters, just now got a second bath because she got sprayed by a skunk! Oh, joys! Why do I bother cleaning?

I'll just sign off with a couple pics, because, why not?

Their album cover:


Spring:


High ten:

 

[drumstick diva]

lizgarf, love your photos. Is your dog giving you High Fives? Or, is he playing the kids game "Patty Cake?". Your iris is beautiful with the black and purple petals. Used to have iris - they bloomed great for two years and then gone. I suspect something ate them. The only plant I have now I think was called Winter Iris, it can take our horrible winters and has variegated foliage and a sweet fragrance. The only negative is it blooms almost all at once, and after a couple days, flowers are done till next year.

In your first picture of the chickens, there is one first row, middle, brownish bird with a BIG swelling top of her chest. Is that just a very full crop? Or is it okay if I worry about it?

 

[Teila]

Hey Liz great to hear from you.

Love the pics and the high ten is so so sweet!

I hope you have an absolutely wonderful time!

 

[Teila]

Howdy Bridge Club

News from Bambrook Bantams:

After mowing the lawns yesterday and letting everyone out for a free range, I removed the dividers and turned the coops and runs back into one!!

Cilla, Crystal and KiKi have always gone to bed about 10 mins before the Aunties and last night was no different except that, of all nights, Crystal seemed to be having trouble jumping onto the roost and found herself alone in the middle of the Aunties who were preparing for bed. She got some dirty looks and threats of a peck but no actual pecking and all ended well with her finding her Mum and Sister and settling down for the night.

The big test was this morning, I was awake before dawn, laying there listening for any angst and not a peep out of them. When I went out to give them breakfast, some were on the ground, some were on perches, no fighting, no pecking, all quite happy

I still put in two lots of breakfast in the same spots they used to go and that went well, mum and bubs in one corner, Aunties in the other.

I have heard a couple of complaints, one was either Blondie or LuLu being warned by Cilla and another was obviously Crystal being warned by one of the Aunties … I know it was Crystal because she barks like a baby seal!!

Because of our holiday today, they will be able to spend the majority of it free ranging again.

All in all, it has gone so much better than I thought. No real dramas, no significant agro and no one has been hurt. After three and half months and lots of time and patience I once again have one flock

 

[MistyMountain]

Teila! Yay for an integrated and happy flock!!

Liz, Looooove the pictures! I absolutely love irises! Sadly.. we do not have a single one planted here! I will have to get on that! Glad to see you and Reggie are finding the time for fun at the beach! How exciting to be going to Europe! I have submersed myself in all kinds of art history books, studied intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and different mediums and styles… but always dreamed of wandering the museums and buildings over there just to get a taste of all the amazing things in person. Maybe some day… right now I am pretty grounded in exploring all of the different things the USA has to offer.

Teila, Please send some of those good flock integration vibes my way. Wendy's keets will be 4 weeks old soon and are already roosting. I will need to start integrating them with the big flock so that Anna and her 8 littles can move to the mini coop.

Anna and her 8 littles? Yup! Anna hatched 8 as of yesterday. Sadly one other hatchling passed, it wasn't quite right. Three eggs had not yet hatched and she was becoming restless, so I slipped those under Wanda who has been trying to go broody for the last few weeks. These will all be rehomed, but I will be keeping the beautiful little blue one if it is a pullet  . Grab bag of genetics, but I can only guess that it came from Elsa's egg (splash cochin) and the dominant leg feathering gene is hiding out somewhere. Most of the eggs were blue or green, so if my trend continues they will lay green or olive eggs.

Gotta get back to work! I leave you with some pictures!

 

[MistyMountain]

I hope everyone is doing well. Got some not so good news and lots of changes here on the homestead. First, middle of last week, Blackbeard(BB) challenged his father, the one and only Willie Roo, and won. Willie is no longer king of the coop. He was a strong ruler, tolerant of the other roosters and fiercely protective of his hens. BB will no longer allow Willie in the coop to roost. Poor guy. I feel terrible for him! He had spent the last 4 nights in the big pine tree. He had company the first night, mable the bo. The second night mable went off to roost somewhere near the barn and Maude, the other bo decided to roost in the pine near the coop with daphne. I decided to leave them since Willie was out and able to protect them once they came down. I have never doubted Willie's protection skills, and still do not.

Unfortunately his skills were no match for the grab and run predator that took maude the moment she jumped down from the tree. Fox, coyote, bobcat? Who knows. My trailcam is set up to see if it returns. We lost the trail once we hit the new meadow out back, but it was clear that we were on a recovery mission and not a rescue mission.

That was Saturday morning. That night both Willie and mable managed to find a place in the coop. I went out at about 7 to let everyone out. Between 7am and 3pm, maude (my other and only remaining bo) went missing. I have not seen her since. No signs or trail this time. I suppose it is possible she went full blown broody and has a hidden nest somewhere, but I am not optimistic. So. Both bo's gone in a weekend.

Some good news... the week old littles spent all day in the run with mom and the big flock. They did so well! No one was overly aggressive and mom did a good job of defending! Wanda, my other wellie had been broody for a week so I moved her to the broody coop with wendy and her 4 week old guineas. She has 12 eggs from the flock under her.

Tonight Willie roo was having a hard time finding a place to sleep. He tried the big coop but got kicked out by BB. He then pacdd the pines until well after dusk. I carried him to his pine tree but he just ran back to the coop. Dh was getting upset. He wanted to boot BB out of the coop so Willie could go in. He has a soft spot for Willie, saying he has earned his right to live here. He was all torn up about him being exposed to whatever goes bump in the night out here. So, I brought up the broody coop as an option. Willie showed interest in it earlier. I walked down with him following and opened the door. Not a single protest from anyone in there. He jumped right up and settled down. I hope th8ngs go well in the morning. He has always been a good dad. Let's hope these guineas don't drive him crazy!

So... busy crazy chicken times here. Lost two hens, which stings, but the new babies are something to smile about!