Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

[Ribh]

So I’ve put Chickie Hawk up for the night with his new GF’s there was just one mating attempt, some more feathers flying, but they settled down quickly with the darkness. Which is a far cry from how most of their first meeting today went. I thought girls that squat, an enthusiastic boyo, things would go well, but no...

I’m going to say pissed off hens win over teenage angstie cockerel any day. Wow, the top hen was NOT impressed by him at all. She looked like an attacking Canada goose, spread wings charging him making this ungodly noise that was almost reptilian. She flared hackles, attacked with her claws in a full frontal assault, then mounted the poor guy with the help of two of her associates. He outweighs her three to one, but that didn’t stop her.

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So it takes me about an hour to bang together a 2x2 integration box. During which poor Hawk was stuck in a crate. He’s acting far more gentlemanly now he was tidbitting, calling the girls... he just doesn’t get that they aren’t that into his affections. I think there is hope for him yet. Also hopefully, the new girls learn to roost and “chicken” soon.

Puffy, Bossy (formerly known as B****y) and their new friend are in the barn with the chicks, pending building of the rehab coop. That was slightly delayed today due to rain, chicken hormones, and the like. Oh, and the goats now have friends... there were 30 of them around the trailer, and I’m pretty sure we now have about 10 in permanent residence in our closest field. I think I will have to chase them out with the broom tomorrow. Oh, and goats and chickens get along just about the same as cows and chickens.


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I have a great deal of respect for a pissed off hen! Mine have a great deal of respect for me. I enter their coop & everyone suddenly becomes very respectful all round! It sounds like Chickie Hawk is learning. He could become a very good rooster given enough time.

 

[Kris5902]

I have a great deal of respect for a pissed off hen! Mine have a great deal of respect for me. I enter their coop & everyone suddenly becomes very respectful all round! It sounds like Chickie Hawk is learning. He could become a very good rooster given enough time.

I’m hoping It’s just getting past the teen years and the hormones... he seems a little cowed tonight though I think that might not be a bad thing.

 

[Celticdragonfly]

I'm still new to all this - what does tidbitting mean?

 

[Kris5902]

I'm still new to all this - what does tidbitting mean?

That’s when a Roo or cockerel offers the pullets food to entice them.

 

[Celticdragonfly]

Thank you! Interesting. I'm never going to see it in person, since we're not allowed roosters here, so I just looked up some videos to see it.

 

[Kris5902]

So this morning Chickie Hawk didn’t really try to attack me or the girls. Everyone was fairly civil in that pen... loud but civil. I’m quite a bit more hopeful for his future now. His GF’s figured out the roosts this morning before I let them out, and are thrilled with the novelty of these things they can perch on (their housing in the dog pen was basically a nasty little box on stilts to get it out of the sucking mud/poop). Now I just need to fatten them up a bit!

My new rehab girl still isn’t using the one leg. But she seemed to enjoy doing my rounds in the chicken sling/chair. I fed her a little in between each pen. Then took her where no chicken has gone before... into the trailer! Andrew wasn’t thrilled, but I couldn’t leave her alone in the sling and I needed to cook up an egg for her. She drinks reluctantly, but enjoys the egg and wet feed a lot.

Sammy is now in the barn with Puffy and Bossy. Hopefully the company doesn’t sour his sweetness. The new rehab girl is in the dog crate with them, so #1 goal today is build out something for Puffy and Bossy and him, because having now been in the luxury of a tractor for a week, the girls want nothing to do with their little clown car cat carrier for night time protection.

Look at that crop! She stuffed herself silly, then started to nap in her chair while I petted her gently. Then she woke up and wanted to explore the trailer some, so that’s when I took her back out to the barn. I’m hoping she recovers quickly enough that I can put her in with the other girls so she doesn’t get too lonely... but Bossy was pretty rough with her when I tried to let them mingle yesterday.

 

[Kris5902]

I also forgot to mention I got stuck in the cockerel pen for about an hour last night. I was filling the generator but having problems pouring from a weird gas can, so I asked my husband to do it for me, and went to check Mr Marans pen for eggs. My cockerels started acting up and my husband went in to break them up. He was wearing just a T-shirt so I rushed over to help with my long sleeves... he left me managing them turned on the generator and went into the trailer.

Well, I got everyone settled back down and tried to leave. Andrew had bolted the door from the outside and I couldn’t get my fingers through the hardware cloth to undo it. I yelled, but he couldn’t hear me over the generator. I waved frantically every time I saw movement in the window of the trailer, but when you’re standing up all the windows are at belly height. I thought about kicking out the hardware cloth, but it’s all big panels, and then I’d need to redo it before I let the boys out in the morning. I thought about propping it up on the gravel buckets and squirming out through the gap, but then I remembered how heavy it is when it lands on you...

So I waited, and waited, and thought deep thoughts about grass and chickens. I was starting to make wagers with myself on what would happen first, Andrew realizing I wasn’t helping tidy and cook for dinner, or my mom showing up for dinner, or if they were both napping... full dark coming before anyone noticed I was missing. Oh, and my phone battery had died so it was in the trailer.

It was fun, really. I was very thankful I was wearing a sweater. Eventually Andrew came out to ask me what the heck was taking so long... apparently my mom was waiting on me to respond to a text asking what we were doing for dinner before coming up. Dinner was quite late last night, but I’m just glad I didn’t have to sleep in the chicken tractor!

 

[Ribh]

I also forgot to mention I got stuck in the cockerel pen for about an hour last night. I was filling the generator but having problems pouring from a weird gas can, so I asked my husband to do it for me, and went to check Mr Marans pen for eggs. My cockerels started acting up and my husband went in to break them up. He was wearing just a T-shirt so I rushed over to help with my long sleeves... he left me managing them turned on the generator and went into the trailer.

Well, I got everyone settled back down and tried to leave. Andrew had bolted the door from the outside and I couldn’t get my fingers through the hardware cloth to undo it. I yelled, but he couldn’t hear me over the generator. I waved frantically every time I saw movement in the window of the trailer, but when you’re standing up all the windows are at belly height. I thought about kicking out the hardware cloth, but it’s all big panels, and then I’d need to redo it before I let the boys out in the morning. I thought about propping it up on the gravel buckets and squirming out through the gap, but then I remembered how heavy it is when it lands on you...

So I waited, and waited, and thought deep thoughts about grass and chickens. I was starting to make wagers with myself on what would happen first, Andrew realizing I wasn’t helping tidy and cook for dinner, or my mom showing up for dinner, or if they were both napping... full dark coming before anyone noticed I was missing. Oh, and my phone battery had died so it was in the trailer.

It was fun, really. I was very thankful I was wearing a sweater. Eventually Andrew came out to ask me what the heck was taking so long... apparently my mom was waiting on me to respond to a text asking what we were doing for dinner before coming up. Dinner was quite late last night, but I’m just glad I didn’t have to sleep in the chicken tractor!

Don't you just hate that! My man is quite deaf so we have these complicated arrangements if he needs to meet me off a boat & I start ringing him @ least an hour prior in the hope he'll actually hear the phone @ some point!

If he can't find me @ present he wanders over to the chicken coop, figuring I am sorting out somebody's issues. Last night we had a roosting war going on. Lots of girls throwing their weight around, squawking & wing flapping, yet there were no issues the night before. They were still all huffy a couple of hours later when I went to check on them before bed.

 

[drumstick diva]

Thank goodness we can't pry into chicken minds, I'm sure much too scary for our own good.

 

[aart]

Thank goodness we can't pry into chicken minds, I'm sure much too scary for our own good.