Lurch and Morticia

[fifenashia]

I am in love with Lurch!

Please keep us posted as to how this story unfolds! And definitely keep the pictures coming!!

 

[theoldchick]

Wonderful story! Hoping Lurch finds his niche!

 

[Gofygure]

Well, I have some good news! I ordered a few Cochin pullets today, they should be here in a few days. Nothing fancy, just six more ladies to help up the hen:rooster ratio. The boys should have about 8 girls each, so hopefully things stay civil.

I guess the Lurchador gets to live for a while. He won me over today when I realized how relieved I was that he wasn't dead.

Now I have to hide the third roo from you guys, who is still slated to become dinner in about a month. :x

 

[GardenGal]

Yes, hide him.

I had two roosters in a small flock and was too soft to let go of either of them. They knew which one was boss, and who had which hens. Cochins are such lovely birds. Lurch is a lucky guy - again! Don't forget to post pictures

 

[fishnet1971]

awww he looks like such a sweety! nope, you can not cull I agree. He's to cute.

BUT... if you must let him go... i really am in need of a new reasone to build a second coop and let chicken math strike where it may. hmm...... DH would kill me, but hey, he would get used to it.

 

[Gofygure]

Lol, that's a very sweet offer. Fortunately, it looks like Lurch will have some new ladies shipping out on the 20th to keep him off the other roo's radar. He really is scrawny compared to the two big guys, which isn't a bad thing when the other two are all hopped up on testosterone. I had to give One a lesson in biting the hand that feeds him.

Today is a very rainy day, and everyone is stuck in the coop. Whenever I venture outside I get a chorus of vocal complaints from the Comets, who are staring out one of the windows. But the Sussex have accepted the boring day and settled into the rafters:


Everyone, of course, except for Lurch and Morticia. Morticia is more than capable of flapping up onto her perch, but Lurch still walks like he's just gone to sea and isn't quite coordinated enough to get up there. So, like any sweetheart, Morticia stays down on the shelf with her man.


I have never met two chickens that were this devoted to each other. I'm interested to see if they will eventually grow apart, or if this attack has forged a lifetime bond between them.

 

[GardenGal]

 

[Gofygure]

I thought I'd post a little update on these two, since a lot has happened recently!

First, the little ladies who are making it possible for Lurch to stick around arrived. They are predictably adorable and very mellow compared to the Sussex at that age. No running and peeping when I approach or handle them. They're golden-laced, so I'm naming them after the Lannister ladies.


Then, yesterday, their coop got a complete renovation. No more roosting in the rafters and pooping on shelves! Now they have a single, ladder-like roost and only one floor to poop on.


Today we are all outside and free-ranging under supervision. One of the best parts about working from home is that I can just grab my laptop and follow them around to make sure they get adequate time outside the run. Lurch and Morticia still like to hang out together and can usually be seen in each other's company. Morticia's feathers have all grown back in and you'd never recognize her as the little pullet sitting in shock in the brooder. Lurch is still gimpy, but he's more sprightly than he used to be and his back is now covered in stubby little feathers. His tail, on the other hand, is the most luxurious of the three roos, so at least he has that.





In other news, One now has half a pound on the other roo and almost a full pound on Lurch, and is in the throes of rooster puberty. Right now he and I are establishing the ground rules of being the leading man and playing nice, so hopefully he'll mellow out soon. One actually spends a lot of his time with Lurch and Morticia- typically the whole flock scatters into three parts: the Comets, the Sussex, and then Lurch, Morticia, and One.

 

[GardenGal]

Your chickens are so beautiful! Glad everything is working out

 

[kaybats]

Fabulous story. I hope everything works out well....I would be heart broken if you had to separate Lurch and Morticia!

I HAD three roosters. Could not bear to part with any of them. Of the 12 new chicks I got in March TWO are roos...)
(ALL of them were from the "pullet" bin, by the way...

)

Now, with the five chicks that hatched here in the coop recently, I have 33 chickens, five of them roosters. I'm hoping and hoping that the none of the babies are!!

I have no plans to get rid of anybody. I'll build another coop or two if I have to (already have 2...what's one more?? LOL) And having so many roos gives me that much more reason to get MORE chicks!! Your birds are very beautiful! I want some speckled sussex.....hmmmm, I can hear the hammer and saws already......