Ribh's D'Coopage

[micstrachan]

I am not having a good trot.
I collected eggs earlier, Lavender's amongst them.
I just went to check on my girls & Lavender was stiff as a board in the coop run! She looked like she may have been dustbathing ~ which I guess is a nice way to go for a chook. There might have been one very tiny puncture mark on her neck ~ but in all honesty I have no idea what happened. The girls all watched as I buried her in the garden @ the end of the run. She's close by & still has the company of her flock. She was unique & I think will be missed by the flock.

I think I'm going to take a few days away. I'll see how I go but 2 in such a sort space is pretty difficult.

View attachment 2425355​

Oh no, Ribh. I’m so sorry. I hope you are ok. For some reason the quick, unexpected deaths have been less difficult to bear for me. I hope it’s the same for you.

 

[micstrachan]

For some reason mid~afternoon is when all the girls decide foraging activities in the garden are in order. I don't really mind so long as they stay away from the veggies but I have been sick & decided to round everybody up early yesterday & put them back in the coop. I'm setting down tubs when I realise I'm 2 short. Beatha was hanging round the edges of the coop, reluctant to be confined so early but Alpia was nowhere to be seen. Alpia is one of the special ones. From the moment she arrived here I have been her safe harbour. I began calling her & back tracking to the front yard. She shot out from amongst the bromeliads & palm trees chirping happily & pleased enough to see me, trotting @ my feet back to the coop. She is not hard to handle but she gave me a terrible fright. She doesn't usually stray so far from the main flock.

I’m so glad she was found and fine!

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

That Rex is turning out to be a special dog.

Yes he is.

I've actually started to train him to pick objects up for me. Some days it works better then others, but he's starting to get the concept.

He's also learning he can only eat from the floor and only after I say ok. We were having a LOT of trouble with him counter surfing. One night he ate the bones of 2 dozen chicken wings. Thank God that passed without trouble.

 

[BY Bob]

Yes he is.

I've actually started to train him to pick objects up for me. Some days it works better then others, but he's starting to get the concept.

He's also learning he can only eat from the floor and only after I say ok. We were having a LOT of trouble with him counter surfing. One night he ate the bones of 2 dozen chicken wings. Thank God that passed without trouble.

That was dangerous. Labs are so tall the counter is no deterrent. He's a smart fellow. He will learn it

 

[Ribh]

The girls have finally lost the plot completely. This morning there was a ruckus in the pen so I went out to investigate. Ha'penny was running up & down the stairs screaming. Aoife was running round in circles screaming. Every so often she'd launch herself @ the wire & try to perch on the edge of the framing. Morrigu was screaming. Luna had her loud complaining voice on. I eventually twigged that Aoife & Ha'penny desperately wanted to climb into the straw bin, which they could see & which had the lid invitingly open, to lay & were prepared to attempt to go straight through the wire to reach it! I'm tempted to move the silly thing right into the coop! Everyone has been using it if they can get to it.

They eventually settled for the nesting boxes.
I went to gather up the eggs & Soda, Hepzibah & Wrold had divided the eggs between themselves & were happily coddling them. No~one owned the eggs they were on. I removed the eggs & everyone took themselves downstairs in a bit of a huff. A bit later, figuring I'd got all the eggs I was going to get today, I went to let the girls out into the run & there was Soda, having found another egg for herself! She heard the gate & hurtled off the nest like a cannonball! Straight off the platform & into the pen. How she landed in one piece I will never know. I felt the ground shake when she landed! Everyone is now more or less in the run & all is quiet on the chicken front.​

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

That was dangerous. Labs are so tall the counter is no deterrent. He's a smart fellow. He will learn it

The biggest saving grace was he's a chewer. He chewed those bones so well they passed right through with some pumpkin so help everything "flow".

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

The girls have finally lost the plot completely. This morning there was a ruckus in the pen so I went out to investigate. Ha'penny was running up & down the stairs screaming. Aoife was running round in circles screaming. Every so often she'd launch herself @ the wire & try to perch on the edge of the framing. Morrigu was screaming. Luna had her loud complaining voice on. I eventually twigged that Aoife & Ha'penny desperately wanted to climb into the straw bin, which they could see & which had the lid invitingly open, to lay & were prepared to attempt to go straight through the wire to reach it! I'm tempted to move the silly thing right into the coop! Everyone has been using it if they can get to it.

View attachment 2430534
They eventually settled for the nesting boxes.
I went to gather up the eggs & Soda, Hepzibah & Wrold had divided the eggs between themselves & were happily coddling them. No~one owned the eggs they were on. I removed the eggs & everyone took themselves downstairs in a bit of a huff. A bit later, figuring I'd got all the eggs I was going to get today, I went to let the girls out into the run & there was Soda, having found another egg for herself! She heard the gate & hurtled off the nest like a cannonball! Straight off the platform & into the pen. How she landed in one piece I will never know. I felt the ground shake when she landed! Everyone is now more or less in the run & all is quiet on the chicken front.​

Chickens are nothing if not entertaining!!

 

[WhoDatChick]

Oh my gosh Ribh.. I am far behind but saw that you lost Lavender!? I’m so sorry.... could you please post pics and names of who you have now so I can keep up? If you are feeling up to it

 

[Ribh]

Oh. My. Goodness. I have new girls arriving on Friday! I can't quite believe this is happening so quickly. The only thing Natasha doesn't have right now are aracaunas so...2 Japanese bantams ~ a splash & a birchen; 2 frizzle bantams that I think she said were Belgian, 2 silver laced Wyandottes. She does have aracaunas in the incubator but that is a wait. Starting to get excited.

 

[micstrachan]

Oh. My. Goodness. I have new girls arriving on Friday! I can't quite believe this is happening so quickly. The only thing Natasha doesn't have right now are aracaunas so...2 Japanese bantams ~ a splash & a birchen; 2 frizzle bantams that I think she said were Belgian, 2 silver laced Wyandottes. She does have aracaunas in the incubator but that is a wait. Starting to get excited.

This is very exciting!