Ribh's D'Coopage

[micstrachan]

I don't know. I found her unable to stand & brought her inside hoping she'd make it to the vet this morning. She didn't make it. I really feel I've let her down.

I doubt there’s anything you could have done. I’m sorry.

 

[micstrachan]

I could weep.
Lavender spent last night in a nesting box.
I wasn't too fazed. She's moulting pretty badly & I just figured she's having a hard time roosting, as she does @ the peak of her moult. She's continued to lay & I've been keeping a proprietary eye on her but she's one of my older hens & knows what she's doing.
What she's done, the rotten girl! is gone broody on me!
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She didn't come out this morning. When I checked she raised her hackles, pancaked & gobbled @ me!!! She's never gone broody before!
What is this obsession my chickens have?! Even my supposedly non~broody breeds go broody on me! ​

Oh goodness. It really is contagious in your flock!

 

[micstrachan]

Good morning! It took me a bit to catch up early this morning! We were helping our son move, then had to get some winterizing done, so I was a bit behind!
I took this picture the other day when we headed to his place! We were just pulling out of our driveway & I noticed how cool the clouds looked. You can also see what the landscape is like beyond our yard...sand, sagebrush, tumbleweeds & rocks! The river is below the hills, but you can't see it!
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Very cool photo!

 

[micstrachan]

Mhari's last egg, poached on toast with a thai salad & fruit & yoghurt to follow.​

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A very special egg indeed. And beautiful breakfast!

 

[micstrachan]

@Ribh was so very kind to send Anna her very own rug. We received it in the mail today. Anna was so excited to see she got a package from Australia.

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It's the perfect size for her!
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She really enjoyed the letter and the back story to her blanket. I'll make sure this is put away safely for now.View attachment 2406863

Thank you so much Jeannie!! It means so much to me and her ❤

It’s beautiful! That is so thoughtful!

 

[micstrachan]

That's a stunning lap rug Ribh!

All those colours do look great together. I love how it is an international rug linking all of us together too.

Any chance of a pic of a button CCCL?

All this talk of the “rug” has me giggling a little. I think this conversation already happened, but in the United States, it’s a blanket... or a throw... or a throw blanket... or a lap blanket!

 

[micstrachan]

I would say the Four main problems and put the whole “chickens are bred to not live very long and pump out eggs at a highly unnatural rate” as the #1 reason.

Agree.

 

[drstratton]

Very cool photo!

I had to stop & snap a picture...it's probably one of the coolest cloud formations I've ever seen!

 

[micstrachan]

The fact she's not a breeder may be a good thing. I'm not a breeder but I will give what I think are suitable candidates a male and female. I think I've given away ten pairs over the years. I would have to check.

A story.
A women who used to live in the main house a few years ago who was about the best thing to happen here regarding people had a friend who wanted to start a flock. Laia, the women who lived here, told her friend to get a coop and a large run sorted out and she would bring me up to see if it met with my approval. Laia knew me well.
I went with Laia to this womens farm. She has scrubbed out a small outhouse. Meshed the windows, installed roosts and feeders and fenced an area about 15 metres by 15 metres with wood and mesh. She left all the shrubs and a tree I don't know the name of. The women was nice and had other animals, all looked well cared for and healthy. She did keep them to eat but they had a good life while they lived as far as I could tell. Mini Minx had hatched six a few weeks earlier and I was out of space so I said she could take two pairs.
The tree in the run. I looked at that tree and said to the women "they'll be up that tree at the first opportunity, I hope you can tree climb.
A few days later Laia came to see me and told me the pullets and cockerels spent just one night in the coop. The next day they were up the tree and launching themselves over the run fence into the yard. They went everywhere, including into the house. They were complete hooligans. At night they would fly over the fence and go back up the tree to roost. The tree was perfect for roosting. There was no way an owl or dusk hunting hawk could get them in there and due to the fence ground predators had a more difficult life.
I got called a couple of times to go and get them out of the tree for health checks.
The women who had the farm got tree retreival sorted eventuallly and as far as I know they are still there and living in the tree. I know one hen went broody but Laia moved on and I haven't been up that way in a long time.

Great story, Shad.

 

[Ribh]

This morning's laying line~up.
Four eggs under Lavender so she had 3 lots of company in that box!
And hogged all the eggs!
I suspect Ha'penny of secreting eggs somewhere again too. I haven't seen one from her in a few days.
They are outrageous!