As many have experienced, it has been another brutal winter so far. I had just finished plowing over two feet of snow (missed work today) and went in the house to get hot water buckets for the birds. I was waiting for the buckets to fill and looked out the window and saw this:
Eish! I thought What The Fuzz is that!
Nooooooooo! Not a chicken? Ooops!
So I get the water and head back out. I had plowed part of the coop area hours ago and cannot see it while doing the rest of the driveway.
I walked up and thoroughly told this araucana cockerel how silly he looked before rescuing him. I think he was quite embarassed. I have no idea what made him do such a silly thing or how long he was stuck. Until now he had been unnamed and is now dubbed 'Eagle'.
The day prior, during the snow storm that dumped most of this, I went down to the brook to pull out my female muscovies. Ducks are definitely not the sharpest tools in the shed. These two were also unnamed but are now dubbed 'Dumb' and 'Dumber'.
So this is the fourth time I have had to save them. They thaw out and fly down to the brook and get all crusty with ice and sit there until they freeze solid. This time they sat there even after I risked getting my tractor stuck plowing last Friday's snow out. They were still mobile then and elected to stay. No food for three days at that point. I was SURE they were going to come up to the coop. NOPE!
I had to slog across the book in my barn boots with ice and water almost as deep as the boots and then break the birds out of the ice. There will be no fifth time, if they go back they will be stewed. Looks like they will lose some feathers so hopefully they won't get any ideas.
Some general barn yard pics from today:
Ranger, my young BG cockerel watching over some of the girls, these are cuckoo marans pullets. They pretty much beat him up at this point as do the BG hens. He hasn't developed a 'technique' with the ladies yet.
He is barely 5 months old.
Inside the winter pasture, my garage in a box from TSC. You have to keep the snow off it but it works well. Eagle and a variety of pullets and 10 week old red star pullets on the other side of the fence.
Puff Ball is in with the general coop. He just began crowing but does not mess with any of the girls. All of the males get along. One of my araucana pullets likes him. Must be the hair doo!
Colorful cockerels
Araucana cockerels Thunder and Lightning enjoying some hemlock boughs. They are brothers. Eagle is one of their younger brothers. I give everyone hemlock and balsam branches all winter for something green to pick at. Evergreens have high vitamin C. The birds pick the branches clean of the needles.
Another view of them, black beauties.
My dog and chicken guardian Briar, bummed out the tractor hasn't plowed her out yet. She got extra cookies today! I have to get a part for the tractor, all the snow broke a cotter pin on the back blade.
Eish! I thought What The Fuzz is that!
Nooooooooo! Not a chicken? Ooops!
So I get the water and head back out. I had plowed part of the coop area hours ago and cannot see it while doing the rest of the driveway.
I walked up and thoroughly told this araucana cockerel how silly he looked before rescuing him. I think he was quite embarassed. I have no idea what made him do such a silly thing or how long he was stuck. Until now he had been unnamed and is now dubbed 'Eagle'.
The day prior, during the snow storm that dumped most of this, I went down to the brook to pull out my female muscovies. Ducks are definitely not the sharpest tools in the shed. These two were also unnamed but are now dubbed 'Dumb' and 'Dumber'.
So this is the fourth time I have had to save them. They thaw out and fly down to the brook and get all crusty with ice and sit there until they freeze solid. This time they sat there even after I risked getting my tractor stuck plowing last Friday's snow out. They were still mobile then and elected to stay. No food for three days at that point. I was SURE they were going to come up to the coop. NOPE!
I had to slog across the book in my barn boots with ice and water almost as deep as the boots and then break the birds out of the ice. There will be no fifth time, if they go back they will be stewed. Looks like they will lose some feathers so hopefully they won't get any ideas.
Some general barn yard pics from today:
Ranger, my young BG cockerel watching over some of the girls, these are cuckoo marans pullets. They pretty much beat him up at this point as do the BG hens. He hasn't developed a 'technique' with the ladies yet.
Inside the winter pasture, my garage in a box from TSC. You have to keep the snow off it but it works well. Eagle and a variety of pullets and 10 week old red star pullets on the other side of the fence.
Puff Ball is in with the general coop. He just began crowing but does not mess with any of the girls. All of the males get along. One of my araucana pullets likes him. Must be the hair doo!
Colorful cockerels
Araucana cockerels Thunder and Lightning enjoying some hemlock boughs. They are brothers. Eagle is one of their younger brothers. I give everyone hemlock and balsam branches all winter for something green to pick at. Evergreens have high vitamin C. The birds pick the branches clean of the needles.
Another view of them, black beauties.
My dog and chicken guardian Briar, bummed out the tractor hasn't plowed her out yet. She got extra cookies today! I have to get a part for the tractor, all the snow broke a cotter pin on the back blade.
