I was thinking this morning, that perhaps we could share our stories until Mrs Chickendad felt up to satisfying the demand for Chicken Chronicles. Now I know most of us won't have her way with words, but we love to read stories. Since I opened my big mouth, I will contribute the first story.
Until Christmas time, I had my most recent group of babies in the garage, but by Christmas they had fully feathered and were ready to move into the waiting coop- The previous occupants we sold, too cranky to accept new comers in their group and only giving we an egg every other day per girl in the summer. They moved to Archer county and are apparently happy ever after. So my yellow sex links, Lucky (so named because a dog killed my head rooster and Lucky was no longer an extra) and his 15 Goldies are out in the coop and run still learning that one goes inside at dusk to sleep, not under the coop. DH just loves crawling in the run to guide the delinquents into the coop
. So the holidays passed peacefully, my lust for new Naked Necks and EE's continuing to grow. Then our budget was broke.
The Great TX Drought of 2011 has left the field mice short of food, and apparently they were feasting on the babies food in the garage. Now the garage has not held a vehicle since this house was built, the garage is for brooding and feed storage. NO MORE! When doing normal post chick clean up, I discovered my old hutch housing mice, so I worked on cleaning that, while uncovering the nesting attempts of these "starving" critters. Out came the bait traps. Ironically the next day my DH came in panicked, couldn't get the car out of park or remove the key. Dealer told him where the manual release for the park setting was, and off to Service Bay. $325. later, car is happy and mouse gnawings are repaired. So, as you can guess, we arranged to have the garage included in our monthly Terminex treatment (normally for ant control) and did a major clean out, placing glue traps. First night we caught 4 mice, and since it has been fine. That brings us to yesterday (and finally chickens).
One of my hens, Blackie is from my June hatch, is about to get a new name - Miss Snoop Allot. Blackie's mama was a splash Blue Andalusian and papa was a Red EE. She is a solid black w/ green highlights and has a straight/pea comb combination crowning her head. She is shaped like mama and lays a lovely medium aqua egg. But does she use the nest box? Occasionally, normally she lays in the recycle bin, blue berry bush tub, plant saucer under the table on the porch, and if at all possible in the black garden bucket in a chair on the porch. We finally broke down and put some bedding in the bucket. Any how from early morning to dusk she is snooping, checking out all the fire wood stacks, staring in windows, has to see what is going on in the big house and finding all the yummies the babies kicked out of their brooder when the garage door was open. Yesterday DH and DD return from grocery shopping, and as the garage door rose, Blackie raced into the garage from which she had be shut out of for several days and in and instant had both feet in the only large glue trap left. Of course DH brings her to me to clean up. To my amazement she patiently tolerated extended washing of her feet, first w/ Goop then dawn, repeat, repeat ..... The little bit on the feathers wasn't so bad. I was sure I was going to wash the scales off her legs. After the half bath, we set in front of the wood stove to get dry. Only once did she terrorize the cats, screamed at them until they hid, then she settled down on me to stay warm. Last step before letting her back outside was to Vaseline the legs and feet. The feet still were a bit sticky and it was funny to watch her walk until the dirt had either collected in the stickiness or wore it off. Today she had no interest in the garage, or the big house - guess her curiosity has been satisfied.
As far as the mice -
My little John Deer yard tractor isn't running, and it isn't the battery. But that is another story I fear.