Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[DeesHens]

I wasn't able to get a nice clear shot, but I think it's still decent. Pengin has taken to hanging out with the two BLRWs, Cinnamon and Bunny. She likes to charge over to them when she sees them pecking around in the yard and just starts doing what they're doing. They might be a bit startled, but they keep grazing. It's quite cute!

Cute pic! Is Pengin a BA? ~Dee~

 

[Clumber]

[snipped]
ON the other hand: thirty-one years ago, it's a long time to be punished for a moment's inattention.

Behold this pretty awesome photograph. The orange vested one is me, the jeans one of the judges, and the dog is our much beloved and very very missed Jubilee, aka Boo. This was at a hunt test in Lodi, Calif. in the middle of January, with wind gusts over 50mph. This run was actually her 2nd bird of her run, so she was just a blind retrieve and a water retrieve from her final leg in Senior Hunter, and she had been fabulous for those -- our main concern had been the landwork in the wind. Boo was the first dog we tried hunting with, and I had entered the world of Clumbers particularly because I wanted to help keep them from ever splitting into showbred vs fieldbred. Jube was also an AKC Champion, as are or will be in our current bunch. So you can start to get an idea of the importance of that pictured rooster to me.

Since the wind gusts were so ridiculous, the gunners all weekend had been having trouble, understandably. That there rooster was barely winged and Boo had to chase him down. As Boo's experience hunting (including real hunting, not just tests) she learned to carry wounded birds by the butt. Smart dog... but of course this results in all the sharp angry ends of the bird being pointed at me. Seconds after that photo was snapped I reached for the angry pheasant and just as Boo released him into my hand, he spurred me, opening up a gash that bled and bled and bled.... A smarter human would have immediately dropped that bird... but no. This bird represented too much to me, and it was the last hunt test until April that year. So I hung on as it bit, kicked, spurred, and as the blood poured from my hand. I handed angry bird to the judge, Boo passed her landwork with very high scores, and was perfect for the blind and the water - earning her final Senior Hunter leg to the title. Our first Senior hunter!
There remains a 3-4 inch raised nasty scar across my left hand. I consider it a permanent memory of our Jubilee, the dog that almost everything that I love in my life right now, brought about.
Props to that pheasant rooster, too. You can be sure I will always remember him. You can also be sure I do not remember my last fastfood McNugget. LOL

 

[KMHunter]

Quote: I watched a video of a guy who just took a pair of pliers and grasped them and twisted firmly but gently until they just popped off. It works great! VERY little blood. They came off suprisingly easy. All that was left was a little pointy stub. Had to do it because he is a little older and his spurs really needed ro be done. I am glad I did it on my silkie roo before ever having to do it on my Fav boys!

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: Home depot, big W amusement park, auto parts or buy the white ones and color with RIT dye!

 

[DeesHens]

Quote: Amazing pic, dog and story. Enjoyed it so much. ~Dee~

 

[TerrorBird]

Quote:
Yep! She's just as old as Pudge (my avatar) but she's not mature yet at seven months old. Very small comb and cute little wattles. She's a very interesting bird. The last rooster I had, she would not bend. He left her alone because she would challenge him to staredowns and win. She's a sweety with me. She'll fly up to my shoulder and nestle. I could keep going, but I won't.

 

[DeesHens]

Quote:
Yep! She's just as old as Pudge (my avatar) but she's not mature yet at seven months old. Very small comb and cute little wattles. She's a very interesting bird. The last rooster I had, she would not bend. He left her alone because she would challenge him to staredowns and win. She's a sweety with me. She'll fly up to my shoulder and nestle. I could keep going, but I won't.

Don't stop! More... more... more. Well, just saying I have a keen interest in BA's so love to hear stories about them. It amazes me how many people tell me how sweet their BA's are but don't take stuff from their other birds. Interesting dichotomy. I cannot wait to have some!

~Dee~

 

[mikeyb]

Quote: Yep, but it's not worth it. With todays prices on desktops, especially the refurb ones (usually good warranty) it would be better and more cost effective to just replace it. You really only need the tower as you already have a monitor,key board and mouse. Even lap tops are getting cheap. jmo

 

[Hinotori]

So all the EE chicks are fully incorporated into the big flock. I can't tell the pullets from the older hens when they are on the roosts because of their color. They've gotten so big! The silkies are so happy to have their home all to themselves again.

 

[TerrorBird]

Quote:
Yep! She's just as old as Pudge (my avatar) but she's not mature yet at seven months old. Very small comb and cute little wattles. She's a very interesting bird. The last rooster I had, she would not bend. He left her alone because she would challenge him to staredowns and win. She's a sweety with me. She'll fly up to my shoulder and nestle. I could keep going, but I won't.

Don't stop! More... more... more. Well, just saying I have a keen interest in BA's so love to hear stories about them. It amazes me how many people tell me how sweet their BA's are but don't take stuff from their other birds. Interesting dichotomy. I cannot wait to have some!

~Dee~

They look like penguins as chicks. Pudge got her name from her chubby little face. She was the cutest chick. Today, she's my favorite bird. When I go in the pen to visit them, she always hustles over to me. The others do too, but she's quicker. I have a little green gardening stool sitting in there so that I can sit and they can sit on my lap. Sometimes she hops up on my lap before I can place my towel. She's a great big fluffy brat, but I enjoy having a bird that will cuddle with me for half an hour or more at a time. Then it's time to fix my hair. She keeps trying to eat a single curl (varies from day to day) over and over again. It is then stiff and crunchy for the rest of the day.

These two are my first BAs, but I've determined that I must have at least one in my flock at all times. Same with BRs.

One final story about Pudge: I once knocked a half-golf-ball-sized chunk of suet out of the holder (the suet is for the wild birds). The chickens got excited and started picking at the small crumbs first, but Pudge struck the large piece like a viper and sprinted off with it. George (BSL) gave chase, but she came back empty-beaked. I went around to the back and found Pudge finishing off the last crumbs.