36 chickens: 14 EEs
5 Cuckoo Marans
16 Black Stars
1 "exotic" (have no clue what he is, he's for sure a cockerel and he's black & white, but not a SSH, his comb's wrong for that)
6 domestic shorthaired cats: Scratch, orange neutered male, approx. 15-16 years old. Deaf as a post and has survived being run over twice. Just sleeps and eats now, but he earned his keep for many years, so he can enjoy retirement.
*Gringo, orange & white 11 year old neutered male. So named because we got him as a kitten when we lived in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Declawed and totally indoors and is the funniest and sweetest cat ever. Sleeps right beside me every night.
*Happy, tabby & white approx. 3 year old spayed female. Named by my then 4 year old daughter. Showed up out of nowhere, skin and bones stray cat. We fed her and she came and went for the next couple of years, stayed permanently when she dropped her first litter of kittens in our wellhouse. She is an excellent mouser and had 2 more litters of sweet, gorgeous kittens that all have good homes.
*Louie, white 2 year old neutered male. Not declawed but stays inside (except when he shoots out an open door) because of his sunburn-prone pink skin. The only surviving kitten from Happy's first litter. One of the calmest cats I have ever seen and has the highest pitched meow in the universe.
*Sparta, tabby neutered 1 year old male. We kept him from Happy's last litter. He is so incredibly sweet but is the biggest scaredy-cat in the world. Likes to hide in the weeds and stalk us as we walk back from the chicken coop. Excellent mouser.
*Minnie, tabby and white spayed 1 year old female. Sparta's sister from Happy's last litter. She was the runt and had to be supplemented with KMR for a few weeks. She is still very small, and an incredibly good cat, and she is a vicious hunter. Catches everything from moles/voles to rabbits to wild turkey poults. I've seen her with her prey and she is a true predator. She definitely earns her keep!
I am considering guineas- not sure the neighbors would be so keen on that though. We don't live in a neighborhood, thank God, but guineas may still be a bit loud even out here. We would probably have a dog or two, but my husband hates, loathes, and despises dogs. My girls would love to have a hamster, but if it gets out of its cage (and don't they all, at one time or another?) it would be immediate dead meat in this house of cats. So for now, it's just cats and chickens. . .
5 Cuckoo Marans
16 Black Stars
1 "exotic" (have no clue what he is, he's for sure a cockerel and he's black & white, but not a SSH, his comb's wrong for that)
6 domestic shorthaired cats: Scratch, orange neutered male, approx. 15-16 years old. Deaf as a post and has survived being run over twice. Just sleeps and eats now, but he earned his keep for many years, so he can enjoy retirement.
*Gringo, orange & white 11 year old neutered male. So named because we got him as a kitten when we lived in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Declawed and totally indoors and is the funniest and sweetest cat ever. Sleeps right beside me every night.
*Happy, tabby & white approx. 3 year old spayed female. Named by my then 4 year old daughter. Showed up out of nowhere, skin and bones stray cat. We fed her and she came and went for the next couple of years, stayed permanently when she dropped her first litter of kittens in our wellhouse. She is an excellent mouser and had 2 more litters of sweet, gorgeous kittens that all have good homes.
*Louie, white 2 year old neutered male. Not declawed but stays inside (except when he shoots out an open door) because of his sunburn-prone pink skin. The only surviving kitten from Happy's first litter. One of the calmest cats I have ever seen and has the highest pitched meow in the universe.
*Sparta, tabby neutered 1 year old male. We kept him from Happy's last litter. He is so incredibly sweet but is the biggest scaredy-cat in the world. Likes to hide in the weeds and stalk us as we walk back from the chicken coop. Excellent mouser.
*Minnie, tabby and white spayed 1 year old female. Sparta's sister from Happy's last litter. She was the runt and had to be supplemented with KMR for a few weeks. She is still very small, and an incredibly good cat, and she is a vicious hunter. Catches everything from moles/voles to rabbits to wild turkey poults. I've seen her with her prey and she is a true predator. She definitely earns her keep!
I am considering guineas- not sure the neighbors would be so keen on that though. We don't live in a neighborhood, thank God, but guineas may still be a bit loud even out here. We would probably have a dog or two, but my husband hates, loathes, and despises dogs. My girls would love to have a hamster, but if it gets out of its cage (and don't they all, at one time or another?) it would be immediate dead meat in this house of cats. So for now, it's just cats and chickens. . .
