Gosling Story

I'm going to take some pictures tomorrow of the little gosling. I'm pretty sure it's a girl - the 5 drakes are raising her, taking her out every morning and back to the nesting females every evening.

She is surrounded by the drakes, who treat her like a princess. She is the center of their world. There is always one next to her, protecting her like the fragile baby that she is.

Sadly, two more goslings hatched yesterday, but didn't make it through the night. I would have loved to watch them grow up with the same attention and care.

I've got to get photos of this. The problem is that I can't get too close. Our 'food truce' doesn't apply where she's concerned. I get attacked if I get too close.

*****

The little princess vanished two days ago. I don't know what got her, or how it got through her loyal knights.

It's sad.

Hen Party

There was a real hen party on the hay bale yesterday.

The black and gray rooster is Mickey Finn, and the girls are his harem.

Mickey is the last of my Dominque flock. He's about 6 years old, still going strong and very friendly. He will eat from my hand and follow me around to see what I'm up to.

Lately, I've gotten the distinct impression that Micky Finn and MoJo are following me to keep Ian away. Ian is a Buff Orphington rooster. A beautiful bird to look at and just as sneaky and nasty as a rooster gets.

He attacked me two days ago while I was letting the alpacas free. I had to throw my hot coffee in his face to make him back off. It was a waste of a good cup of coffee, but it worked.

Ian the Buff Orphington

Ian is the first mean rooster I've ever raised. A young roo will usually come at me once or twice, but a boot up the butt usually cures him. If that isn't enough there is always someone wanting some chicken and dumplings. He's taken several bashings and been squirted with the hose. The hose and the coffee worked the best.

Ian's cornered my friends, attacked me, attacked my dogs. He sneaks up behind me, then will stamp his feet so loud I actually hear him. Then it's usually too late, because footstamping is the signal just before an attack. He was Grumpy's pet chicken, until in a fit of rage (because I was holding his nasty self) he bit Grumpy's nose so hard the poor alpaca squealed.

I'm keeping him because I want purebred Buff Orphington hen. There are 48 eggs in the incubator, and some of them will be purebred. However, after this last winter, with it's terrible frostbite - I might use MoJo the Buff Brahma instead. Brahmas have feathered feet and small combs and wattles, they do better in the cold.

Mojo's another older rooster - 4 years old, I think. I don't know if I have any photos of him. He's not so good with the girls. He doesn't have a harem, he's not a lady's man at all. He seems to have been beaten out by Ian, so only the oldest hens hang out with him.

Micky Finn is King, even though he's not the same breed. Here's a close up.

Mickey Finn at 6 months

He was just a little guy, not half the size he is now. But he's still a great looking guy. We'll have to see how many chicks I get this year. Eventually, I'll have to replace Ian.

Chicken soup anyone?

Finished - At Last

The renovation of Chicken World is complete, there are 8 nest boxes, and twice as much roosting space now. There are still quite a few small details that need to be worked out. Some small spaces that need to be filled in, a few bits of paneling that need to be covered.

The crates are removable, for easy cleaning. Hopefully I'll be able to give the walls a coat of white wash before too long. If the weather EVER warms up.

The number of eggs has already gone up from five a day to nine. It might be because I'm not in there messing around while they're trying to lay.

I look at those photos with a very profound sense of satisfaction. There are many, many hours of work on those walls. I haven't found a single frozen chicken egg since I put the crates against the wooden walls. The eggs are also very clean. They hardly need any cleaning, just a quick swipe.

Now, I need the duck hens to find the hidden nests and get busy.

Now, back to the shakeup in the publishing industry.

Quick Renovation Update

I've got the nest box part of the project started.

That means I'm sorting through the scrap pile to pick out dividers. I'm going for a triple decker set up. The hens want nest boxes up high, the ducks want something cozy.

I don't have photos yet. But I will.

Stay tuned!