Thursday, October 30, 2008

Chicken Notes

Lester is PU: Pending Pick Up. I had one claimant on Freecycle that said she'd take him. I didn't mention his full name (Lester the Molester). He's quite aggressively, ah, making sure his gene pool gets passed on. The hens are getting edgy and have a crazy, glazed look in their eyes. The two older ones sometimes stay in the coop all day, hiding and have said they are too old for that uh, carrying-on.

If Lester leaves, that means I can move the three large young chickens into the coop with two old ones, quit climbing under the deck to retrieve eggs (as they will lay in the coop box), and the bantams with chicks can go in the triangular chicken tractor. Of course, I'll have to give up my reputation in the neighborhood as the crazy woman who has chickens in her house. Well, the bantams come in at night, having no coop of their own, and I put them in dog crates, which aren't 'coon proof.

Raven, the one that has been sitting FOREVER, even trying to steal her sister's eggs, finally hatched a very tiny yellow chick. Mother and chick are doing fine. Raven is now potty trained. Still sitting on two remaining eggs, she is carried outside once a day where she stands tall, gives the Rebel yell, flaps around the yard squawking, and then poops like a Clydsdale. She follows me about the yard, expecting me to protect her from the big hens that try to attack her. She dutifully returns to her eggs and cage after her walk and catching a few bugs. I suppose I'm the only person I know with a potty trained hen.

Clay, the rooster (photo right) hides under the deck all day if Lester escapes his fencing, like he did today. Somehow, Clay has injured one wing, which hangs down low. I've examined the bones and nothing is broken. Perhaps it is a ruse to keep Lester at bay. He will be happy to see Lester go. And when he does, I'll have everyone in a coop without having to build a new one before winter.
Posted by Picasa

6 comments:

debra said...

You may be the only one with a potty trained hen. Perhaps I am the only one who had a chicken hospice.
I hope Lester get a new home-----soon. I don't have roosters any more---the ones I had were pretty brutal....

Junosmom said...

Debra,
Ah, well, we have at times had either hospice and/or a old folks home for chickens. In another day in age, I would have had Sunday dinner, but I don't think I can do that, particularly with kids watching. It is a sign of people who really love and know chickens, I guess.

pita-woman said...

Potty trained chicken, I'm impressed!

Junosmom said...

Yeah, now if I can get the chickens to teach the two little Japanese Chins (dogs) we have that no one ever seems to hear scratch at the door, and so they think the world is their potty. Want them?

Jenn Jilks said...

Interesting story...we have a YouTube video of a wild duck with a broken leg. I have wondered how s/he fared all summer. We can't identify them, as they travelled in families all summer, visiting our shoreline, but their numbers dwindled as time passed. We have a fox on our peninsula, as well as several fishers.

That Janie Girl said...

I'm impressed at your chicken potty training skills.

So...all the eggs don't hatch at once?

Wild things I'm learning by reading blogs.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Popular Posts