| Even though I grow crops on my little micro farm, the livestock play a very important part out here. The hens provide eggs, spread soil ammendments like manure, dispose of most of the organic stuff that doesn't go into the compost pile, and perform various insect and weed control services. They also provide endless entertainment and frustration, which makes life interesting, keeps me from getting bored and quite often humbles me, especially when I think I've outsmarted them only to find that the tables have been turned.
We have 5 roosters. 4 are California Whites, and they're all characters, but the most endearing is Moose. We're not sure what kind of chicken Moose is, he came in a group of White Leghorns, but we suspicion that he's a White Rock. Moose is huge, easily twice as big as the leghorns we have and 1 1/2 to 2 times as big as the Cali White hens. Moose is a dork, but he's a sweet boy. He's always very considerate of the hens, is easy to handle and absolutely nonagressive. You just don't want to be walking along at a good clip with an armload of anything because he'll invariable walk out in front of you and..just..stop.
I said that the hens are a continuing source of entertainment and frustration out here, and that's true in spades. This is especially true with respect to egg production. Generally they lay in the same places day in and day out. Sometimes they get the idea that a particular nest is no longer safe to lay in (I can't imagine why ;-) ), and then the hunt is on to find the new nest(s). Some like to use the nest boxes I have set up in the barn, others prefer the hay stack. Some hay stack nests are very popular, which is OK as long as everyone takes a turn. Sometimes that's not the case though -
This Golden Laced Wyandot decided to wait until after rush hour -
Here's a close up. She's such a pretty hen.
The day's haul for that nest -
Some hens get very creative in finding a nest site, hence the frustration bit. This hen decided that her nest would be in a space between the inner wall and outer wall of the barn. She has to get up into the hay loft (sometimes she uses the ladder, sometimes she flies up to a lower roof and comes in the big window on the back side of the barn), and then hops down onto an exposed beam next to the ladder into the hay loft, then onto the ladder and into the little space she's chosen. She has a hard time going up the hay loft ladder, which is vertical and nailed to the wall, so I usually lean my step ladder against that ladder, which makes things a little easier on her. I've watched her go up the step ladder, she's about as fast at climbing that ladder as I am.
Our hens are fearless - mostly. If you read my pea plantin diary, you'll know that they will follow the tractor around like the birds follow the buffalo in Africa. They also follow the rototiller, both front and back. Never let freshly tilled ground go uninspected, it's a chicken smorgasboard!
Someone here at LVL wondered if cats gave chickens any trouble. JD, our resident Master of the Universe and Legend in His Own Mind would tell you that, of course cats and chickens can live in peace and harmony, as long as the cat doesn't get in the chicken's way...
Nothing to see here, move along....
The hens are about to loose their freedom. For a while at least. I'm currently putting their new coop and nesting area up at the end of a 20' X 80' flight pen that I used to raise upland game birds in. I'm going to be moving them just east of the barn, and will keep them in the flight for a month or so to get them aclimated to the new area. Then they'll be turned out into the arena where they will be able to forage and have access to the pasture that the mares occupy. About the time the hens are turned out into the new area, the young birds that are in the brooder shed will be ready to go into the flight, where they and the laying hens will be able to get aquainted through the wire. About the time the youngstock are ready to be turned out with the laying hens, I'll have a batch of ringneck pheasant to move into the flight. I'm not sure if we're getting pullets, cockerels, or straight run, but it will be interesting. I haven't had game birds for a long time. I'm still thinking about getting some wild turkeys. I used to have the Rio Grande wild turkeys. Those birds are huge. When they dress out they look just like a 30# pheasant, and wonderful tasting!
That's it for now.....
|
