What the cluck?
I made an interesting discovery this morning. Chickens reproduce by osmosis.
When I went out to feed and water, I found in the far enclosure two new chickens. Not chicks, but pullets. Bantam pullets. One looks like a Rhode Island Red, and the other looks like a Sebright or a Wyandotte. Definitely NOT there yesterday.
So, either someone I know decided to get rid of a couple of chickens (they look like hens - if they are banties, then they're just about mature, and neither has the pronounced crest and tail that accompanies roos), or the rest of the girls managed to conjure up a couple of new companions from mud and chicken exhaust.
Given the state of distress on all parts, I doubt that's the case. MY flock are all "downstairs" on the ground, squawking like a dive alarm, which is what they do when they feel threatened (by a hawk, or a dog, or something else). It's pretty tooth-rattling, since they are all in a slightly different key, and if it weren't raining HARD, you'd be able to hear it clearly in the house. The newcomers are "upstairs" in the coop, whimpering in a truly pathetic fashion. It's like they are trying to say "they were MEAN to us...!", which they probably were. This is the more easy-going and less heirarchical of my two flocks, but they are still nasty little dinosaur descendants.
I'm a little annoyed - I mean, they'll figure it out soon enough, since there's no clear alpha heirarchy (unlike the other flock, which is ruled by the iron fist of Maggie Hatcher), and they are a pretty mellow bunch (for the equivalent of chicken teenagers), but in the mean time, it's going to result in some minor injuries, a lot of pulled feathers, and a disruption in the egg-laying schedule.
Anyway, that's the major trouble in my life right now. In a few minutes, I'll be off to drop Aaron at school and go to PT, then the chiro this afternoon. Tomorrow, I get the day off, which means maybe I can try and do some throwing - no point in the rain, the moisture in the air makes the clay just dissolve. Maybe I'll invest in one of those Heat Dish space heaters from Costco for the winter. It looks like it may be a while before the wood stove gets hooked up - the chimney needs lots of work.
When I went out to feed and water, I found in the far enclosure two new chickens. Not chicks, but pullets. Bantam pullets. One looks like a Rhode Island Red, and the other looks like a Sebright or a Wyandotte. Definitely NOT there yesterday.
So, either someone I know decided to get rid of a couple of chickens (they look like hens - if they are banties, then they're just about mature, and neither has the pronounced crest and tail that accompanies roos), or the rest of the girls managed to conjure up a couple of new companions from mud and chicken exhaust.
Given the state of distress on all parts, I doubt that's the case. MY flock are all "downstairs" on the ground, squawking like a dive alarm, which is what they do when they feel threatened (by a hawk, or a dog, or something else). It's pretty tooth-rattling, since they are all in a slightly different key, and if it weren't raining HARD, you'd be able to hear it clearly in the house. The newcomers are "upstairs" in the coop, whimpering in a truly pathetic fashion. It's like they are trying to say "they were MEAN to us...!", which they probably were. This is the more easy-going and less heirarchical of my two flocks, but they are still nasty little dinosaur descendants.
I'm a little annoyed - I mean, they'll figure it out soon enough, since there's no clear alpha heirarchy (unlike the other flock, which is ruled by the iron fist of Maggie Hatcher), and they are a pretty mellow bunch (for the equivalent of chicken teenagers), but in the mean time, it's going to result in some minor injuries, a lot of pulled feathers, and a disruption in the egg-laying schedule.
Anyway, that's the major trouble in my life right now. In a few minutes, I'll be off to drop Aaron at school and go to PT, then the chiro this afternoon. Tomorrow, I get the day off, which means maybe I can try and do some throwing - no point in the rain, the moisture in the air makes the clay just dissolve. Maybe I'll invest in one of those Heat Dish space heaters from Costco for the winter. It looks like it may be a while before the wood stove gets hooked up - the chimney needs lots of work.