Here's the Moose's sidekick when at The Compound, Miss Corrie. Isn't she just the cutest!
I think I have an unhealthy love for this chicken! If I could sneak her back home and get away with it, she'd live with me permanently. I can't wait to hatch some more chicks from her. She has the absolute best personality. She doesn't mind getting picked up, and will come running to see what you're up to. That's if she's not following the Moose around!
This is a site I visit weekly. Everyone should have their own Rabbi. Rabbi Lapin and his wife Susan put together a weekly post, among other publications, that I find very interesting. He focuses on the Old Testament, and Hebrew teachings, and Susan's is more about current affairs. Both well written.
I really connected with Susan's Musings this week and thought I would share. Here's the link;
As you know, we decided, against what may be better judgement, to bring Monkey back to The Compound. Needless to say Saturday was VERY eventful.
There are moments when you could kick yourself in the behind for not bringing along your video camera. This is one of those.
The Moose and I drove over to pick up Monkey. As brave as the Moose is, I'm sure he wasn't expecting the warm reception he received from Monkey. Before the Moose could even finish saying hello, Monkey made his first offensive move. Let me just say, his spurs are over 2" long, and look menacing. I stayed protected, behind the Moose.
I had envisioned a game of cat and mouse through the backyard, wielding large lawn rakes and the like. But nope, it went really quick, surprisingly. The Moose waited patiently for Monkey's next move, and then he took the offensive and pinned Monkey to the ground, picked him up and in the dog kennel he went. Just about that quick!
But the fun was just beginning.
As soon as we got back to The Compound, we took the kennel out and placed the royal pain in the butt on the ground, the entire flock started making a huge fuss. They were not happy with this newbie, and weren't sure how he was going to fit into their currently quiet establishment.
Pig Pen our Orpington rooster had his shackles up and started scratching the ground like a bull. It was obvious he was not happy. The hens decided to create a cacophony of noises all expressing their displeasure. It was quite a show and it remained noisy for the remainder of our stay.
Then the sizing up of the opponents began. We put Monkey on the side of the run, where the three small Hooligans were housed. That upset those three. They couldn't figure out why someone else was in their area, and eating their food. They paced the entrance for quite some time. Then Rooster Cogburn the youngest, already has designs on how far up the pecking order he may make it one day. He played "chicken" with Monkey, and this is how it went;
He seemed to hold his ground at this point. He didn't have to face those spurs or the overall weight advantage the Monkey would have on him. But he'll be a force to be reckoned with one day soon.
Then Pig Pen decided to size Monkey up.
After this battle Royal, Pig Pen looked terrible. He was bleeding from where his comb meets his beak. Not sure it was Monkey or the fence that cause it.
Pig Pen has the most to lose at this point, or so he thinks. With the heathen behavior Monkey is known for, and our number of laying hens is still small, we can not in good conscience let Monkey out. He has the advantage of size, weight, experience and SPURS. It would not be a fair fight, and the hens would get too much attention. That's the reason we sold him to begin with. We had too many roosters for the number of hens. The problem would be exasperated at this point.
So Monkey will remain on his side of the run, until we need our hens/eggs fertilized for hatching. I would like nothing better than to let him roam, but he's really nasty. At this point, it is what it is.
I ended up putting up a temporary wall with some plastic corrugated sheets so they couldn't really see each other and if they decided to fight again, they'd run into the sheets, not the fence. Hopefully they'll behave themselves.
It began last May. When we decided Monkey Needed a New Home. Monkey went to a young couple trying to raise chickens. They wanted a rooster to keep watch over their girls and fertilize the eggs for new generations. Oh, the horror of it all.
It so happens I was monitoring Craig's List yesterday and came across an ad for "free Buckeye rooster." I instantly knew it was him, THE Monkey. It had to be him, his evil ways must have been too much for this family and no other chicken could be that evil.
I spoke with the owner, of what is now the infamous Buckeye rooster. In a bid to rid their family of his evil presence they opted to give him away for FREE on Craig's List. "just come and get him" "We can't enter the area without a broom or rake in hand." "You can't turn your back on him for a second!". "He's just too much!"
What kind of evil did we create? Like Dr. Frankenstein, did we create a monster? The poor family just wants him gone, and yesterday is not soon enough.
We did the normal stuff this past weekend, so nothing too exciting to relate. The Moose and Spud installed another auto waterer (is waterer even a word?) for the chicken run. We moved some mulch, but otherwise, not much.
Thought I'd share some photos from this past Saturday.
Rose, Pennie and Cogburn exploring The Compound
Pig Pen is getting really big!
There's Berta and Corrie, hanging out.
Rooster Cogburn
My garden, it's still warm enough to keep it going.
OK, it’s the holiday season.I’m having a hard time getting into it this year.Not sure exactly why.Maybe since we’ve had a tough year at The
Compound and business is slow.Is it the
economy stupid?I need to find my
Christmas “mojo”.Have you seen it?Any ideas where it hid itself?
I’ve been baking cookies, decorated the house (although not
as much as in years past), play Christmas tunes when I get the chance, and try
to sing along. It's not working. Something is definitely missing.
The Moose came across this article earlier, and asked that I share with the blogosphere. This is just another reason to learn to grow your own produce. If a goat won't eat it, why should we?
I have been remiss in welcoming new followers and those that
take the time to comment on my crazy blog.But thank you!I know you have
millions of sites you could visit and that you consider spending time here is
humbling.I look forward to reading your
comments and following your blog posts.It’s a nice feeling knowing you’re not the only crazy one out there!
You'll see the blogs I follow, over on the left, most of which come to me through other blogs, or they've joined my site. Please take a few moments and see what crazy things they're up to. You'll likely find another like minded person to follow. Yes, that means your crazy too! Isn't it nice knowing your not alone!
We’ve all had those moments, life’s little moments that bring
joy.Now some may consider
me crazy, and that’s OK, but I get such joy from raising chickens.These crazy fluff balls are thought and
talked about daily.What treats can we
scrounge up for them, should I make them oatmeal with or without raisins, how
they’re getting along with the change in temperatures... who’s going to start
laying me eggs next, etc.
This past weekend was one of those moments for me.The Hooligans were let out of their side of
the run, and had a few hours of freedom. If you just started to follow along,
we have two sets, the Hooligans and the Cotton Club.Once they realized the door was open, all
three made a beeline to get out.They’ve
watched the Cotton Club enjoy a dust bath, eat grass and chase after bugs.It was now their turn.
They made it out to the set of robellini trees, just beyond the
main gate, but for their first foray it was great!
We’ve kept them separate for the past few months from the
rest, so they wouldn’t be abused.Chickens, can really be rude.Sneaking up behind them and ripping out feathers from their
backsides.They definitely are
bullies.However, since they’ve been
watching each other for months now, the transition wasn’t too bad; only minimal
“hen pecking”.It was worse by the hens further
down the pecking order.They are not too
willing to give up what little leverage they have.So they went out of their way to bother them on occasion.Enough so, that the three of them were too
scared to walk past the Cotton Club to get back in at the end of the day.I had to pick them all up and carry them
in.Yes, laugh, it’s no easy
feat chasing and capturing chickens in general, it’s even harder when they are
smaller and quicker.The only one that
didn’t have any issues with them was Pig Pen, our handsome rooster.He just strutted past them, acting like the
big shot he is.
They are now back in their respective corners, awaiting our
return Saturday to let them all out again to forage.We will keep them separate at night and when
we are not around until the Hooligans reach the age where they can eat the same
food as the older ones.They are still
on chick/grower rations.They have about
6 weeks left.
After getting the Cotton Club last July, and seeing the
abuse the little ones suffered at the hands beaks of the others, it was very
important to us that this behavior was not continued on the Hooligans.They hold a very special place for us.Keeping them separate until they are large
enough to flee or fight back is really important.
