Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Adventures in Chicken Farming Part 1

Everyday with these chickens is a learning experience. I was just talking to my chicken mentor about how the cross beaked, crooked leg chicken was doing fine. Nobody has been bothering her, just yesterday we had this conversation. Then today I go out and she's got a bloody comb. OH NO! So, I chatted with my own personal chicken ER hotline and she walked me through it and warned me of the upcoming decisions I might have to make concerning "Yolkie". I went and cleaned her up, applied some antibac ointment, while I was doing this I had the rest of the flock in the tractor. *This is where it goes a little awry. I needed to go to town and didn't want to leave them in the tractor so, I started shooing them into the coop. Some of the girls weren't cooperating and then suddenly one flew the coop, I mean tractor. And when she hit the ground she high tailed it towards the woods. This was not good, not good at all. There are foxes in there and skunks and owls and hawks and all sorts of animals who wouldn't mind at all if they happen to have chicken for breakfast. So, I ran up to the house to get boots, a hat and gloves and the butterfly nets (It was about 27 degrees this morning and no the nets weren't for butterflies). On my way I was thinking "no way am I taking my shirt off this morning to get this bird" (I learned my lesson last time). So, I got back chased her back into the yard. A few scratches, from the briar's, two broken nets and one winded lady later, I got that bird and put her back in the coop.

So, what's next? I mean really, I could use a break here God!

5 comments:

Gail said...

Fun with fowl! Learning all this is the fun part.

Anonymous said...

poor mim! I didn't know yolkie was a cross-beak too! (Is she the one who you told me had a cracked beak?)You've got your hands full my friend!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Whew! Close call. What fowl adventures you've been having lately, eh? :)

~Lisa

cinnamongirl93 said...

When I used to have chickens and they would get loose I would yell for them. Yup, I'm totally crazy! Everytime I would feed them I would cluck like a chicken so they got used to that sound. They would hear me shaking the grain clucking and come a running. Just FYI.

Mim said...

Gail: Fun, yeah I guess that's what you could call it. LOL

Ang: Nope that would be Buckbeak, a completely different bird and she healed up to the point we can't tell which one she is. I'm just learning it all so Marc has it easy. LOL

Lisa: Yes, it's been quite hard to not have a "fowl" mouth during this time.

Barbara: I've been working with them on the here chick, chick. But once they are loose they are not all about coming to me.