My dog chicken-sits …
After old Jake died this month (I still can’t talk about it much), little Cotton has been lost and lonely. He clings to us for attention and doesn’t want to be alone. I knew, with his love of being outdoors, this poor-pity-me would not last very long. He started getting excited about going out in the mornings with me to feed the critters. He would sit on the cart watching me let the chickens out of their house, feeding them and cleaning their water pan. One morning I didn’t have to go anywhere, so I had time to stay out there for a while. I decided to leave the yard gate open. As the chickens filed outside, pecking the grass and moving away, Cotton became concerned. He jumped out of the cart, and keeping his distance, he tried to herd them back...
Chicken house door …
What do you do on a chilly day when all you feel is tired and depressed? Paint and install a door for the chicken house! (Okay, to be honest my husband did the hard work of installation.) As I was marking it off and gathering the paint cans, my husband kept looking at it wondering what it would look like. Being the artistic type, it has to be unique to suit me. What my other land partners think doesn’t have any influence at all. When Mr Bull saw it, he mooed and walked away. The dogs stared at it, and said, “Oh well, that’s normal – for her.” The chickens pecked it to make sure it was real. Finally, my husband said, “Okay, eh, does it have a name?” “Don’t you recognize a Chicken Angel when you see one?” Sh
Cock and Bull!
Stay subscribed for more country diversions! Critters go through life just as we do. First hand, I can see many circumstances and challenges sometimes mirror ours. Some of those lives are aided and abetted by my opportunity to do so. I don’t mean I have total control – I simply have influence through my protective efforts. The rooster is now between two worlds. He lost his chicken yard privileges because he attacked a defenseless hen. There, he was #1, where he chose his mates, had food and water readily available, was protected from invasion of wild critters, and appeared happy and content for a long time. Now, chickens don’t spend much time thinking, so he saw no consequences of his assault. He was evicted, and cannot understand why. However,...
A very bad rooster!
Maybe it’s the wayward tail feather that gave him away, or gave him a complex that made him do it! You’ve heard jokes about Texas “Chicken Ranches,” well here’s a real story about a hen house on a Texas ranch! We adopted a small flock from a friend moving to the city. Six hens and three roosters – living and thriving together friends. Right? Until today, that is. I was on my way to the chicken yard at regular feeding time when I heard such a commotion. I immediately thought a critter must have gotten in with them. I ran in time to see this one had a hen pinned to the ground and plucking her feathers out. She was screaming, and the other hens were running around trying to get away from the scene. I threw open the gate reaching to...
#20 Best Update!
She has a perfect small stocky baby boy calf! (Camera problems – photos soon!) I’m so excited – just had to share! It was 110 degrees here today – spent time with a water hose shower to cool down the little ones and some of the cows that wanted to. I don’t force the water on them – they have to come close enough to decide for themselves. Of course, Mr. Bull was second in line – such a gentleman. Thank you, God, for another healthy calf. ShareEmailFacebook
The Old New Chicken House
In July, a friend called and invited us over to “talk about something important.” They had decided to move to the big city. Turns out, the problem was they couldn’t take their brood with them! I have wanted laying hens for years, but always put it off because I thought I had enough to take care of. Well, evidently not – it was too appealing! So, at 100+ degrees, my husband and a friend put up eight foot fencing for the new yard and used the old pasture donkey shed as the starting structure for their house. This is the status of it now. Okay, the fencing is very old and recycled – but it is very strong and they like it! Today, at 113 degrees we had to run misters to cool them. Only one hen is laying during this heat wave, but they seem...
