Bluebell has hatched another chick. Born either today or yesterday, a dark colored Araucana. Tweet.
And other news in the coop, the latest previous hatch now a lovely dark Araucana, nearly black with red speckled wings and iridescent green wing bars, is a rooster. It’s all in the posture, tail shape, attitude.
Silkie Bluebell’s two hatchlings are much quicker to learn the crazy ramp into the coop than the white silkie baby who took it seemed a week at a few weeks of age. These younger araucana chicks got the ramp the second day out and were perhaps only 3 weeks old at the time.
Within the last week the duck hawk was sitting on the roof of the silkie pen wire enclosure, hoping to frighten a morsel into running out of the wire into the open. Happily they all stayed put.
Today we watched a young red-tailed hawk sitting in the maples and then the snag pondside in front of the house: very alert almost quizzical.
There is a pileated woodpecker here again, seen and heard. It’s a great profile in a dead tree by the pond. All the big birds seem so dinosaur-like, whether chickens or herons or this great pterodactyl of a woodpecker. And I love the maniacal laugh.
Born last year, Bluebell had diligently sat on three clutches of eggs this year, finally hatching two little Araucanas. She is often joined in the nest by other hens which makes her job harder.
Mini crocuses on March 15th. Actually sooner but my camera was not at hand.
Spitzhauben chickens enjoying the sun and finding yummies where the snow is gone
Spring snow today, beautiful in its ephemeral way!
Our lovely silky hens have raised many sweet broods this year. Sadly the most recent was completely swallowed by predators. 4 chicks disappeared one at a time, heartbreaking. One didn’t know to go back in the house. I think the others were prey either to a visiting lone coyote seen by both Mark and neighbor Jen, but not with feathers on his lips, or the ever present red-tailed hawk. The hawk’s been a fixture in the trees above the silky house. That hawk killed one of the brown silky hens. I think a youth from this year’s brood, not the mama that just lost her brood.
All so sad. But also the beauty of this rich habitat for all is vital, even when it’s a little brutal.
Just hatched! This mummy started with 10 eggs. We had to candle them and give her only the good ones to finish off the brood. So glad it worked.
The longer story is that this pair of Old English Red Pyle Bantams are a bit small for the flock of standard hens they’ve been living with. This smallest of all our hens decided to go into the wild and nest under a bush. She’d come every day to the back door for some food and water, then disappear again. Finally I followed her and saw her nest and her greedy pile of eggs. We wanted to reduce the number she was sitting on because it was too many for her to effectively hatch, but how not to upset her? I was able to go over while she was on a food visit and swipe some eggs.
These babies must have hatched yesterday, because they are mobile today and have already been moved about 30’ from the nest. Mama brought them over toward our back door for breakfast.
6.20.10 Poor thing! Later the next day, Rudi lifted the gate off its hinges in order to get at the chickies. He killed three babies. At least the one remains. Mama and one baby are ranging around in the wild mostly. We put them in a crate for safety, but last night they opted for sleeping under the stars. This makes the dog-outside-the-fence dynamic a little trickier.
Hatched April 23, we have five silky chicks growing up with mama and the tan pair. It’s a pretty happy small flock. The tan pair don’t bother the chicks too much, an occasional peck seems all. The white mummy is a good protector though, they probably don’t want to mess with her!
I can get very excited this time of year, at least for a little while, about the brightness, the longer days. and the energy it brings me. I can already see some buds getting a little fatter. Birds begin to sing a different song: titmice and chickadees notably, sing spring notes that have not been heard for many months.
The white throated sparrow still had his little squeaky “old sam peabody, peabody” in a snow storm or two this year. and a few weeks ago there were a dozen red-winged black birds at my feeder. I thought they left for the winter, but they were unmistakable of course. Half were females, seldom seen in the spring when they busy themselves with domestic topics.
The hens are laying up a storm, but also are antsy to get out and roam as the warming days promise thawed earth for dust bathing and scratching. Hawks notice and visit with fair regularity. We have what I’m becoming more sure is a Cooper’s hawk as well as a red-tail who’re regular customers. the spitzhauben chickens are not as well equipped to see a hawk coming.......
Here’s the Punk Rock. Son of the lovely Big Barred Rock and our favorite white Silky Bantam hen. Hence the goofy topknot here on this rooster. And he has a comb more like a Silky.
At least I think he’s her son........well really I am, because we let her hatch her own eggs that time.
Died yesterday, cause unknown, no fowl play suspected. He was a good guy, not unkind to his ladies, never rude to us. A gentle bird. Rare in rooster behavior. And he was handsome. We miss him.
We are quite excited about our new coop! It has lots of ventilation for hot summer days and lots of window for winter solar gain and happy light for chickens. While only 4’ x 5’, this coop is higher than I’ve built before and will offer more roosting options.
Still to be added: nesting boxes, chicken door & ramp, covered “porch” and fenced yard.
Three days and lots of sunshine have gained us much of a new chicken coop. We’ve built the floor w/legs and the wall panels. Today I leveled the site and set the cinder blocks. It remains to assemble the walls and to build the roof framing panels, get some roofing, hang doors. And then details: nesting boxes, doors w/ramps...... and the “covered porch.”
It’s summer and we’re in the chicken business! Even though we’ve had babies hatched by a hen (late April), bought a few from the local store, and bought others from another small farmsteader..... I succumbed to the temptation to order from the hatchery. So 40 chicks came today in the mail: 12 bantam Old English (Red Pyle coloring which funnily is white with a little reddish hue around the head), 12 Araucanas (always a favorite), 12 Golden Buffs (sort of Red Star or Rhodie cross somebody white...), and topknot chickens!!! - 4 Spitzhaubens. These last are an alpine (Swiss) breed and so hardy where surprisingly the Polish with the fancy hats are not. I love getting chicks.
Today’s batch of bantams are a little challenged, some needing a little remedial care - one in particular was really floppy and getting walked on. I gave her some sugar water and put her in a little bowl with bedding so she has support for her body. She’s improving and I expect will make it - for a while I had my doubts.
Some are goofy sleepers, they’re okay, really, just enjoying the warmth! Added later: well actually the goofy sleepers were stressed out and didn’t make it. 9 of 12 died- ouch!
The largest of six “roosters” in this group of 13 chickens, Big Red is the dominant force. He’s not really mean, but being who he is he’s not exactly nice either. He could have about an acre to roam and maybe 20 more hens to really have his needs met. It’s a lovely spring-like day today, 40 degrees or more. We walked on the pond and it felt unsafe to me so I beat it for the shore and skulked along on safe old terra firma while Mark and the dogs enjoyed the open space on the ice and took some photos. We cleaned the llama-chicken coop: 3.5 wheel barrows of bedding.