Happy Independence Day from Brownie

The rooster Brownie says

Happy 4th of July!!!

Chloe is there, too, finishing off the celebratory carrot tonic puree.

The Guinea keet just ignores Brownie.... 

Carrot tonic is for ailing birds, not for celebrations, but the chickens and guineas didn't know that.

More to follow on the ailing birds...

Baby Coons

We have a relationship with the raccoons around our house.  Some may disagree with this relationship. 

The deal is - we take care of them, they don't destroy our trash or kill the chickens. 

When we first moved into this house, which is nestled in the midst of over 250 acres, we thought we could just ignore the coons and they would go away.  Well, I guess with this much property, there will be raccoons and all sorts of other wild animals around, no matter what.  So we ignored the coons, and they continually ate our trash out of our trash cans every night.  The trash cans have to be outside, there's just no other place for them.  We don't have a lot of storage with this old historic house.  They didn't think of storage back in the 1800s. 

I don't believe in killing animals for no reason, just because they are there.  We moved here, are we supposed to kill all the animals around us just to make our stay here more comfortable to us?  There will be animals that we don't like in the woods, there's lots of woods around here.  I just couldn't do it.  My husband, who's from the country, who loves hunting (for food), would have had no problem, but he knows how I feel about this issue.  

Quick background - several years ago and far, far away, we had tame raccoons.  We tamed a wild mother coon, and she brought her babies to us, and we could hold them and cuddle them, and they were the most adorable things.  They lived outside, but visited us every eve.  We befriended generations of coons during our stay in that home.  We de-flead and de-ticked them all with the stuff you put on the back of their necks.  They were friendly to the 2 outside cats we had there - and we learned alot about coons back then.  Many people automatically say "coons carry rabies", but so do wild cats, foxes, any animal that's outside can get rabies.  And we never had any problem with rabies.  The worst problem with our coons was the fleas, which we took care of!

Back to the present day - we were trying to ignore the coon problem, trying to trap and relocate the coons, but others kept coming.  After all, we moved into their area, they were here first.  After a few weeks of annoying morning trash cleanup, we gave in and started providing 2 cups of dog food to the coons in the evenings.  And immediately they left our trash alone.  Our only coon problem is that they eat the outside cat food which annoys Jerry, the outside cat.  Jerry then must sit on the front porch chairs and wait for us to bring him more food while he watches the coons 2 feet away from him eat his food.  But they don't physically hurt Jerry or chase him.  We have not befriended these coons, they keep their distance from us, and run when we are around. 

So that has been the deal.  Since then we've gotten chickens, and we've decided the coons now really must go, although they never have bothered the chickens or guineas.  Except that one female guinea disappeared, but we can't blame that on the coons, we have seen many foxes and owls and hawks around.  So we considering what to do with the coons, thinking of a major trapping and relocation project.  It will be a daily thing -trapping and moving coons- and we will have to dedicate time to this project if we really want to remove the coons and keep them away.  But we know we cannot trap and relocate a mama coon who has babies back in the woods, that wouldn't be fair to the babies.  And we can tell by looking at the coons' tummies that some of them are mamas. 

And so, the coons are trying to persuade us to let them stay.  They are tugging at our heartstrings, pulling out all the tactics.  It seems they know we have a soft spot in our hearts for baby coons... 

This week a new mama coon brought her 3 new babies up to our back door for the first time.  The mama coon is very small herself - we believe she is a first time mama.

Note - the pictures aren't really all that clear because I was shooting through 200-year old windows.  These windows are on the back door, and are original to our house.  The glass is sort-of foggy from age, and it actually has some historic etching in parts of it.  But this is a story for another post.  So I was shooting through this glass which made my pictures not nearly as sharp as they could have been and I apologize for the non-clarity of these pictures.

Back to the story...

"Come on up, little ones!  This is where the food is!" 

We scatter the food around on the back porch to keep the coons from fighting each other.  We used to put it in a bowl, but that led to coon fights over the bowl.

2 little ones make their way onto the porch with wobbly legs.  Look at that, is that food on the ground?  Everyone takes a sniff first.

Whoops, here comes #3!  "Wait for me!"

The babies had a hard time chewing the dog food.  It kept falling out of their mouths as they chewed on it.  They ate one piece at a time, and took a very long time to chew it with their baby teeth.

This baby had a hard time standing for a long time.  He kept falling back and sitting on his butt while he ate.

They were all feet.  They were learning how to manipulate their long fingers to hold the dog food.

Look at the one baby walking - both his left legs are in motion as he wobbles along.

The mama didn't keep her babies on the back porch long.  She quickly hurried away across the back yard to the protection of the woods, expecting the babies to follow.  But only 1 followed, 2 were left behind.  The 2 were terrified to be away from their mama.  They hid behind the AC unit which is to the left of the back porch.  I couldn't get any good pics of them because they were hidden.  They cried little baby coon noises.  Then mama's head appear in the woods.  She started making mama coon noises VERY LOUDLY.  The 2 babies starting running across the backyard towards her, but became afraid and stopped in the middle of the yard, fell all over each other, then finally turned and ran back to the AC unit to hide.  Mama again came out of the woods, called them very loudly, and then they ran as fast as their wobbly, uncoordinated legs would allow.  This time they made it to the woods and disappeared.  I wish I had gotten pics of this, but I was too fascinated to move and get the camera.  I didn't want to miss anything!

I will post in the future about the coon relocation project.

Chick Update ~ Day 10

Today I let Zoner and her 10-day old chicks outside for the first time.  Zoner escaped out of the chicken coop a couple times already in the past couple days without her chicks, but she quickly ran back when she heard her chicks screaming in the coop for her to return.  Today I carried the five chicks outside, and Zoner came running out to join them.

When Zoner was outside, all she wanted to do was take a dirt bath.  She rolled and rolled in the dirt.  The chicks rolled in the dirt, too.  The other chickens all walked by to take a look at the chicks, but no one bothered them too much. 

The chicks are developing tail feathers.

The all-black chick is getting lighter.  It's wing feathers are coming in brown.

I assume the all white chick is a son/daughter of the only white rooster I have, Leggy, and the white pullet, Raspberry.  I didn't get an egg from the only other light colored hen, Freckles, on the day I saved the eggs to hatch.  And all the other white pullets were broody at the time (therefore, not laying eggs).

Is that a beginning of a comb coming in on this little guy?  No!!!  No more roosters!

Leggy and Raspberry, possible parents, watch the chicks from a distance.

It was tough to get the chicks back into the coop tonight.  The chicks don't know how to use the ramp to get into the coop.  I put Zoner inside and expected the chicks to follow.  No, wasn't working.  The chicks screamed because they were alone, Zoner came flying out ready to attack me.  I put a few of the chicks in, thinking Zoner would follow.  No, she stayed with the remaining chicks outside.  Finally, I locked up Zoner inside and had to catch and carry each chick inside to her. 

Hopefully soon the chickens will get used to the chicks being around.  Then maybe I'll trust the other chickens not to bother the chicks and will be able to let them all out together unsupervised.

Name that Bug!

Randy found this really gross millipede in the yard today. 

Or maybe it's a centipede? 

It was almost pretty.

I looked for it online to identify it, but couldn't find it.

I named it Emma.  A girl's name for a pink bug.

After photos were taken of Emma, she was returned to the yard from where she came.

Any ideas on what kind of bug Emma is?

Chicks ~ Day 7

The chicks are one week old today!

They are still living in the chicken coop with Mama Zoner.  There's 5 of them - 3 striped, one all yellow, and one all black.  They are starting to get their wing feathers.  They are still very small, especially compared to the guinea keets.  

Zoner is a very good mother.  She feeds her babies all the time and protects them from any "threats".  So far I have been the only "threat" (or so Zoner thinks) when I come in to photograph them and feed and water them.  The babies aren't too sure if they should take food from me, they always turn to Zoner to wait for her to cluck that certain noise that means there's food ready for them.  Here's Zoner feeding them.

Little spotted wings and puffy chick bottoms

I can't wait to see how they look when they grow up.  I know soon they'll start getting feathers in and will get that "scruffy" young chicken look!

Guinea Keet Update Day 17

The guinea keets are now 17 days old! 

Sadly, one died this past weekend.  He was the smallest and weakest.  Everyone else is doing fine.  There are 8 left.  They are getting their feathers in and their wings are developing.  And they have learned how to fly!  they are so small and light, they can fly very well!

They are still very small, but they have fully integrated into the chicken flock despite their small stature.  The hens mostly accept them, the roosters want to take care of them as if they are hens by telling them when they find food.  They look funny because they are so small compared to the chickens.

The keets go to any chicken if she clucks.  They don't always listen to Mama Bella when they don't want to.  They are not shy in the least bit.  They've gotten pecked a few times by jealous hens, but they don't seem to mind because they are very fast and seem to get out of the way quickly if needed. 

The keets spend their days outside with the chickens, and in the evening they put themselves to bed in the coop just like the chickens.  The cutest thing about them is that at bedtime, Mama Bella calls them all into the nest box where Bella thinks they were born and they all sleep cuddled up together with her in the nest box.

Here Bella is calling them to the upper nest box, and the keets are all getting ready to jump and go to sleep.  You can see Zoner and her little chicks in this picture!

Here's Bella's head in the nest box above.  She's clucking for them to hurry up and get to bed!

Garden Bounty

First cucumbers and squash from the garden!

Chicks - Day 1

The chicks were born yesterday - there are 5 of them:

3 striped, one all black, one all yellow.  The black chick has black legs and beak! 

I cannot believe these chicks came from my pullet's eggs.  My own chicks! 

I can't wait to figure out which pullets and roosters are actually the parents of each chick!

Mama Zoner has accepted the chicks, but she is still sitting on 2 remaining eggs.  If the 2 eggs don't hatch by tomorrow, I guess we should to take them from her so Zoner can concentrate on raising the chicks and not sitting on eggs. 

The babies are tired, I took this picture after 5pm.  Chicks need their nap time under mama's breast.

Chick bed time.

Oh Baby!!!!

The babies are here!  The babies are here! 

Are you ready? 

We thought we had one more day to prepare!

Zoner's chicks have started hatching one day early.  They were due tomorrow, but this morning the first one starting breaking out of it's shell.  Now, 12 hours later, 3 have hatched and sadly, 1 has died. 

The first to hatch was yellow with stripes.  #1 is very active and feisty now.  She jumps up to peck Zoner in the face when Zoner ignores her peeps. 

The second one is all yellow, and is larger than the first.  She reminds me of the leghorn rooster (Leggy) we had when he was a chick, she has the exact same look about her head. 

About an hour ago, the third hatched.  #3 is all dark, is very loud, but still is very little and wet from hatching. 

# 4 and 5 were in the process of hatching, #4 halfway out of it's shell and #5 had a hole in it's shell.  I could not see the last 2 eggs.  But there's LOTS of peeps coming from them all! 

The one chick that died was crushed when another hen tried to push her way into the nest box.  Luckily Randy came in and saw the other hen and removed her, then he put some chicken fencing around the nest box to keep other hens out.

Sorry, no pictures today of the babies.  I didn't want to blind the chicks with the flash, or upset Mama Zoner from her duties.  I promise tomorrow there will be pictures!

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Today Bella the chicken hen with the 9 guinea keet babies were let outside for the first time.  Outside with the other chickens. 

Bella has been locked in the "nursery", which is a pen made of chicken wire inside the chicken coop.  That way she can see the other chickens and they can see her.  But no one can hurt the babies.  The nursery is big enough that she and the babies can move around, but she's been getting tired of it recently.  The keets are 14 days old now.  We've been letting Bella and the keets out of the nursery for a few hours every day, but kept her confined to the chicken coop and locked all the other chickens out when she was free.

Today Bella happily spent the day outside with her guinea keet babies.  There were a few minor accidents where chickens tried to attack the babies.  One keet got a hurt wing, but it's OK.  It was cleaned up so there's no blood and it was released back to Bella.  Bella got in a few fights, too, protecting her keets.  Tomorrow, Bella and the keets come out of the nursery for good so Zoner and her babies can move in.

Here's a video of Bella and the keets taken this afternoon.

The Big Day is Friday!

It's almost here! 

Everyone's talking, they're all excited.

Excited about what, Lucy?

The big day is almost here!  It's almost Zoner's big day!

Zoner's eggs are due to start hatching Friday!  Just 2 more days!

These will be the first eggs we hatched from our very own chickens.  We started with 10 eggs, one just disappeared, and one broke when a chicken who was trying to push Mama Zoner out of the nest stepped on it.  So there are 8 left.  We haven't touched them in the past 2 weeks, but it seems Zoner pushes them around under her sometimes.  We hope they all make it!  Zoner has been getting very mean, pecking us when we just look in her direction.  Maybe she knows the big day is almost here!  

Till Friday...