And boy are they funny! We now have a dozen Barred Plymouth Rocks, including a rooster (we'll call him "Stu").We've decided that watching chickens is somewhat mesmerizing - sort of like watching a campfire, only more comical. Before we knew it, we had pulled up a couple of chairs and a couple of beers and were just sitting, staring at the chickens.
The rabbits have been successfully transitioned to their new home, and are a bit more comfortable in the shady, breezy barn than they were at the other house. Poor things are still hot though. I wouldn't want to wear rabbit fur in Texas in July either.
We took our male dog outside this morning to meet the chickens. He was curious, and tried to sniff them, but was very good and didn't make a fuss over them at all. They were surprisingly interested in him, though, and kept following him around, which I think made him nervous! We also took him down and showed him the pond. He was really interested in that, and tiptoed all along the edge of the water, but stopped short of getting in. As an overly protective mama, that was fine by me. ;-)
I wish I had more to report, really. It seems that while moving, unpacking, cleaning and putting things away, most everyday life activities are suspended. I think we're out of the woods now, though, and can start living more or less normally soon. I'm dying to dig up some garden beds, but I just can't get to that for awhile - too many other things have to come before that. Oh well, maybe by the time we're ready to dig the beds, it will be cooler outside!
I'll close this for now with a few pictures. Here you can see our front gate, and the evil cows that graze across the road. My dogs tell me that the cows' day is coming...
Check out the moon!
Peace -
T
What a beautiful picture of the moon!
ReplyDeleteMy question about chickens involves stray cats. That might not matter where you are but here we are over-run with them (as I've complained about before). Do you think a hungry stray could take out a chicken?
I need advice, chickenlady.
Hmmm...we don't have any stray cats at our place, so I couldn't say for sure. Chickens are pretty big - I can't imagine my cat standing a chance against one, but a big, strong, really hungry cat might try, I suppose. I'd be more worried about cats going after eggs or baby chicks. I would think there'd be plenty of smaller, easier prey for the cats - mice, much smaller birds, lizards, etc.? Our chicken tractor has a layer of welded wire surrounding it, with a layer of smaller chicken wire over that, so not much will fit through it.
ReplyDeleteBrenda? Any experience with cats vs. chickens?
Cats do not stand a chance. They will go after the babies, but once the chickens reach a certain size the cat would be toast. Also the rooster would not allow it. Speaking as someone who has been attacked by a rooster, it really sucks !
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new arrivals. I just love barred rocks. I too can watch them for hours. I thought I was just a crazy chicken lady !
Thanks! That's pretty much what I thought. Those chickens look like they could easily take down a cat. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe got our first egg yesterday, too! Woohoo! And Jerry made the mistake of saying "I want to hear that rooster make some noise!". Yeah, well, be careful what you wish for...
Great photos! I love your chicken story. Seems I've been reading a lot of funny "new chickens in the backyard" stories online these days. We are getting four hens from a friend in just a few days, when the coop is (finally and hopefully) finished. My DH is building it very secure to protect those gals from all manner of city predators--stray cats (and we do have some huge ones in our 'hood!), coons, whatever. Keep 'em safe!
ReplyDeleteLisa in MN
Just remember that a little is lost when you keep those chickens " safe". We free range ours and ,yes ,we do lose a few but the eggs are so much better when they come from happy roaming chickens.
ReplyDeleteI do want to start letting them range after they've had a chance to get settled and get familiar with "home". Also, after I've had a chance to get settled.
ReplyDeleteYou won't be sorry. I LOVE coming home to chickens scattered around the yard. They even run up to my car to see if I have any treats for them. I want to hear about your singing rooster. Ours start at 4:30, how about yours? It is another thing I love about chickens. You really feel like morning when greeted by that sound.
ReplyDeleteHard to believe chickens are the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. I wonder how goofy the real T Rex was?
ReplyDelete