I spent much of yesterday morning moving the young chickens into their new home, which was actually the old chicken coop area, which we had cleaned up and added some more nest boxes. There were 3 groups, 6 almost ready to lay pullets, and 2 groups of younger birds totaling 20. Each of those groups had an Ameruacana rooster in it, one of which I wanted to sell. They are several breeds, Ameruacana, Leghorn, Issa Brown, Buff Orpington, and Shaver Black. There were a few hens I had wanted to sell too, but I was tired of maintaining 3 separate groups.
There were some bantams in two of those groups and they were getting a little bullied as the other birds got larger so they were all combined into a separate group. So I still have 2 groups to feed and water- 3 if you count the turkeys and the frizzle rooster that are out roaming the pasture.
I was most worried about the two young roosters getting together. They had both started crowing. And they did indeed square off at each other for an hour or so. Then things seemed to settle down. They separated one at each end of the pen with the group of hens they had been housed with. It seemed like everything was going smoothly later in the day.
When I went out this morning to feed I found all of the younger birds hiding under the nest boxes, which are off the floor about 18 inches. The 6 nearly adult hens were strutting around and every time a younger bird ventured out they chased it back under the nest boxes. Great fun. I had to move the water near their hiding place and add a second feed tray close to them. I threw some weeds off to the other end of the coop to occupy the 6 bullies and the little ones could eat and drink. I am hoping this situation resolves itself soon. We are going to add another 4 feet of space at the end of the coop- probably tomorrow and maybe that will help.
The little banties seemed to integrate pretty well. There are 6 of them, only 1 rooster. There had been a pair of Gold Sebrights but the little rooster was already very aggressive and I decided to give them to my dog groomer as a tip. She loved them. She raises all kinds of birds.
Left behind are a pair of buff cochins and 4 little hens who seem to be Old English Game. Three of them appear to be red pyle - although I am not real familiar with OEG colors. They are white with fine goldish red lacing around the neck. The other is a tiny dark thing with some gold lacing around the neck and who is very aggressive with all the others. I don’t know what color she would be called. She may become a tip somewhere herself.
The turkeys and the frizzle rooster that was left behind when the old hens were given away are unhappy that they can’t come into the coop anymore. They can get inside the horse stall in the back - where the turkeys already spend a lot of time- but they did like to come in the coop at night. I closed off the door to the outside run and put heavy wire on the window- which the turkeys can fly up to and enter. I don’t want them around the new hens because they eat eggs- and teach the hens to do it.
And I do want to start getting those farm fresh eggs again! The oldest of the new birds are just about ready to lay. I expect eggs in a week or so. I am changing them over to layer rations this week.
I was happy to see the big animal that I had glimpsed a few times out behind the barn is a woodchuck. Woodchucks don’t eat meat, the chickens are safe. I was worried it was a coon and I had talked to several people last week who had coons kill some of their chickens. He was stretched out on some old pallets and junk about 3 foot off the ground and I got a good look at him. It’s a healthy large specimen. As long as he puts his holes where Lily can’t step in them he can stay.
I found baby fish in the pond, several sizes. The bluegills that my friend gave me this spring must have survived long enough to breed anyway. I haven’t seen the big fish lately- but then there were only 7 and the pond is large. The pond is shrinking rapidly this year and is full of weeds. Saw deer tracks down there too and there is a night heron nesting somewhere close who screams at me whenever I go down there.
Our garden is doing great. I picked the first ripe tomato today - in June! I bought one plant very early and set it out in a black tub. It’s an Early Girl and the tomato is not much bigger than a cherry tomato but hey -June!
