Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Now the bad news.
Predators struck while Steve and I worked in Florida. Selin called about a week in.
"Mom, I have bad news. Gracie is dead. We couldn't find her last night when we put everyone in. We looked around this morning and found her half eaten body about 50 yards below the banties house..."
My dear Gracie. She was my crazy, sweet, leghorn who I sparred with over her egg laying. When I heard her making her laying sounds I would track her down. She would come right over and and let me scoop her up without complaint. I'd carry her to stir and lock her in till she laid. She just liked privacy. Left on her own she preferred to nest in wall nooks or in the brush. That is where I suspect the creature nabbed her.
A few days later.......
"More bad news."
"Oh no. Who is it this time?"
"Lulu and Gimpy. We can't find any trace of them. Lulu was probably doing her own thing like usual. Gimpy was probably guarding her and it got both of them. I'm sorry."
"It is not your fault. We should have locked them in. Start locking the banties in the the run till we sort this out."
This started the bantie schlep that I will tell you about later.
At this point I was gloomy. I couldn't do anything about it. I just had to wait and hope, which turns out to be a loosing strategy.
"Oh gee, who is it now?"
"Well, we found a black star on the side of the road. Someone hit her with a car and left her. And the other one is Dahlia."
" Not my Dahly girl. My buddy. I should have known. She was Gracie's shadow. She was probably looking for her. I can't take any more of these calls."
If you are keeping count, we are up to five over a period of about two weeks.
The night we got home I did a bed check and counted 35 big chickens which means 2 more victims. 5 banties present and roosting.
The creature took the last two, a black australorp and a black star, two days before we returned. So I lost a total of seven.
"Starting tomorrow we are locking them all in. They won't like it, but at this rate they'll all be dead."
So for the last two weeks the girls have been restricted to base. Yes, just like Chicken Run. We doubled the size of their protected run and I have electric fencing arriving tomorrow. Total for the fencing $520. Peace of mind, priceless.
"Mom, I have bad news. Gracie is dead. We couldn't find her last night when we put everyone in. We looked around this morning and found her half eaten body about 50 yards below the banties house..."
My dear Gracie. She was my crazy, sweet, leghorn who I sparred with over her egg laying. When I heard her making her laying sounds I would track her down. She would come right over and and let me scoop her up without complaint. I'd carry her to stir and lock her in till she laid. She just liked privacy. Left on her own she preferred to nest in wall nooks or in the brush. That is where I suspect the creature nabbed her.
A few days later.......
"More bad news."
"Oh no. Who is it this time?"
"Lulu and Gimpy. We can't find any trace of them. Lulu was probably doing her own thing like usual. Gimpy was probably guarding her and it got both of them. I'm sorry."
"It is not your fault. We should have locked them in. Start locking the banties in the the run till we sort this out."
This started the bantie schlep that I will tell you about later.
At this point I was gloomy. I couldn't do anything about it. I just had to wait and hope, which turns out to be a loosing strategy.
"Oh gee, who is it now?"
"Well, we found a black star on the side of the road. Someone hit her with a car and left her. And the other one is Dahlia."
" Not my Dahly girl. My buddy. I should have known. She was Gracie's shadow. She was probably looking for her. I can't take any more of these calls."
If you are keeping count, we are up to five over a period of about two weeks.
The night we got home I did a bed check and counted 35 big chickens which means 2 more victims. 5 banties present and roosting.
The creature took the last two, a black australorp and a black star, two days before we returned. So I lost a total of seven.
"Starting tomorrow we are locking them all in. They won't like it, but at this rate they'll all be dead."
So for the last two weeks the girls have been restricted to base. Yes, just like Chicken Run. We doubled the size of their protected run and I have electric fencing arriving tomorrow. Total for the fencing $520. Peace of mind, priceless.
Assimilation
The newbies share the banties' house. The banties are not happy. Ginger is squawking "Back off sister!".Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Video of newbies at bedtime
Wow! I have been away from my blog for a long time. So much to tell, but not tonight. I have good news and bad. Tonight just the good. Last Friday I picked up 11 new 7 week old chicks to add to the flock. 6 Speckled Sussex, 4 Easter Eggers, and I Spitzhauben. I'm working on names. They are sharing the banties house, much to the dismay of the banties.
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