Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[2dream]

QA - your DD did a good thing for that poor dog. Times are tough all over and so many of the shelters are full and refusing new animals. So many people losing homes, jobs, etc that the poor animals are the first to go. With full shelters we will see many more animals left on the side of the road. No way to save them all but you did save the one. Or it could just be that this poor critter wandered to far from home. At any rate it is safe now.

Your DD sounds like she is thrilled with the new puppy and also very responsible. What a nice thing for the dog warden to do.

Homeward Bound makes me cry too. Love that move. Both old and new.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Her Royal Highness Elizabeth has decided that being in the run with the common chickens is much beneath her station.

I don't know how she got out of the coop this morning, but she was out when I went out to feed and water everyone. Both doors to the coop, the entry and the door to the run, were closed. I know she was in the coop on a roost last night at bedtime because I had patted her back, just like I do every night. Each chook gets a pat on the back. The Fab Five haven't decided if they like this little ritual or not, but they are gradually adjusting to our routine here.

Except Her Royal Highness Elizabeth.

Elizabeth doesn't seem to like anything we do for her. She always gives this somewhat condenscending look that clearly says, "Do you really think that is good enough?" She then will stalk off clucking and making gereral annoyed noises.

So this morning she was out, doing her thing in the yard and absolutely refusing to go back in the run area. Miss Louisa, Polk, Quincy, and Monroe all took turns prancing the fence that separated Elizabeth from them. They finally gave up and went on their merry way, getting their fair share of the treats, scratch, and layer I had put out for everyone.

Elizabeth on the other hand had to have her OWN serving of treats, layer, scratch, etc. She spent the entire day prancing between the duck pen and the chicken coop. DH went out to stack wood and he saw her prancing in front of the goat pen. When I went out to close the run for the night DH was in a near panic.

Elizabeth had disappeared.

Dh combed the goat barn and pasture field and wood pile. Meanwhile, I am clueless and assume she went in like she does every night. I am closing up both coops. DH comes around the corner and asks, "That hen that was running around, did she go in?"

Puzzled I reply, "You mean Her Royal Highness Elizabeth?" and yes I call her that when talking to anyone LOL she just has that air about her!

He replies, "I guess if that's what you call her."

So I looked in the coop on the roosts, as I didn't remember having given Elizabeth her evening pat. DH comes in with me and we are literally counting heads and naming off chickens. No Elizabeth.

So I'm thinking maybe she went into the other coop, with the big chickens. So we go in there, armed with a flashlight as it is now starting to get dark. We count heads again, name of chickens.....No Elizabeth.

We go back to the goat pen and DH looks in the goat shed again. No Elizabeth. DH combs the pasture field. He asks, "Do you think she got in with the ducks?" I replied, "Maybe, but highly unlikely since the gate is closed."

So we go to the duck pen, and I open the gate, DH hands me the flash light and I shine the light into the duck shed. Sure enough, there is Her Royal Highness Elizabeth, tucked herself to bed on the temporary roost in there. I scooped her up and cuddled her to my chest, and gave her a mild scolding. I explained that she needed to be in bed with the rest of the fab five, and that even though she's "Royalty" she doesn't make the rules.

Her only reply was an indignant cluck at having her sleep disturbed. I put her in the coop, she ruffled her feathers and barawcked at me and then hopped onto the roost right next to Monroe.

Monroe finally got a back bone! He leans over and gave Her Royal Highness a good peck, as if to say don't ever do this again! Then they scooted closer together on the roost.

Makes me wonder if they had a spat earlier and Elizabeth was the odd man out.

 

[tfpets]

No matter what the explainations, her royal highness has her minions exactly where she wants them, running around all over the place, serving her needs, making sure she is snug on her perch, the appropriate perch at that, and just to make sure you care...because a reassuring pat on the back in not quite enough...she put you to a hide and seek test! What a girl!
My Bleu does things like that...how one silly chicken can command so much attention?

Thanks for sharing her highness'es tale, it gave me a smile at work this afternoon!

Tina/tfpets

 

[keljonma]

That is just too funny!

I can picture the two of you looking all over for Elizabeth but so not funny for you! Don't you hate when one goes "missing"?!

and she obviously has her own opinion about the housing situation - that duck pen must feel like home..

Elizabeth doesn't seem to like anything we do for her. She always gives this somewhat condenscending look that clearly says, "Do you really think that is good enough?" She then will stalk off clucking and making gereral annoyed noises.

I'm sorry! can't stop laughing! .....

Did you figure out how she got out of the coop?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

LOL It is funny. I had to read my post to my husband and he got a chuckle out of it, too.

Never did figure out how she got out. She has been in all day today. No escaping.

We did go out and added a second roost to the main coop. This way there is enough roost space for everyone since adding the nine light brahmas.

I got my third easter egger egg today. Yesterday I found a small brown egg in the bantam pen. Wasn't small enough to be a bantam egg, so I must assume that either a BLRW laid it or Louisa (do cochins lay white or brown eggs?) or Elizabeth's first egg. Not sure how dark Elizabeth's eggs should be, but this was like a medium brown, so I am leaning more to thinking it is a BLRW egg.

Lucky followed us out to the chicken pen when we were putting the new roost in. He sat patiently just a little ways from the coop, never taking his eyes off us once. He sat very still and watched over us, never straying from his post. When we were done with the roost he trotted along with us as we put the tools away. He took a quick potty break, and then he accompanied me back to the house. Now he is laying comfortably at DH's feet.

That's about as excited as today got.

 

[keljonma]

LOL It is funny. I had to read my post to my husband and he got a chuckle out of it, too.

Never did figure out how she got out. She has been in all day today. No escaping.

We did go out and added a second roost to the main coop. This way there is enough roost space for everyone since adding the nine light brahmas.

I got my third easter egger egg today. Yesterday I found a small brown egg in the bantam pen. Wasn't small enough to be a bantam egg, so I must assume that either a BLRW laid it or Louisa (do cochins lay white or brown eggs?) or Elizabeth's first egg. Not sure how dark Elizabeth's eggs should be, but this was like a medium brown, so I am leaning more to thinking it is a BLRW egg.

Lucky followed us out to the chicken pen when we were putting the new roost in. He sat patiently just a little ways from the coop, never taking his eyes off us once. He sat very still and watched over us, never straying from his post. When we were done with the roost he trotted along with us as we put the tools away. He took a quick potty break, and then he accompanied me back to the house. Now he is laying comfortably at DH's feet.

That's about as excited as today got.

Sounds good that Lucky isn't interested in the flock!

Cochins are brown egg layers. So both Elizabeth and Louisa should be presenting you with brown backyard jewels soon, if they haven't already.

Pullet eggs are always enough excitement for me.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

When I went out today to shut the coops for the night, the light in the bantam coop was burned out. I replaced it with a CFL. Hoping that it lasts longer, as this is the second time I have had to change the bulb.

Chickerdoodles are all doing good. They enjoyed their free range time today and this time no one tried to bunk where they weren't supposed to be.

Homemade yoke is working on Nan so far. She didn't escape at all today! YAY!

My royal palm turkeys are turning into a beautiful pair of birds! Lance, the tom, was strutting all around the yard today. I also noticed he is finally starting to grow his beard. Looks like it is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. I was excited to see that. He wasn't too excited over my grabbing onto him so I could feel it and try to measure it, though. He just wanted me to let go lol. He was pretty ticked off after that. He strutted off to his favorite roosting spot.

Pizza for dinner. Cheaters dinner. Unwrap, toss in oven, eat. The baby has been cranky all day. We think he is teething.

I am glad to know that Louisa is a brown egg layer!! The local feedstore will buy all my brown eggs, but no white or green eggs. Works for me, we'll eat the white, green, and banty eggs...nice brown eggs go towards the cost of feeding them! I think I've got about a full 3 dozen eggs from my own flock now! All within the last month, too. That's counting banty eggs. I have found that the banty eggs are just the right size to cook up for the kids. Two banty eggs with some sausage or bacon and toast and they are full!

 

[PamsPride]

Yum...pizza for dinner! I had pizza cresent rolls for lunch. (Crescent rolls filled with mozzarella cheese (sometimes I put pepperoni in them but I was to lazy to look for some) and then dipped them in pizza sauce...YUMMO!!)
The family is having hot dogs and baked beans for dinner tonight.

 

[keljonma]

When I went out today to shut the coops for the night, the light in the bantam coop was burned out. I replaced it with a CFL. Hoping that it lasts longer, as this is the second time I have had to change the bulb.

QA, DH was getting tired of changing the bub at the 18' ceiling height of the barn! We changed to CFLs in the barn last year. So far we have had excellent results.

Chickerdoodles are all doing good. They enjoyed their free range time today and this time no one tried to bunk where they weren't supposed to be.

Homemade yoke is working on Nan so far. She didn't escape at all today! YAY!

Sounds like all your animals are gettiing settled nicely in their new homes. Wonderful news that Nan has stopped trying out her Houdini act.

My royal palm turkeys are turning into a beautiful pair of birds! Lance, the tom, was strutting all around the yard today. I also noticed he is finally starting to grow his beard. Looks like it is about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. I was excited to see that. He wasn't too excited over my grabbing onto him so I could feel it and try to measure it, though. He just wanted me to let go lol. He was pretty ticked off after that. He strutted off to his favorite roosting spot.

Royal palms are very pretty! All men like to pout if they don't get to do things their way, I guess....

Pizza for dinner. Cheaters dinner. Unwrap, toss in oven, eat. The baby has been cranky all day. We think he is teething.

Pizza is a nutritious meal. Good luck with that teething! Now that brought back some memories of sleepless nights. DH used to put ds in his car seat. Put the car seat on top of the dryer and then put a load of diapers in to dry. DS would fall right to sleep. Cheaper than a car ride and you don't have to leave home in the middle of the night.

I am glad to know that Louisa is a brown egg layer!! The local feedstore will buy all my brown eggs, but no white or green eggs. Works for me, we'll eat the white, green, and banty eggs...nice brown eggs go towards the cost of feeding them! I think I've got about a full 3 dozen eggs from my own flock now! All within the last month, too. That's counting banty eggs. I have found that the banty eggs are just the right size to cook up for the kids. Two banty eggs with some sausage or bacon and toast and they are full!

YEA!!! Don't you love when they help pay their way?! Our feed store doesn't buy eggs of any color. So they aren't banty eggs, they're child-sized?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Her Royal Highness is once again back in the duck pen. Sigh. I threw in the towel, and ran up the white flag.

Then I decided to move Monroe in with her. Funny thing was, he seemed to know just what I was doing and he ran right to me and let me pick him up! I carried him out to the duck pen, and the two happily clucked around the pen, and put themselves to bed. I told them goodnight when I shut the gate, and they were cuddled together on their roost. I just don't understand why Elizabeth doesn't want to be with the rest of the flock. Oh well. At least this way when she starts to lay, I will have pure Maran eggs!

I lost a few chicks. All four Salmon Faverolles, and 3 bantam cochin chicks. Of course, all of the cochins I lost were my roosters. I believe the three remaining cochins are all hens. I could be wrong, but it sure looks like they are hens. I wasn't sure if they were getting too cold or squished, but I installed a heat lamp last night to try to deter any more losses.

There is always spring, to try to hatch some more. I certainly do not want to be hatching any right now.

Went shopping with my mom today. She bought the baby his first christmas outfit today. It's an adorable red sleeper with Penguins all over it. It came with a matching hat and a matching long sleeved creeper. The creeper is red with 3 penguins on the front and says, "Baby's first Christmas". It's really cute. He'll wear it to bed Christmas Eve and then "open" his presents wearing his new sleeper Christmas morning.

I do all my own portraits of the kids using my digital camera. Guess it is time I do their Christmas pics.

I just realized we didn't receive any Christmas cards this year I really do not mind. Since DH has such a passion for trees, it really bothers him to receive cards in the mail. I have never sent cards because I could never fully justify spending the money to do it. No offense to those who send the cards, but we have to work everything in to a small budget, and well, that was something that was easy for me to not put into the budget.

Our homemade yoke is working well with Nan. Two days so far with no escaping. That's such a relief.

Friend of mine had to put down a 10 week old ferret today. Marshall farms had shipped it to a pet store and it was infected with distemper. The pet store is upset because that means all the kits they sold that week have been exposed. Which also means people who came in and possibly handled those ferrets are now exposed and could have taken it home to other pets (cats, dogs, etc.) It's a huge mess, and they are sending the vet bills for that ferret plus her other ferret that she has to get vet care for now to Marshall farms, since they sent out sick ferrets.

My daughter and I are sewing her puppy a Christmas stocking this evening. She went through my fabric box and picked what she wants to use. I've never made a stocking before, so this should be interesting. lol