Oh No! Not Again!

It started off as an observation that one was a bit bigger than the others...

Then it was noticing that the comb went a bit further up the head

than the combs on the others seemed to...

We didn't see them for a couple of weeks because we were traveling,

so my mother-in-law watch them for us...

When we got back, the first thing that I noticed

was how much more red that big comb had become...

Much more like a cock's comb than a hens comb...hmmm

There was also that red wattle coming in under the beak.

Shoot, I think it may just be that we've got ourselves another rooster...

I may not have mentioned it here, but it was just last month

that we decided that it was time for our original rooster, Berkeley, to go.

He had become increasingly aggressive and honestly,

any sympathy I'd felt for him was gone.

We promised each other that there would be no more roosters in our coop.

So why does this little bird have to be so sweet, so cute?

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am...

I think we have another rooster on our hands.
Dagnabbit!

Pecking Order and Chicken Distractions

I've been concerned about how my old hens were going to accept my new chicks as I began to integrate the two flocks over the last week...there has been a bit of pecking going on, it's hard to watch the big hens pick on and bully the new chicks. I realize that it will probably all be fine in the end, but to help smooth things out, I've been trying to provide a few distractions for the four older hens. Things that will take their focus off of their new "roommates". The husband has helped with the efforts, he had the idea of giving them a pile of sand to play in - a good idea - they've all been scratching and rolling around in it. But I've wanted to keep the big hens busy to give the little chicks a chance to adjust to being in the new area and learning how to get along with the hens. So I decided to try something out... I cut a cabbage into two halves and used a fondue skewer to string each half with twine.

Then I hung each half with a length of twin from the netting that covers the fenced in area where my chickens live.

Why would I do such a thing? What was my plan for these cabbage pinatas?

They were an idea I'd gleened from a blog written by some folks at Sunset Magazine...basically, they were a distraction, a new toy if you will, for my chickens. The idea is for them to peck at and eat the cabbage. It's a bit of a challenge since the cabbage is hanging, so it is supposed to give them something to work at and stay busy. When I first hung these cabbage halves, the chickens pretty much ignored them.

But after a little while, a little curiousity was shown. Unfortunately, I couldn't hang out in the coop area all day to find out if my idea was going to go over.

But I did check back a couple of times. A few hours after I'd hung the cabbages, the inside of both had been pecked at a bit.

By the end of the day, the damage was much more extensive. It was kind of cool to see that the idea worked. I also noticed that the big hens seemed to be more lax about the little chicks being there. I didn't see as much chasing and pecking as I had in the couple of days prior.

I think the cabbages helped, it's also helped to have all of the chickens sleeping in the same area. The first evening that the little chicks joined the big hens in their hen house, I had to actually go out and physically put each of the little chicks into the hen house and then close the door so they couldn't get out. The second night I went out at dusk to check on things and only 1 of the 10 little chicks hadn't made her way into the henhouse. She seemed upset and confused that she was all by herself as it was getting dark. I put her inside and again closed the door so no one could get out. It seems that being in the same place and getting used to the sounds and smells of each other is smoothing the process out.Another distraction I've been using is giving all of the chickens "treats" - piles of collard greens and wild bird seed in several locations in the coop. Having a few areas where there are treat piles keeps the competition for said treats from getting out of control. I don't really know if all of this really is the "right" stuff to do, but it seems to be working so far.

Though I have to admit that in this season of adjustment, I am going to have to expect that a few odd things may happen. Like this egg being laid under the ramp that goes up to the hen house instead of inside the nesting boxes. It's been a long time since one of my hens laid an egg in a weird spot, the last time it happened in fact, was when we were in the midst of having hawk and coyote problems. It seems like stress and change causes the chickens to do odd things. I can only hope that it is going to continue to all work out as the next few weeks pass.

An Afternoon in the Greenhouse and Garden

To put it lightly, last week was stressful. I took on a new responsibility which involved changing my routine and pretty much giving up any extra freetime. It was a tough thing for me to admit that I'd bitten off more than I could chew, and that even though I'd made a commitment, some re-evaluating was necessary. Fortunately things worked out alright and I was able to adjust. I am hoping this week will be smoother. Because Sunday was the first full day that I had in a while to relax, I decided to take full advantage. The husband and I made a full breakfast and ate slowly. There were also many hours spent outside. So many things have been happening out in the garden - even without me being there. I got to munch on my first piece of asparagus for the season. It was of course eaten straight from the ground as I stood in the garden and was absolutely delicious. If only there had been more - but it looks like I'll get a bit more this year. It is supposed to be in the 3rd year that asparagus really begins to take off -so next year will [hopefully] be the year of asparagus harvest! The trees in the orchard are also changing rapidly right now. In the past month or so, they've gone from being completely bare to being covered in leaves and blossoms now. One of my recent "projects" with my full grown chickens has been training them to feed on the grass that grows under the trees in the orchard. When I let them out to free range, I throw a bit of corn scratch in the grass under various trees. They are pretty good about mowing it down to nothing. There are a couple of benefits to having little avian landscapers - when they take the grass down, that means we don't have to go in and cut it down with the motorized week wacker. Also, ants and other pests live in the grass below the trees and the lower that grass is, the more likely those bugs are to stay off our trees and potential fruit. This reduces the need to use any kind of insecticidal spray...and in my opinion, the fewer sprays, the better. Speaking of chickens...I have been slowly integrating my ten new Buff Orpington chicks with my 4 full grown Americauan hens. They are now all living and sleeping together, but for the first few days I had the little ones outside, I kept them in a netted off area of their own - reason being that they were still small enough to squeeze through the openings in our wire fencing. They've grown a bit too big for that since then, but they still look tiny next to my four full grown hens. I wish the hens would be nicer, but I guess nature is what it is and they'll work it out.They are slowly working out the pecking order, so far nothing too horrible has happened. But I do worry about my little girls getting hurt. On Sunday I also spent several hours in my new greenhouse getting seeds started. I went heavy on the tomatoes and basil, and I'm excited to try eggplant for the first time.. It was pretty relaxing, I enjoyed every minute. So did both Figaro and Bambino. Fig was pretty interested in the chickens, the little ones are now big enough that he isn't a threat to them. Bambino ran around until he was pretty tuckered out...he ended up taking a nap in the Pod next to me while I worked on getting seeds planted.

He looked so cozy and peaceful lying there on the pea gravel...I couldn't help myself with the pictures!

Be back soon!

The Last of the Southern California Road Trip Pictures...I Promise!

These are the last photos I have from our Spring Break road trip...from San Diego, Universal Studios, and Disneyland/California Adventure. The past week has been so busy, that the trip feels like a million years ago. It was a fantastic time, a good chance for the three of us to find more of our vibe as a family. Blended families can be complicated at times, I can't imagine just how it is that a blended family with more relationships than we have even would work...there's always things that have to be treated carefully to keep everyone happy. But, all of that aside, it was a fantastic time. My favorite observation at Disneyland was the edible garden...I heard that it has been there a long time, but this was the first time I'd noticed it. The small grape vineyard in California Adventure was also intriguing...I didn't stop at their tasting room, but I did find out that Disney now has their own label...interesting, and something to look at next time.

This weekend has been a good time to reflect with the husband and today I had the chance to enjoy some time in my garden and in my new greenhouse - the Pod. The benches are now all stained with water sealant, and I have started most of my seeds. Yay!

Morning After the Rain

I thought I'd take a break from sharing more photos from our theme park road trip for a day or maybe more. This morning when I went out into our yard, the world was covered with rain drops from the overnight rainstorm. Of course, I think that the flowers growing in my yard are beautiful under any circumstance, but they were especially charming dotted with raindrops. I have a thing for pictures of flowers, I think I get it from my mom, she takes lots of flower pictures too. I especially like to photograph the flowers in my own yard - it's like they are my children, just less work. Believe me, the husband makes fun of me for this little habit, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to keep taking flower pictures! I'm sure there'll be lots more to come!