Birds of a Feather

 

Earlier this spring, we allowed a couple of broody hens to set.  Each of them hatched out a small brood.  As they got older, we put the mamas back in the pasture and raised the remaining chicks in the chicken tractor.  We ended up with two roosters and four hens.  We pushed them to fresh grass each day, but also fed them well.  They grew into big healthy birds and we merged them in with the rest of the flock.  At this point I don't think the pullets are laying yet, but there is an outside chance that they are laying either in a secret nest that we've been unable to find OR they are laying in the hen house with the rest of the hens.

As much as we've tried, they just haven't assimilated in with the rest of the flock.  The melting pot isn't working.  You can count them in the photo above.  Three white birds and three red birds.  The rest of the flock is out doing their thing.  These just self segregate.  Eventually, I suppose, they'll mix.  Inevitably there will come a time when the young roosters challenge the older roosters for a spot in the pecking order.  That's always an interesting, albeit brutal time.  Sometimes the roosters duel to the death.  They don't play around.  Right now there is relative peace.  

The photo above, in addition to the pending chicken commingling, shows a to do list of sorts for the fall.  The pecan tree on the left of the photo, is the one that toppled over during some very strong 80 mph straight-line winds that blew through.  Tricia and I were outside trying to hold the chicken tractor down to save our meat birds.  That experience taught me that it is not wise to risk your life to save some chickens.  Fortunately it worked out.  But the to do list for this fall involves cutting up the main trunk of the pecan tree and splitting it for firewood.  

The tree to the center of the photo above is a water oak tree that succumbed to borer beetles that killed it.  I will also cut that tree and split it for firewood.  We'll have plenty of firewood for the winter.  It's mid-November and it is still 80-something degrees in the afternoon.  Hopefully at some point it will be cool enough to light a fire in the fireplace.  We have other firewood cut and stacked and we'll use that first.

You'll also note the blue water trough sitting on the drip line of the barn's drop shed.  It's full of rain water.  We catch a lot of rainwater.  The cows make use of it.  We do have to keep a close eye on it, though.  Chickens aren't too smart.  Sometimes they fly up and sit on the edge to drink.  Some of them, from time to time, clumsily fall in, and if we aren't observant and scoop them out, they'll die of hypothermia.

One final note on the chickens.  The short daylight hours has really reduced their egg-laying.  I'm only picking up on average about a half dozen eggs each day.  We could leave lights on which would boost their egg production, but we've always just tried to do things naturally, the way God intended.  It just means that we have fewer eggs to sell until springtime.