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Author Topic: Happy chickens  (Read 3632 times)

Offline Cindi

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Happy chickens
« on: December 18, 2006, 10:59:41 am »
Yesterday the sun came out, it has been a very long time since we have seen that thing of beauty.  The weather has been dark, dismal, rainy, snowy, windy, every element you could imagine.  I was out working with the bees and my sister was watching me, covering her ears.  For some reason the bee went in her ear last summer and it was a very frightful event.  A couple of weeks later a fly flew in her ear.  What's with that???  That poor girl, now she has a paranora about bees and flies in her ears.  I bought her some earplugs for when she is near the apiary when I am working with the bees.  She loves to watch everything I do out there, and will be a wonderful asset for me when I need her to help out next year.   After I was done with the bees I went with my sister and had a look at more building she is doing over at our chicken yard.  She is an amazing woman and I always stand in awe with what she has accomplished.  Never asking for any praise, but man, I gotta give that to her, how could I not?  She has created a wonderful world for the chickens and ducks.

The ducks and chickens were having a wonderful day with the sunshine that came out and warmed the ground.  Probably brought some good insects out too from down under, they seemed to be finding bugs to eat.  I saw a chicken that must have found a wonderfully sized worm.  She was running around with other chickens chasing after her.  I guess they all wanted a piece of that pie (oh the pecan pie), I still can't put that memory out of my mind.  Maybe we will have another one come Christmas.  My daughter who loves to bake this pie for her mummy is coming for that special dinner and maybe, just maybe, she will bake another one.  I am a lucky woman.  Back to the chickens, I can get a little sidetracked.

We are able to differentiate the female from the male silkies now.  The males have a blue spot on the side of their head, adjacent to their eye.  Very pretty.  I thought that they would get pretty mucky being out there with all the muck.  It is a mucky place here in winter.  Summer, the muck has gone by the wayside.  No, they looked white as the driven snow, go figure that.  All was well with the ducks and chickens, having a great day in the low sun on the horizon, peaking a little through the branches of the leafless trees.  Great day. Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Happy chickens
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2006, 08:35:43 pm »
Pecan pie was originally called Molasses Pie but was not a big hit but not a big hit other than the southrern USA.  The someone had the idea of sprinkling pecans over the Molasses and calling it a Pecan Pie.  It was a hit and had been ever since.

I love watching my chickens run around the yard almost as much as watching my bees come and go from the hive.  the antics they do can be halarious.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

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Re: Happy chickens
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2006, 12:01:27 am »
Brian, ooooh, now that was very interesting about pecan pie, once upon a time called molasses pie.  It might as well be, I think the only ingredients are just like the butter tarts. Butter, more butter, more butter, some sugar, more sugar, and maybe a little cream or milk?  Can't quite remember.

My husband is on the road to making butter tarts.  Get 120 tart shells from Costco, really cheap, make the filling and away we go....he loves to bake certain things, like the butter tart.  I think it is because he gets to eat so many.  LOL.

About chickens. I could honestly sit on my bit white bucket for hours watching them. The only problem is my rear end gets rather sore.  The chickens do things that keeps one amused hours on end.  Never still for a moment.  I cannot get over the holes that the chickens dig in their yard in summer, so deep, but that is their dust bath, and I guess they just love to get down and dirty.  I love to watch the entire events of the chickenyard.  We are going to get turkeys....I have had many fair warnings about the toms, so I will be very careful with little kids and dogs.  But I don't think any tom, no matter how big they are would ever intimidate my sister.  She would be the one doing most of the looking after.  After having 6 children, she knows how to handle anything to keep them in line.  If the tom came after her, I am sure that he would be in for a great surprise, because she would not turn, nor run, on the other hand, she would probably chase after him and give him the run of his life.  It would be a sorry day for him and he would never venture close to her again, unless it was to be just a nice old guy.  I can feel assured of that.

That reminds me of an experience I had about 25 years ago with  nasty, nasty muscovey drake.  Man he was mean.  Everyone was afraid of him.  I was a little too.  But one day he made me really, really mad.  I was doing something in the chicken yard (he angry me off anywayws, he always took advantage of my chicken hens, even though he had his own breed), and before I knew it this grumpy old bugger grabbed hold of my calf from behind.  I was much younger than, and to have the audacity of some big old bird grabbing on my calf made my head spin.  I was mad, it was incredible horrible pain, and that made me even madder.  I turned around and picked up this old bugger and swung him around over my head about 6 times and sent him flying, he was not hurt, he was so onery, he just got up and carried on his merry own way.  But really, this old drake never bothered me again.  And I always kept a watchful eye out.  If you have ever been bit by a duck or a goose, you will know what I mean.  All have a great day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Happy chickens
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2006, 09:20:37 am »
As you probably already know, a gander and a tom attack pretty much the same way.  Neck stretched out, wings akimbo, and tail slightly arched (fanned?).  When I was about 4 yrs old we had a big tom that chased my older brother and I both up trees in the orchard.  Even at 4 I was embarrassed to be treed by a turkey--he was one mean bird.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

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Re: Happy chickens
« Reply #4 on: December 24, 2006, 09:26:34 am »
Right, ever had some nasty kid grab some skin on your leg or arm and twist it, calling it a goose bite?  Ya, hurts.  My brother did that to me when I was a kid, he only did it once.  I remember him feeling so bad cause I was balling my eyes out.  Great day. Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Cindi

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Re: Happy chickens
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2007, 01:08:41 am »
As you probably already know, a gander and a tom attack pretty much the same way.  Neck stretched out, wings akimbo, and tail slightly arched (fanned?).  When I was about 4 yrs old we had a big tom that chased my older brother and I both up trees in the orchard.  Even at 4 I was embarrassed to be treed by a turkey--he was one mean bird.
Hey, Brian, reading some older posts.   How fast do the toms run?  As fast as a kid? It sounds like that might be the speed they do go.  I have seen the muscoveys do that neck stretched out, wings up too, and tail. It is very very intimidating.  I think that they do that because it makes them look twice as big as they usually look.  they are pretty smart, would you not say?

Our white rooster has neck feathers that when he is angry with the poor little banty rooster, his neck looks like nothing on this earth.  I did not realize that the feathers on the shall we call it a "mane" can stick almost straight out sideways!!!!  It is something to behold.  Maybe one day I will "set him up" and take a good picture of him.  It is frightful sight for sure, no wonder the poor old banty runs away like the dickens.  Great day.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Happy chickens
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2007, 06:53:47 am »
The neck feathers on a rooster are called a cape.  If you observe, the feathers seem to drape from the comb just behind the eye down to the shoulder and but up to the other eye.  It resembles a cape.  That is where the feathers used in Fly Tying for fly fishing comes from.  The various breeds of Bantams the perfered source for these feathers are they are finer than those on the larger chickens.

When 2 roosters square off the first thing they do his look each other in the eye and stick their neck feathers straight out.  They then hold their wings out trying to look bigger than they are.  Size intimidates and that is the objective.  If that doesn't work they fight.  A fight between rooster can get pretty bloody when the combs are ripped.
Life is a school.  What have you learned?   :brian:      The greatest danger to our society is apathy, vote in every election!

Offline Cindi

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Re: Happy chickens
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2007, 09:24:37 am »
Brian, that is very interesting about how the cape lies.  Yes, in thinking back at looking at the king, I do see how these feathers appear to just hang.  I will one day investigate, but I bet that underneath this cape there would be pin feathers to keep the neck warm. 

Fly fishing, my husband has gone on a couple of trips fishing up in the north with a friend who ties his own flies (is that what this is called?).  I should gather some of the feathers from some of the banty roosters for him, he would appreciate that.  Interesting trivia, thanks.

Chickens are one of the most interesting to watch in the beautiful dog days of summer. I cannot believe how deep the holes are that they dig to have their dust baths in.  Have an awesome day.  Cindi

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service