Catch Up, Disappointment, and Gabby

Wow I am gone for three days and come back and I have so many entries of everyone to catch up on! I promise I will get to everyone...I always do, just sometimes I fall behind. I had a new visitor, Barbara from Life and Faith in Caneyhead. Went to visit her and I really enjoyed reading her journal so far. Sam, glad you liked the picture of the plane...it was quite a shocker to look up and see that thing over my house though! I didnt hear it because the mower was too loud, so to look up and POW there it is in your face! WOW.

I have some bad news about the Poultry Show. So, I finally decide to go, and I had a message left by the president of the club heading up the show that told me it was cancelled. :( You have to have judges for the show, and one had just had heart surgery two weeks ago and was just not up for it. The other one had shingles real bad and was in a lot of pain...so he wasnt going to be able to do it. I think that left one judge...and one judge cant judge all those birds all alone. So...he told me in the message they would try to have it in the Spring maybe. Too bad, my oldest Serama roo is really in prime condition right now. At least I found this out before I started dusting my birds for any bugs they might have, then bathing them and keeping them in the house on shavings in boxes. Boy that would have been something to go through all that just to not go.

I have lots and lots of pictures from the fair on Friday, but I will make that on a seperate entry. I will leave a short entry here about Gabby. I told you I would talk about her later, well its later. ;)

I didnt handle my new layer chicks as much as I did the first chicks I ever had. Its just hard to give twenty five chicks all your attention equally. Some chickens are just special...I think they are smarter than others. Some chickens are afraid of me, won't let me get too close to them...others come up to me and let me pick them right up, but just for a minute, then they have had enough.

When I first put the new layers outside they were in a holding pen for a month or so until they got big enough to be let out around the other older hens. Once I let them out there was a pecking order to be established, which is usually not that big of a deal. Gabby seemed to be getting the short end of the stick because her tail feathers and back feathers didnt want to fill out. That left exposed skin. Any fussing and there would be exposed bloodyskin, which attracts the attention of more birds. Chickens can be very cannabilistic. They are attracted to blood and I have seen birds kill another by eating it to death, taking it down. It is not something I want to see, ever. But it has happened.

I ended up taking Gabby into the house and in a holding pen for a couple of weeks while she healed up and grew some more feathers. We didn't pay a whole lot of extra attention to her...but I guess it was enough for her to realize that humans were nothing to be afraid of. In fact, she will seek me out if I come outside and hang out with me.

She thinks she is special, and well, she is. Everyday when I go out to feed she jumps up on the fence and gets fed by hand and I put some feed on the end post. The other chickens still don't really let her into the flock, she is somewhat of an outsider, so they often wont let her eat with them and she has to go get her food last after everyone else has eaten. This way she gets to eat first actually. Pete is this way also, my young Golden laced Wyandotte rooster I got free with my order of layer chicks. He wants to get fed personally on top of one of the laying houses, he will follow me around and hop up to his spot to get fed.

Gabby often will fly up onto my back if I am leaned over looking in a pen or doing something else that requires bending and squatting. She will get up on my shoulder and ride around for a little bit while I am doing chores. She is just different, and I like that about her.

I say chickens that lose their fear of humans like this are smarter than the average chicken. They are smart enough to know I am not going to hurt them, and often benefit from my attentions. Chickens love to be massaged under their wings, it feels good! Bonnie, Clyde, and Phoenix all love it, and I have started doing it to Gabby and she loves it too.

Here is spoiled Gabby on the WRONG side of the fence...she is so bad...lol. Oh by the way, she is a Columbian Wyandotte.

 

Gabby eating off the fence post...

 

and Gabby getting pushed onto the food on the fencepost because what you don't see is Pete trying to get to that food.

 

I hope everyone is having a nice Monday...it is mild and sunny here today. Loving the Fall weather, even if it is too dry.