Life and Death Here On Our Farm

Ian woke up early before me yesterday morning. He took the dog out. Bonnie and Clyde's house is right there next to the back door. As he stood waiting for Tip to finish her business he noticed a grim sight.

He came back in with the dog as I was waking up. He said to me in a sad voice, "One of your little chickens is dead."

He doesnt remember all their names. I immediately snapped up and went to the back porch. Bonnie had died. I didn't have a clue as to why. She was fine the day before. I usually feed and water in the morning, but it was so hot that day I went back and put ice cubes in their water, along with Phoenix's water too. She was fine. Sometimes its just a mystery. Poor Clyde. He is alone now, and he is so so very tiny I don't have anyone I can put in there with him. He is so small you can hold him in the palm of your hand and he fits. He looks so sad today. I hold him and give him love, but I know its not the same.

 

They were like two peas in a pod. You couldnt seperate them. Their picture together can be seen on my sidebar. I was never able to get any fertile eggs from them as Clyde was not mating her. He was just not aggressive like that towards her. We will miss Bonnie so much.

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On the very same day...as I sat there holding Clyde I kept hearing a peeping. I just assumed it was the baby pigeon. It makes a lot of noise all day long and keeps the parents busy feeding it. Ian was working on the mower so I was going to go down and see what progress he had made...

He said later (he was joking) that after all the work he had gotten done at home that day he was going to have to go back to work just to rest...lol. He fixed some loose shingles on the roof, fixed the mower, changed his oil in his car, and wanted to clean the pool, but...it started raining later that day.

Back to my peeping. I hear it, but its coming from the Sultans pen. I had put the white Serama hen in there because she was being so darn mean to any chicken that was close to her size and just not getting along. Before that, she had been in a pen with Speckles. Speckles is in a community pen with two silkies, two sultans, and Twiggy, all girls. I tried to put the white Serama hen in there, but she was going to be top dog and beat everyone up, so that wasnt working out.

When a hen has been mated by a rooster several if not many times by one rooster, that sperm stays with her for up to about three weeks. So any eggs that are formed and fertile, would have been his.

She was sitting on an egg...gone broody. The sultan boys are too big to mate her, and believe it or not, she held her own in there, she wouldnt let them bother her at all. She would pull on their crests and they would freak out and leave her alone. Sultans are kind of the sissy bird of chickens...lol. So, she was sitting on an egg..I didnt think much about it. But it sure did hatch! That was the peeping I heard! She had her a baby!

Well I couldnt leave them in there. The bumbling Sultan twins would step on the baby and not even know it. So I fixed her up a brooder box up on the porch. Now you know she put up a stink when I reached in for her and her baby. I got them without any bloodshed, the blood being mine. She has sat on the baby a lot to keep it warm, but it needs to get out long enough to have some food and water. She seems content to let the baby stay under her. This morning I took the baby out from under her, with protest from her. I dipped its beak in the water and it took right to it. Poor thing was thirsty! After drinking the water I set the feed down in front of mom so she could show the baby to eat, and she did. Here is a short video of just that...before the baby slipped under mom again. She never had a name, so I guess we will call her Mom.

 

Along with a picture of Mom sitting on baby, and then a picture of baby after getting some water.

 

 

As I said before, there came quite a downpour yesterday. I mean it was coming down in buckets. The back yard up by the gate was flooding. The wind was blowing hard and it was thundering and lightning something fierce.

The baby pigeon is still too small to fly up onto the roost so it was getting soaked and the air had cooled considerably, not to mention the floor of the pen was getting flooded. I grabbed an extra cage out of the garage. ( A must for emergencies like this) I brought it up to the porch and layered it with fresh bermuda hay.

As I stood in the covered walkway from the garage to the back porch...watching it pour, lightning cracked down right where I was going. How scared do you think I was? I was counting on that old saying...lightning never strikes in the same place twice. I said a small prayer to please not get zapped. Just to give me 30 seconds. I ran out into the pouring rain and opened the pen, grabbed the baby first, then the two parents, hustling all three back to the safety of the porch, I was drenched, and pooed upon. Not really all that unusual for me...lol. I put all three in the cage and got them some fresh food and water. This morning everyone is fine, and a bit more dry too.

 

I am somewhat behind on reading journals, not too bad, but I will have to catch up tomorrow and Sunday morning. I got some things to catch up on around here today.

The weather is FANTASTIC today! Its a cool 81 out with humidity at only 57 percent. How is that for an August day in Georgia! I will take it. Supposed to wake up to temperatures in the upper fifties here tomorrow morning, I can't wait, its going to feel so good. Everyone have a great weekend...I will be mowing now that the mower is fixed! :)