Parrot Head

I've already established the fact that chickens make horrible models.  Well, they make horrible parrots as well, but for some reason I continue to put them on my shoulder.

I thought it would be a good idea to put Jessie on my shoulder.  Once in place, she proceeded to peck my eye!  Not once but twice!  It toll me a second time to learn my lesson...pecks to the eye hurt!  I actually think she was trying to eat my eyelashes and missed.  oops!

Of course, I had to get a picture of the action.

 She was too small to reach my eye in this picture or she hadn't realized eyelashes were a delicacy yet.

If you turn your head sideways you'll get a better look.

Not sure who the pirate is and why she's in my backyard

Animal Communicator

One would think Mom would be the animal communicator in the family.  She's always had a way with animals..even had a successful "talk" with Polo to get him to stop chewing on stuff.  However, Brian seems to be the one communicating with the chickens.  I'm not sure what he's saying here, but Jessie's taking it all in...does she have a choice?? hehe 

This picture reminds me of some people trying to talk to Deaf people...they get right in their face AND. TALK. LIKE. THIS. SO. YOU. CAN. READ. THEIR. LIPS...it doesn't work like that. :)  And don't forget to smile and nod at the end of each sentence.

In Brian's defense, they just so darn cute!  How can you resist???

Kate...I mean Doc

The plan was never to have roosters.  They don't lay eggs and they're noisy.  I've been on the fence with what to do with Doc once we got the confirmation that he was indeed a rooster.  I think we've decided to hand him over to my brother and sister-in-law as soon as one of us can make it out to New Mexico, BUT I want to keep him until he's full grown so I can see what he looks like.  So far he's pretty amazing.

He's really not 10 feet tall...it's the camera angle.

He's got a neat looking comb (is that how you spell it...not sure...either way it's neat!)

ADA Needs an Amendment

We recently found out that miniature horses were approved by the ADA as service animals providing they satisfy height/weight requirement...and they have to be potty trained.  If I can potty train chickens I think the ADA should amend their approved service animal list.  As previously stated in my blog, chickens are better than any anti-depressant out there.  I'm going to request a patch of grass and a chicken coop in my office.  Don't worry, I won't be stingy.  I'll share my chickens with any (almost any) distraught person who comes into the office.

 

 

Do you think this would sway the powers that be??

The Sign For "Rooster"...and No He's Not Naked

Brian has been learning a little sign language.  His execution of the sign for "rooster" is phenomenal.  haha.

Ironic??

I just found it ironic that the chickens thought this was an appropriate place to sit.  Shall I turn up the heat??  JUST KIDDING!

Wanna take a little looksy inside??

Boys and Their Chicks

It won't be long before the boys are chasing chicks (more than just my chickens...if you get my drift).

Tommie and Nick came over for dinner just before school started and of course if you come over I MUST show you the chickens.  They were all for it until I released the beasts!  It took them a while to warm up to them.  I don't know that Nick ever did. 

Not so sure this is a good idea

Still NOT sure about these things.

Can you see the fear in his eyes??

He's thinking, "You're crazy if you think I'm gonna touch that thing!"

As always we had a teaching moment...what do chickens eat?  I feel children learn best through experience. Thank goodness we weren't learning what alligators eat.  I don't think they'd go for eating raw zebra.

Long Time, No Peep

It's been a VERY long time since I have updated this thing.  I've promised for some time that I would do it and just didn't get around to it.  Now that I'm ready to type, I have forgotten much of what has happened.  Here's a quick synopsis of everything that comes to mind...

• Doc (formerly known as Kate) pecked Brian's toes REALLY good and he yelled a few obscenities.  Thankfully, mom was inside.
• We tried to combine the chickens, but Doc kept picking on Jessie.  They were fine when someone was looking, but once we went inside the fight was on!  I kept going outside and finding their water bottles on their side.  It was because Jessie was trying to get away from Doc who kept attacking her.
• I'm almost certain Ms. Jessie is a Mister.  Monday she charged Doc and the feathers on her neck were standing straight out.  It looked like something from the movie Jurassic Park...remember the alien that would be sweet and then all of the sudden its face would explode as it would attack?  That's my chicken!
• So far NO EGG.  It will be a GLORIOUS day when Jane finally lays an egg.  I can't wait!!!  It will be better than Christmas (especially since we don't do the gift thing anyway).
• It's cooled off enough to where we don't have to put out frozen water bottles for the chicks.  It had gotten so hot we were putting them out a couple times a day.  Everyone says chickens are dumb, but they knew to sit next to the ice.  I'd say that's pretty smart.
• I'm getting the itch for some more chickens.  I just need to figure out what to do with the TWO roosters I have.  There are talks about sending Doc to live with my brother and sister-in-law in New Mexico.  How silly is that??  My poor mother is yet again being roped into doing something crazy...I come up with an idea and my poor mother executes it...quite well, I might add.  She's going to drive him there (NM) when she goes to visit this December.
• Doc's cOcKa-DoOdLe-DoOs aren't too terribly loud and I have yet to get a noise complaint by the city.  Keep your fingers crossed.
• Miss Jessie hasn't crowed yet, but that's not to say she won't start. When I say "she" it's just wishful thinking.
• Miss Jessie is HUGE!  She caught up with the others and surpassed them!  Go big or go home.
• Oakcliff is having a coop snoop in October.  I'm pretty eggcited about seeing how others have set up their yards.  I have a very nice coop...just don't know how to situate it in my yard.

I know there's more than this, but I can't think...too much pressure! :)

Please know that the rest of the blogs I do tonight are probably out of order.  I'm just going by the pictures in my phone.  Thank goodness I'm "one of those people" that take pictures of every move the chicks make, otherwise we would have no more updates. (You can thank me later. hehe)

Get ready to be caught up!  I apologize to those who will get an email every time I update. :)

New Chapter for an Old Chicken

Now that Kate's out of the closet we have some decisions to make.

First, what do we call "shim?"  Mom and Brian settled on Doc...as in Doc Holliday.  I like the name, but out of habit I keep calling our poor rooster Kate.  This quite possibly has caused some anger.

Kate/Doc attacks poor Miss Jessie when we let them out.  If we don't break up the fight quick enough then Kate/Doc comes up with a mouth full of feathers.  Poor Jessie just screams.  However, when the partition is between them Miss Jessie struts her stuff and acts like the big man on campus.  She's thick, but she can't fight very well.

Second, my goal in having chickens did not include owning a rooster.  If you remember, their jobs were going to be to eat bugs, compost and lay eggs.  Do I get rid of Kate/Doc because she/he can not fulfill one of her/his duties?  Suppose my parents didn't pray every night for a baby girl (which they did.  my brothers did too.  I'm an answer to a prayer.  hehe) and they wanted a little boy.  Once they realized I was female would it have been appropriate for them to get rid of me or have me for dinner?  Probably not since we live in America.

I have joined Dallas Backyard Poultry Meetup Group.  They are hard core chicken handlers and they've basically all said I may have to give him to someone to eat.  The office has said to keep him umtil I get a noise complaint.  What to do?  What to do?  Knowing me I will ignore the problem until I MUST do something.

I'll keep you posted...meanwhile if you want to see her it might be wise to hurry out.

Trouble on the Homefront

There are MANY options for the title on this one...

Am I Hearing Things?
Please Tell Me I'm Hearing Things.
Is it Possible To Castrate A Rooster?
Please Let Him Be Gay
That Explains Things
Oh Boy!
What Will the Neighbors Think?

Long story short...

Brian and I went out to "mend fence" one morning last week.  I thought the wood had gotten old on the horizontal boards and snapped.  Come to find out my handy-dandy drunk neighbor hit it.  Anyway, Brian was in the alley checking out the fence and I was in the back yard when we heard something.  I sounded a bit like a metal gate opening and closing.  Brian said, Did you hear that?"  To which I responded, "Yes."  Then it happened again and then again.  Each time it sounded more and more like a "cockadoodledoo."  In my head I was thinking that Miss Jessie sure did mature quickly.  I started watching Miss Jessie so I could see her crow.   What did I see?  Miss Jessie was eating so either Miss Jessie wasn't crowing or she's VERY talented and can multitask like a champ.  Upon closer inspection...IT WAS KATE!!!!  Kate's a dang rooster!  We had a 95% guarantee that Jane and Kate were hens.  All this time we were worried about Miss Jessie being a rooster and turns out we were worried about the wrong chicken.

Now what do we do??  This poor chicken that I have bonded with now has identity issues.  She's dang cute when she does it though. :)