After having Elvis and the Mutt in cages for a few days right outside our bedroom, I decided it was time to get rid of them. Their crowing was about to drive us crazy. So I listed them on Hoosier Topics, Bedford Connect and Craigslist. Within an hour I had someone claim these two free roosters.
Now I am looking at the eggs that I am using and none of them are fertilized. So if I have a hen go broody, none of the eggs will be fertile except for my Bantams. Rudy, my Mille Fleur D'uccle is busy fertilizing the banty eggs and trying to do the same with the big hens when Rocky isn't looking. Rudy is just a little rooster and scared to death of Rocky. It's a big job but someone has to do it.
I don't know why Rocky isn't doing his job but he isn't. Maybe he is too big or too old. I am in the market for a new rooster, a young, standard breed. I love Rocky because I can trust him with my Grandkids and this disappoints me. I really don't need baby chicks right now other than it is just fun but as my hens grow older I will need to replace them and would like to grow my own.
Showing posts with label polish rooster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label polish rooster. Show all posts
Friday, April 17, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Saturday Morning
My oldest Granddaughter spent the night with me last night. Unlike her sister who likes to sleep late, this one is an early riser. When she was younger she used to wake me up by lightly tapping me and sweetly saying, "It's wake-up time." Now she just bounds out of bed, gets dressed and tells me she is going outside. Of course, I try to reason with her about the earliness of the hour and the coldness of the early morning air. To which she responds that she will wear a sweatshirt.
I drag myself out of bed when she comes running back inside to tell me that there is something weird out there. I ask her what it looks like and she says that it looks like a dead Elvis but it isn't Elvis. She is talking about my Polish rooster and not the singer. She has seen Elvis and he is still alive, so now she is among the many who can attest to the fact that Elvis lives.
I put my coat on upside down and go out there to see what this is. I should have known what it was when she said that it looks like a dead Elvis, because Elvis is black and white. It was indeed a dead skunk that either Angel had killed some time ago or had found somewhere. Either way it didn't smell like skunk anymore.
My Granddaughter is truly a farm girl. After my DIL (Daughter-in-law) had told me that Elvis had tried to chase and flog her, I was standing talking to my three Granddaughters. Elvis came slipping up behind the oldest one. Like any good Grandmother would do, I waited to see what would happen.
Elvis did indeed flog my oldest Granddaughter, she turned around to see what the problem was and I told her to kick him like a football. She then spent the next 30 minutes chasing him and trying to use him for a football. Elvis has learned a valuable lesson, don't mess with the little people.
Later, Elvis tried to get her Mother again to which her mother responded by asking her daughter to protect her. So my Granddaughter got between Elvis and her mother and Elvis was subdued.
I drag myself out of bed when she comes running back inside to tell me that there is something weird out there. I ask her what it looks like and she says that it looks like a dead Elvis but it isn't Elvis. She is talking about my Polish rooster and not the singer. She has seen Elvis and he is still alive, so now she is among the many who can attest to the fact that Elvis lives.
I put my coat on upside down and go out there to see what this is. I should have known what it was when she said that it looks like a dead Elvis, because Elvis is black and white. It was indeed a dead skunk that either Angel had killed some time ago or had found somewhere. Either way it didn't smell like skunk anymore.
My Granddaughter is truly a farm girl. After my DIL (Daughter-in-law) had told me that Elvis had tried to chase and flog her, I was standing talking to my three Granddaughters. Elvis came slipping up behind the oldest one. Like any good Grandmother would do, I waited to see what would happen.
Elvis did indeed flog my oldest Granddaughter, she turned around to see what the problem was and I told her to kick him like a football. She then spent the next 30 minutes chasing him and trying to use him for a football. Elvis has learned a valuable lesson, don't mess with the little people.
Later, Elvis tried to get her Mother again to which her mother responded by asking her daughter to protect her. So my Granddaughter got between Elvis and her mother and Elvis was subdued.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thawing Chicken
Awhile back my Hubby thought that I had some missing hens but it turned out that they were all here. This time I hate to say that it is true. On the night of the big snow and ice storm the chickens had been in the barn all day. That evening my DH herded them out of the barn and sent them on their way to the goat/chicken shed. We were on our way to the neighbor's for supper.
They always go to the goat/chicken shed without any problems, so we didn't think to check on them to make sure that they all had made it. I really don't know why they didn't make it to the shed but we didn't know there was a problem until the next day.
My Son came to get one of our blazers and when they dug it out of the snow, started it and moved it into the driveway, a Barred Rock Hen ran out from under it. Her feathers were ruffled and she was covered in ice. My Husband caught her and took her to the shed and placed her on the roost.
A short time later my Grandson was out playing in the snow when he came running into the house saying that Elvis, my Polish Rooster was in trouble, he thought he was dying or dead. My DH went out and found him lying in the snow barely alive. He brought him to the house and he had so much ice on his head that his neck could not support it. He would not have survived much longer.
My Husband discovered that he might have missed his calling, maybe he should have been a chicken stylist.
After Elvis was thoroughly thawed out, he was immediately back to his old self and jumped on a hen.
After the Barred Rock Hen was thawed out with the hair dryer as well, I went to count heads. We were missing a Silver Laced Wyandotte Hen, we searched under everything that we thought a hen might hide under from the freezing rain and sleet. As you can see, it was hard to look everywhere.
I guess that when they had tried to make it back to the goat/chicken shed that night they just chickened out and didn't want to walk through the freezing rain and sleet, so they just hid under something, then the snow that night trapped them.
I counted heads again last night and one of my Golden Comets is missing too. I must have overlooked her the other night when I counted. I guess we won't find them until the snow and ice melts, there might yet be hope if they are under the goat/chicken shed because grain falls through the cracks in the floor.
This morning my Mille Fleur Bantam Hen was bleeding profusely from her toe. I brought her in the house and her toenail as well as the tip of her toe was hanging loose. I tore it the rest of the way off and tried to stop the bleeding but it was hard to get stopped.
The temperature was -10 here this morning. I am thinking that her foot must have gotten frozen to the roost last night. After about 30 minutes of bleeding I finally got some cobwebs, wadded them up and applied them to the toe and that did the job.
-10 this morning and 45 degrees this afternoon, this must be Indiana. Angus is doing very well, he has a wonderful appetite now and I am trying my best to keep him from scouring. He keeps wanting me to play with him and I am just not up to it.
They always go to the goat/chicken shed without any problems, so we didn't think to check on them to make sure that they all had made it. I really don't know why they didn't make it to the shed but we didn't know there was a problem until the next day.
My Son came to get one of our blazers and when they dug it out of the snow, started it and moved it into the driveway, a Barred Rock Hen ran out from under it. Her feathers were ruffled and she was covered in ice. My Husband caught her and took her to the shed and placed her on the roost.
A short time later my Grandson was out playing in the snow when he came running into the house saying that Elvis, my Polish Rooster was in trouble, he thought he was dying or dead. My DH went out and found him lying in the snow barely alive. He brought him to the house and he had so much ice on his head that his neck could not support it. He would not have survived much longer.
My Husband discovered that he might have missed his calling, maybe he should have been a chicken stylist.
After Elvis was thoroughly thawed out, he was immediately back to his old self and jumped on a hen.
After the Barred Rock Hen was thawed out with the hair dryer as well, I went to count heads. We were missing a Silver Laced Wyandotte Hen, we searched under everything that we thought a hen might hide under from the freezing rain and sleet. As you can see, it was hard to look everywhere.
I guess that when they had tried to make it back to the goat/chicken shed that night they just chickened out and didn't want to walk through the freezing rain and sleet, so they just hid under something, then the snow that night trapped them.
I counted heads again last night and one of my Golden Comets is missing too. I must have overlooked her the other night when I counted. I guess we won't find them until the snow and ice melts, there might yet be hope if they are under the goat/chicken shed because grain falls through the cracks in the floor.
This morning my Mille Fleur Bantam Hen was bleeding profusely from her toe. I brought her in the house and her toenail as well as the tip of her toe was hanging loose. I tore it the rest of the way off and tried to stop the bleeding but it was hard to get stopped.
The temperature was -10 here this morning. I am thinking that her foot must have gotten frozen to the roost last night. After about 30 minutes of bleeding I finally got some cobwebs, wadded them up and applied them to the toe and that did the job.
-10 this morning and 45 degrees this afternoon, this must be Indiana. Angus is doing very well, he has a wonderful appetite now and I am trying my best to keep him from scouring. He keeps wanting me to play with him and I am just not up to it.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Little Rooster Syndrome
Rudy, my Mille Fleur D'uccle rooster had a bad case of LRS or Little Rooster Syndrome, when we brought the new Barred Rock rooster home. Now this new rooster is quite impressive, he is massive and has a real deep, rough and loud crow. The minute Rudy found him there in the pet cage that next morning, he was itching for a fight. He wasn't about to let another rooster join the community, there was already two roosters too many.
The new Polish rooster isn't much of a threat, he doesn't even crow and he jumps straight up in the air and hits the ground running at the least little noise. But this rooster was different, he just could not be allowed to stay and Rudy had made up his mind to chase him off as soon as we let him out of that cage.
When we did turn the new guy out, Rudy put up a gallant fight. But he just didn't have the right stuff. I have named the new Barred Rock rooster, Rocky, it seems to fit. The following video is what happened when he and Rudy tried to iron out their differences like men.
When Rudy finally decided that he was fighting in the wrong weight division. He ran off in humiliation. My bigger rooster, Boot-strap was next in line to take this newcomer on. I didn't see that fight but I guess that it was a good one. The good thing about Rocky is that he doesn't start a fight, he just finishes it.
The new Polish rooster isn't much of a threat, he doesn't even crow and he jumps straight up in the air and hits the ground running at the least little noise. But this rooster was different, he just could not be allowed to stay and Rudy had made up his mind to chase him off as soon as we let him out of that cage.
When we did turn the new guy out, Rudy put up a gallant fight. But he just didn't have the right stuff. I have named the new Barred Rock rooster, Rocky, it seems to fit. The following video is what happened when he and Rudy tried to iron out their differences like men.
When Rudy finally decided that he was fighting in the wrong weight division. He ran off in humiliation. My bigger rooster, Boot-strap was next in line to take this newcomer on. I didn't see that fight but I guess that it was a good one. The good thing about Rocky is that he doesn't start a fight, he just finishes it.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
My Mistake
I have searched the chicken websites and have come up with some answers, but chicken breeds can be very confusing. I suppose that is because most chickens are mutts, variations of several different breeds mixed up together. But here is what I think that I have.
Seven of my new hens are Silver Laced Wyandottes, though a couple of them do not have rose combs, so I am assuming that they are not pure bred.
My four new barred hens are Barred Plymouth Rocks to go with my remaining two Barred Rock hens that the fox hasn't got yet. I also have two Barred Rock chicks that I think are hens but I am not certain yet, one of them is rumpless.
The three new red hens are probably Red Sexlinks, to add to my three other red hens who are Rhode Island Reds.
This leaves only one new chicken to be identified and that is Cruella, who is not a Cruella after all. I am pretty sure that she is a he, and he is a young White Crested Black Polish Rooster. I hope that I am wrong but I don't think that I am. How embarrassing!
So adding all of these up tonight, I have found that I have 8 Barred Rocks, 7 Wyandottes, 6 Red Hens, 14 Bantams and 3 Roosters, for a grand total of 38 Chickens. I think that we may have more chickens now than horses, but I would have to add all of the horses up to be sure and that would be too depressing.
Seven of my new hens are Silver Laced Wyandottes, though a couple of them do not have rose combs, so I am assuming that they are not pure bred.
My four new barred hens are Barred Plymouth Rocks to go with my remaining two Barred Rock hens that the fox hasn't got yet. I also have two Barred Rock chicks that I think are hens but I am not certain yet, one of them is rumpless.
The three new red hens are probably Red Sexlinks, to add to my three other red hens who are Rhode Island Reds.
This leaves only one new chicken to be identified and that is Cruella, who is not a Cruella after all. I am pretty sure that she is a he, and he is a young White Crested Black Polish Rooster. I hope that I am wrong but I don't think that I am. How embarrassing!
So adding all of these up tonight, I have found that I have 8 Barred Rocks, 7 Wyandottes, 6 Red Hens, 14 Bantams and 3 Roosters, for a grand total of 38 Chickens. I think that we may have more chickens now than horses, but I would have to add all of the horses up to be sure and that would be too depressing.
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