Friday, May 6, 2011

Woke up, got outta bed......

And, no, I didn't drag a comb across my head.  What I did was the norm - start the java, let the dogs have their morning constitutional, and tend to the girls.  But, I had a bit of a surprise this morning.

Before I go down to the coop or the new chicken tractor, I stand on my back porch and just breathe.  I take a moment to appreciate the morning.  As I did so this morning, I heard a faint, new sound coming from the chicken tractor.  After I heard this sound, I stood in disbelief and thought to myself - uh,uh - no way, I'm just not awake yet.  As this thought exited my sleepy brain, I heard the sound again.  I opened the back door on the porch which leads into the kitchen and softly tell the hubsters to come here and listen.  Of course, the hens didn't oblige.  After several minutes of waiting, I tell the ole hubsters never mind, I'm just hallucinating.  No sooner had the words left my lips when the sound happened again.  The sound not unfamiliar to hear on a farm or homestead at first light. 

It was the sound of someone trying their first cock-a-doodle do's.
Bloody hell... they are supposed to be pullets.
I think Queen Maeve or Queenie, as we've been calling her, may be a Roo, and hence shall have the title of King, not, Queen.
 I think she's the culprit.
Sorry about the poor quality-it was shot through chicken wire

We had suspicions earlier by the way her/his tail feathers seemed to a bit more glorious than the others and longer, too.  It also appears the saddle feathers are long and flowy as what you may find on a roo.

I'm looking forward to first light tomorrow to listen for the "sound" at first morning light.  I know hens can crow if a roo isn't present, but, I think it's pretty unusual.  At this point, it's a waiting game.  I hope for her/his sake it is a hen.  'Nuff said.

Here's the finished chicken tractor that hubsters built to temporarily house these girls until they are big enough to go to the coop with the big girls. 
We move it everyday to a fresh spot of ground so the girls can dig around for bugs and grubs and other buggy delights.  If hens can look happy, these six are in their glory!

Spring has finally presented herself here at the homestead, although she has begrudgingly done so.  It's been cool and very wet - circumstances that make gardening of any type hard to do.  On top of this, add a very hectic work schedule, and, at times, it feels nere impossible to get anything done outdoors! 
Steady on, is all I can say....


Hubsters getting ready for the second tilling on the big garden.  It's taken weeks for it to be dry enough to re-till
I hope to post about the gardens soon and what all we've been up to, including the happenings at this years Faerie Festival. 

I need to catch up with everyone - I'm missing my blogging buddies!

9 comments:

  1. Lol. I've been waiting each day to hear a crow from our "pullets". One of our buffs has some awfully long and pointy tail feathers, while all the other buff girls have fairly blunt fluffy butts. If the rhodie or an ameraucana turns roo on me, they're gone (as these particular birds of ours are psychotic), but I may keep a buff boy.

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  2. But if you keep the roo then you don't have to buy eggses anymore. Or would you just rather have a roaster than a rooster?

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  3. That is funny! Last year we bought 1 barred rock rooster on purpose to go with our "girls", it took him FOREVER to look different than a hen, BUT one day we heard crowing, and one of the Ameraucana's was a rooster. He was way too scrawny to eat, and two would be too many, so we gave him away on craigslist. First though we wanted to make sure the rooster masquerading as a hen was really a rooster, so we finally picked him up and looked. Yep a rooster, just a late bloomer!

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  4. Oh no, I hope you're wrong too. We ordered some all female chicks and at 6 weeks old a couple of them are starting to make me suspicious...I'm done with roosters.

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  5. You write so nicely, Toni, and I always enjoy your posts :) I hope you will find out about Queen Maeve.

    Have a wonderful weekend :)

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  6. Not that it helps at all, but it looks like he'll be one pretty rooster??? Hope it all works out:@)

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  7. That's a pretty rooster, if it is a rooster! I hope for his/her sake, it's not.

    Steady on, I agree...

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  8. Your post made me smile because daughter number two called me this morning and said her prettiest hen is a very pretty rooster. He will have to find a new home and hubs says not here.

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  9. I think I have a surprise coming also. It is only about a month old and not crowing, but the comb looks redder than the other little pullets.

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