Creating Nesting Boxes for Peahens – Hows that for Positive Thinking!

The peahens, Pania and Tui, are spending most of their time in the barn lately. Of course Kupa is up there with them.  They are together much more than previously so I have high hopes of some eggs. They should start laying sometime in late March or early April. These are young hens so they should lay one clutch of 4 or 5 and then sit.  I have read that they are good mothers.  I do hope so. I hope to nick a few eggs, if I find them, and pop them under a broody chicken so I can raise a few peafowl for sale.

Yesterday we had a delivery in a large strong box with a lid.  I took both pieces of the box up into the Gods, right into the top of the barn and hid them in two of the darkest corners, behind bales of straw and assorted barn junk. I filled them with straw, in the hopes that the Tui and Pania will  use these for nesting boxes. I have read that you can do this with big tires or triangular wooden boxes in the corners of the loft.

Wild peahens usually create nests in the long grass but with the packs of wild domestic dogs and coyotes and raccoons and hunters I would rather they chose to nest in the barn. I don’t cage my big birds though so who knows what they will choose.  Fingers crossed. Just imagine a whole gaggle of pea-chicks!

Tilly watching me watch her from up in the barn loft. Just in case a bottle should appear and fly straight down into her mouth.

Mia is still very quiet. I am sure she is not in pain anymore but she is so slow, so deliberate in her movements. 

Interestingly here is Mia exactly a year ago, recovering from her last miscarriage. A vastly different sheep. This time she has not recovered her vigor.  I should never have let her breed again but this is such a tiny property and I wanted to give her another chance which turned out to be a cruel choice. Well, I will keep an eye on her. When it gets a little warmer I shall put all the sheep outside, it is much healthier OUT of the barn. And in a wee while all this snow on the ground will soak in and it will get warmer and the grass will start to grow and then the health and spirits of all the animals will take a leap upwards.

Good morning. Today we are doing another junkyard run to work on the recycled timbers for the trim and counters and shelves in The Coupe.  I have a man who will work with me on this when The Kiwi Builder is ready.  It is slowly all coming together.

Have a lovely day.

celi

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