The day dawned windy and cold yesterday.
So on with the clown suit and out I went. Yes that is a piggie on the wrong side of the electric fence.
It should have been here.
During the morning chores I saw this.
Not good. Not good at all. The wind must have blown this unbreakable nylon thread out of my rubbish bin and it immediately snagged on the bird. Bad news Kupa, I told him. You are in a bit of trouble buddy.
This happened with a chook a few years ago and she had to be caught and the nylon cut off before it cut her feet off, since then I have been fastidious in disposing of the nylon that I rip out to open the feed bags. It is a danger to all birds, domestic and wild. I am very careful, but this one got away and look what happened.
Catching a peacock is nothing like catching a chicken. These birds are big and strong. The legs are long and dangerous. This was one thing I could not do this by myself and of course being a Saturday John was at work. I went back inside and I called my neighbour to come and then the postmistress (who lives further away) who I asked to go on call should I need any extra help.
Then I sat down to work out the best way to go about the rescue. Farming has trained me to have a good think before commencing. You have to think like the animal or bird you are going to try an capture. Often you only have one chance to get the job done. A spooked animal or bird makes the job a hundred times harder. Luckily I am pretty good at thinking like a bird!
I put on my leather gloves, (peacocks legs have sharp spurs) locked Ton in the house, tied Boo up, pulled down one of my carrying cages and stood it upright so the lid was open at the top, took some cat food (the peahens are always trying to steal the cats food) and sprinkled it along the rail close to where Kupa was standing, watching. Then I stood still and waited. Slowly, with his legs shackled, he crept along the rail pecking at the feed, until he was right in front of me, at eye level. I reached up and grabbed both his feet in one movement. It was a flappy mess for a moment, but once I had both feet in one hand I was able to guide him and all his feathers head first into the cage. Kupa hissed at me on the way down. And clocked at me when I turned him right side up. I have never heard a Peacock hiss before but he hissed. A jaw clenched, narrowed eyed hiss.
Then I called in the troops. We had one extra helper so I gave him my camera. 
Much to my surprise Kupa sat quietly on my knee through the whole procedure. I held his body with one arm and his feet with my other hand and my neigbour slowly and carefully snipped and peeled each of the threads away and at last The Duke of Kupa was free again.
What a relief for all involved.
Pity I did not think to at least do my hair!! But now you have seen the clown suit. I wear it all the time. If you think the screen adds 10 pounds? The clown suit adds a hundred!!
Have a lovely day.
your friend on the farm,
celi
ps .. and since I am what I eat – I am now officially a pear! True. Sheila and I were picking pears yesterday. One for me, one for the basket, one for the pig. She stood at the bottom of the ladder and pleaded. Looking pointedly at the rickety ladder with her hard sharp snout.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
76 responses to “The Duke of Kupa gets all tied up”
Cecila… togged up in your waders or whatever you call them cannot add 100 lbs to any photo.. you look the proverbial part.. the farmer that you are, hair not all done up… if that had been the case I’d have worried about your future on the farmy… you look wonderful with the pea on your lap, full of concern and protection… and that I can see from photos you feel required a hair comb… you looked gorgeous and full in the way I picture you… tough and a farmer… wonderful…
tough and a farmer, what a wonderful compliment.. thank you.. c
Wondering if you know how lovely you are. Good thing you have a bird brain er … can think like a bird, so everything went smoothly.
That’s the interesting thing about theater people. They are always beautiful when cameras are near.
If only I had wings.. to go with my birdy brain.. c
I held my breath reading this – phew!!!
And you knew what I was up against too, Thank goodness he was in the mood to co-operate. c
Are you kidding me? You are beautiful! There is nothing sexier than a farm girl in Carhartt’s, with tousled hair, doing the work she loves! And what a gift; being able to think like the birds/animals… knowing what they need and how to minister to that. That’s what I love about reading your blog posts. Your words are genuine, compassionate and caring. It’s real life on a farm!
It certainly is real life! c
Cinders, you are gorgeous with or without your clownsuit! And if anyone can rock carhardt overalls…YOU can! Poor Kupa, he didn’t struggle because he knew you were helping him! I hate plastic…there are huge floating rafts of it out in the oceans…:( When dave was in the coast guard, he was involved in a educational program call Sea Keepers and he would go around to schools with a bag of plastic trash to show children what ends up in the waterways when they litter and why one of the reasons, recycling is so important. He would have them tie a rubber band around their wrists behind their backs to show them what it is like for marine creatures to be caught up in our plastic trash unable to free themselves.
Anyway, so off topic…you are lovely C. 🙂
so glad you AND kupa survived the untying.
[I am so sad….have gotten to love visiting your blog and my computer will be down a few days….
I shall have some catching up to do!]
we will see you soon, get that computer back up and running soon.. c
Celi, glad you managed to free Kupa ok. We have spent some considerable time crooning over kitten. What a sweetie.
I can’t help thinking of the Afrikaans saying, “Boer maak ‘n plan!” – a farmer makes a plan, or finds a solution. Very much applicable, here. I think Kupa grasped that the intention was to help, after the initial outrage!
The kitty found cute purple shoes!
I’m so glad you got to Kupa before any permanent damage was inflicted. Those plastic rings are a scourge. I take a scissors to mine before I throw them into the garbage. That purple sneaker really does give some perspective to Marmalade’s size. She’s still an itty bitty thing. Hope you’re having a good Sunday, Celi. We’ve plenty of sun. Yay!
The Case of the Pear, the Devious Pig, and the Shaky Ladder, and the lady author who holds things and whose readers are so mesmerized by her words and actions they see only beauty!
So glad you have helpers nearby. Kupa looks calm in your arms, glad everything went well.
You can now add peacock wrangler to your C.V. 🙂 Nice bit of bird thinking. Kupa was so happy to be out of the cage, he was cooperative, and grateful to have the annoying bit of string removed.
I’m sure Sheila was only concerned for your pear picking welfare.
What a CV you must have by now with so many skills. Each day we learn about another one. You are a very talented lady, Celi.
Aah, so *that’s* the clown suit. Over here we call them “overalls”. 😉 Glad Kupa was ok, you’re a good mommy. xx