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”
Actually I love you in your ‘clown’ suit but I can see I have to lose quite an amount of weight before I come visit you on the farmy . . . 118 lbs on a 5 ft 8 or whatever frame IS skinny, Milady!! Like the hair also – why on earth would you wear it any other way 🙂 ! And that ‘Kupa Catch’ was indeed very well thought out!!
a little skinny.. but all in the wrong places! I have always wanted a buxom bosom and a bottom!! c
🙂 ! Miss C – you are mature enough to know that we all have wants we cannot have ~ you look like a top class mannequin and most of us would LOVE that 🙂 !
We love who we are! And that is the secret.. have a lovely day eha.. c
I just ordered myself a nice quilted “clown suit” for the coming winter! I am very excited and plan to wear it all the time. Glad Kupa is free and unharmed.
You will love it, I actually resent having to take it off to come inside.. ! maybe I need one just for inside! hmm.. c
I’m impressed by your methodical approach. Congratulations on mission accomplished! there are so many complications to raising animals; I had no idea. Glad I’ve stuck to cabbages!
I love cabbages! c
What a good boy Kupa! He knew you were only trying to help him 🙂
Didn’t we have a gorgeous autumn day today! c
I kept thinking.. a peacock in a pear tree, silly me.. Your poor little bird, I wonder on some level they must know they’re being helped and feel relieved?
He felt relieved when I let him go and his legs worked, but there is not a lot of room for a brain in their tiny little heads.. this is why I find it easy to think like a bird. c
I am really glad you were able to save Kupa before any real damage was done. Those plastic ties are really dangerous
P.S. I love the picture of Marmalade and the shoe 🙂
Very cool suit. It’s time that you bought the kitten some shoes that fit.
I performed this very procedure on a Carolina Wren that had been caught in bird netting once. Not so dangerous for me, but just as delicate a procedure even for a peacock! So glad Cupa cooperated! And hey, it was nice to see you in the picture for a change, Celi! 🙂
Loved th photo of your kitten on the tennis shoe. So cute. You are amazing how you pitch in and do what must be done.
Not amazing really, you would do the same.. c
Great Captures – certainly have to think on your feet on a farm:)
Sweet Celi, you look no less regal in your bib overall “clown suit” than Kupa does in his bejeweled finery. Hardly anything on earth is as beautiful as a woman in her element, whatever that is! 🙂
xoxo!
I really don’t think you have anything to worry about with the clown suit ! it’s just clothes ! they change with our day no worries
Kupa really got in a tangle there. What are the chances that string being in the wrong place at the wrong time & then getting him so wrapped up. I have to admit though, I’ve never wrestled with a peacock before & hope I never have to. What clown suit? I look 10 times crazier than that every day.
[…] We will know if Mr Flowers is going to be ok by then. But birds are pretty resilient if we leave them to themselves to recover. I learnt that from The Duke. […]