When the Bastard Minks came last time, to the chook house, and killed eleven of our lovely heritage chickens they also killed the big white Rooster. Thankfully they have not been back. 
As well as everything else on that dark farmy day, losing Mr Pink and his girls and The Big Dog and then Daisy – in the back of my mind I felt a disappointment not to be able to introduce this rooster into our flagging gene pool. (This picture is from August)
But the big white rooster left behind a legacy. There is no other explanation for this.
So whose your Daddy then? The Legacy chickens.
We have a had a lot of chicks on the farmy, very few last year, until these guys, and never any as black and white as these or this wee lovely speckled brown and white hen. I think that after the first attack when I shooed all the chickens and roosters out to escape the Bastard Mink, there was a little hanky panky behind the barn and finally we have live chickens and very pretty ones too from the Heritage roosters.
With the cold hitting (there isa little flurry of snow in the air this morning)I have brought the smallest chicks into the cellar (there were two batches being raised by the same hen in the loft. Different ages. Another mystery. I will show you the others tomorrow) with their Brinsea light. Though short lived.. someone left his mark!
Isn’t that a nice thought.
As an aside, I discovered recently that this last summer two men broke in and released 3,000 minks into the waterways a little ways from here. It was a protest against mink farming. Fair enough. But they broke into the shed and let these domesticated (doomed for the fur trade) animals free (to kill other animals – namely my chickens). Minks are mean. They came here and wreaked mayhem. I could understand this protest if the men had taken the 3,000 minks home and looked after them. Took some responsibility! But no, they just let them loose to fend for themselves. No thought whatsoever for the natural balance of things. Or for the terror of these animals as they tried to feed themselves after a life in a cage. Or the trail of destruction through the land.
And for the record I would wear a MINK hat if it was the minks that killed Mr Pink and his beautiful big white rooster and all thosee lovely hens.
Godot is getting bigger and more beautiful every day. The little photo bomber on the left is not so sweet looking but is one of the oldest birds on the property. Those guineas!
Can I come out now, Miss C? I am feeling so much better. Says Tima
No Tima, darling girl, one more day in your bedroom. Just to be sure.
But Tane is in here too! Can you let him out. He is such a pest.
Tane is a pest?
Yes Miss c. He is a horrible pest. Put him out! He smells like a boy. And he won’t stop talking.
Oh no Timatanga. A boy? He smells like a BOY?
Yes, miss c. A smelly boy. Buy me another one. I don’t like this one. Send it back.
Go to bed darling.. we will talk about this again in the morning.
But morning talks are the hardest.
I know, this is why we talk about important things in the morning.
Ni ni then miss c. Miss C?
Yes Timatanga Moana.
You have such a short name compared to me.
That is because you are special Timatanga Moana. Though if you add my confirmation names I am called Cecilia Mary, Edel, Jude, Rebecca.
Oh .. well.. ok .. that is a lot of names.
Ni Ni darling.. I will bring you a pot of warm vegetables in the morning.
…
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Love your friend on the farmy,
miss c
The Kitchen's Garden 
50 responses to “The Legacy”
So glad the stupid wretches were at least caught! And I hope severely punished!! I have worked many years for animal welfare but this takes the cause in totally the wrong direction . . . On the other hand Mommy, you cannot have your eyes everywhere and hanky-panky will occur: delightful outcome this time . . . somehow makes things just a tad better:) ! Loved to listen in to Tima and you talking, so pleased she seems perkier . . .
yes she is, but I heard her cough again this evening, she seems to do it after she has run in to find me.. sports induced asthma? .. but she is eating like the proverbial horse.. c
Hmmm! Good appetite, active, not hot and bothered . . . hmmm! Does not sound like a sick girl but methinks you may have another vet’s bill to pay . . . the cough sure ain’t normal!!! Could something she swallowed have been caught in her throat???? And she is trying to clear it?
it might be something like that.. but yes, we may be off to the vet again soon.. but this cold has come in fast and hard and often the animals have to adjust.. c
What a wonderful story about the white rooster’s legacy. Well, the farmy has had some fertility issues, but not among the chooks it seems. That releasing of the minks is a horror story. Animal rights activists can be so blinkered, unfortunately, and often rather naive. Tima conversation is hilarious. So glad she’s feeling better.
Must have been a bad moon rising that night. Nothing wrong with wearing that mink’s skin! A warning to others.
That’s the problem with many activists. Acting through emotion without considering the messy reality of facts – and consequences of their actions. Sadly childish, but causing so much damage. I heard about that mink release at the time and all I could think is poor pampered minks and watch out local farmers.
Love that little Tima. Ni Ni all.
Activists did the same thing in Ireland – a country where mink isn’t native. Yeah, I’d wear those guys, too. Decades later they are still wreaking havoc!
Flippin’ ‘eck – as they say in south (or sarf) London….3000 minks? What misguided folk they were. So glad there was some well timed hanky panky behind the barn (what fun!) and glad the little one is on the mend 🙂
That’s happy chicken news! So now we know how the minks found you. That is so sad, on all counts. I forgot to tell you the happy picture in my mind of Auntie Del snuggled in wool from your previous post. I love that you and Tima had this talk.
Skip the mink coat, C—I’m voting for skinning those jerks who thoughtlessly “freed” thousands of defenseless domesticated minks to starve or become nuisance-predator targets, besides killing all kinds of other critters due to this their improper re-habitation. Make a coat out of *them*.
Not really, I would never; still, I do think that people who do such stuff are not only criminals in the general sense but beyond stupid for never thinking about the real consequences of their actions or what harm they’re doing any number of other valuable living creatures and natural resources. YIKES.
Meanwhile, I’m glad you’ve gotten TnT (my cute-Hollywood style couple name for Tima and Tane) the best care they can get so they’ll have a chance of fighting off the Respiratory Gunk. So many wonderful animals to watch over, my dearest.
xoxo,
K
Oh my gosh, 3000 minks! I think I would have gotten my underwear in a bundle! So sorry to hear about your losses but glad the legacy lived on 😊
What wonderful news about those Legacy birds!!!
PS – I hadn’t heard about 3000 minks being turned loose in our state! My word, I agree with you whole-heartedly on all the issues involved and there are many to consider.
Morris evidently.. c