A mystery bird
Isn’t Aunty Del a lovely looking cow. I think she is pregnant because little Carlos IV the wee bull pays no attention to her at all. When I come home from Australia I will bring her back to the home farm for training as a House Cow.
At the West Barn I have established a small flock. These are Hugo’s chooks.
They spend a good deal of their time trying to steal the pigs food. Every evening I bring over the fruit and vegetables – (we have to keep our pregnant mothers and their paramours healthy) .
Under the watchful eye of Hugos flock I add a scoop of alfalfa pellets and a scoop of my own mix of grain ( local: wheat, corn, barley and oats) , and a spoon of seaweed and DE (diatomacious earth) to each bowl with a couple of eggs.
Then the Poppy and Manu are fed. Along with a big flake of good alfalfa hay that they will devour in the night.
So here is my chicken question: (The mystery bird.) Jake had a surprise gift from the hatchery a few months ago. We are not sure if he is a she or not but he/ she (below) is named Lester. Anyway Lester had a rough time of it in with all Jakes uppity chickens. They are all one of a kind and he was the odd one out so in true neanderthol bullying fashion (picking on anything that does not promote the best of the predominant species) he got picked on.
So Jake brought Lester across to the West Barn where at the very least he can get away from the bullies. And Hugo’s flock are all a bunch of muts so they don’t care. His feathers are starting to grow back . But I still have no idea what kind of bird he is. Any ideas?
I hope you have a lovely day.
If you are not sure what to make for dinner just pop over to yesterdays post! There are tons of ideas over there. Once again The Fellowship comes through!
Oh and good news – yesterday I found three indentations in Sheila’s big king sized straw bed. The twins have been sleeping with her! Not too close yet, but only inches away. Molly and Sheila are both in heat and this has certainly helped. So just before the really cold weather descends my Home Farm Mini Pig Herd has begun to unite. Thank goodness.
Love celi
46 Comments on “A mystery bird”
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I think he may be a Black Copper Maran, he has feathered feet, doesn’t he? If he is a she, she will lay the darkest chocolate brown eggs you ever saw. If he’s a he, he’s worth keeping as a rooster in case he passes the trait on to his offspring. Have a look: http://www.maransunlimited.com
Yes, he has the biggest black feathers running up his legs – such an awkward looking chook, but very friendly. c
Those chicken are taking a big risk stealing Poppy’s dinner and Sheila’s a big softie after all 😉
They work fast.. cheeky chooks.. c
He/She looks like a black Leghorn. If turns out to be a ‘He’ they can be a beautiful looking bird!
Glad everyone is hunkering down together for the cold.
That’s what I thought at first – but there seems to be a rainbow patch on his’her back. Our Black Leghorns were a pain in the fundament, escaping at the drop of a hat and going walkabout. They used to meet Dad at the station a quarter of a mile away.
He is not all black, he has orange on his ruff.. fancy your chooks walking that far Viv! c
It was more a sort of hop/fly/run than a walk, until we clipped their wings, but even that didn’t stop them, until we were forced (neighbour pressure) to stretch a chicken wire roof over their huge run.
Definitely not a Leghorn, Leghorns don’t have feathered feet, and they have white earlobes. And it is definitely not black. I agree on the Black Copper Marans, there are not that many breeds with feathered legs otherwise: Brahma, Cochin, Langshan.
It is a great discussion! c
Good morning, c. Haven’t a clue about the chook. Pretty little thing though. I posted my dinner comment just now (if you’re inclined toward interest). Snowed last night, although it’s already melting. Best wishes to you all for a lovely Sunday.
Thank you Misky, I will pop back and look – my list is looking great! c
I have a question about diatomaceous earth. Do you use it for yourself as well? My sister-in-law swears by it. (If you’re reading, HI FINNY!) I cannot for the life of me find it in Italy. The chickens are lovely, but I am not sure, based on their behavior, that I would like being a chicken.
They can be pretty mean to each other in a small space, once Lester got out into the barn he has quickly established where he eats, and hangs out, though they all sleep together.. No I don’t eat DE though it is food grade. It is primarily used in feeds to stop the grains clumping together. I have read that it loses its pointy potency when mixed with water. I have also read of people using it to control the parasites in their intestines which sounds like a good idea to me.. c
Hi there! Have you ever heard of Bentonite? It is a liquified form of clay and the structure of the molecules is such that it attracts toxins to it and flushes them out of your system. It’s pretty bland. When my daughter was tiny (one and up) I would pulverize chewable Vit. C and add it to some Bentonite to make it easier for her to down. I would tell her, “Take another Baby Bite. Just another.” and we started calling it “Baby Bites”. Now she has her own little one and I have supplied her with the necessary ingredients. It’s great stuff if one is suffering from a cold…especially in the initial phases. Much love all ’round! Gayle
yes, that’s why my brother and his wife ut it in smoothies
put, not ut. I’m crap at typing on my iphone.
My John thinks it may be a Chochin. And I’m thinking it’s a rooster, as all of our ‘surprise gifts’ from the hatchery we sometimes order from inevitably turn out to be! 🙂 I just knew that Sheila would finally come around!!! xo
I think the change in the pigs comes from them coming into heat together, so their hormones have taken over for a while (like when we put a boar and sow together) and they seem to come out the other side as friends. I hope it keeps up as tonight we are due to go to MINUS 6. And windy, the cold is one thing the damn wind makes it quite nasty. c
Hooray Sheila: you can’t have too many sleeping partners when the temperature drops.
love,
ViV x
Yes i feel happier when they all cuddle up together.. c
Glad it’s all coming together with the piggies. Other than saying he looks like a he, and a handsome biy at that, I don’t know as he’s definitely not an Andalucian!
I’m leaning toward a Black Star chicken.
Linda
I have an idea C. Pop a photo of him/her in an e-mail to the hatchery where he/she came from and tell them if they don’t tell you what kind of a chicken he/she is, then you will buy your chickens from someone else next time! 🙂 Whatever he/she is, he/she is quite beautiful!
Oh that would be no fun at all. I am sure if i just asked them they would tell me!! They are really good on the phone. I am just trying to guess – a bit of a game.. c
Oh he is a pretty chook. I hope the others are kind to him.
No idea what kind of chicken he/she is but Lester is one lucky bird! So glad also that Sheila is sharing her bed now! Cheers!
I never heard of a Black Copper Maran but he/she is beautiful. I learn so much being part of the Farmy! It is still my favorite place on earth to be.
Me too, Chris. Me too! Lots of love, Gayle
Aunty Del is a lovely looking cow with the heart on her face! I think if I was in the barn, I would be tempted to join the chooks for a snack (the buckets look very appetising) followed by a sleepover in Sheila’s big king sized straw bed! Hope you are having a calm peaceful Sunday!
Your mystery bird or wonderbird has got wonderful colours! Looks like being a cock one day (with his head deco too). I like him. But sorry that he’s got picked on… what means he has been treated like an outcast, wasn’t he?
Great – Sheila’s sharing bed with the twins! Yippeeee.
What a beautiful bird Lester is. I have noticed that even the wild animals who are normally solitary will share body heat on the coldest nights. We especially see this with male squirrels. All bets are off on who is the cock of the walk on the bitter cold nights – I often see four or five males leaving a nest in the mornings. It’s all about survival.
And if it turns out that Lester is a female, her name could be morphed to Lestella. Love, love, love, Gayle
I give my chooks DE as well and all of them….cats, dog and chooks —–have seaweed as well……a good dollop of seaweed liquid in all their waters, and chooks and dog get a spoonful on their food. It does everyone a lot of good. No idea what your ring-in might be, but it’s a very pretty bird.
Oh, I know C. I was just kidding! 🙂 I wouldn’t do that to the poor people either! What ever he/she is he/she is quite a unique bird! Mystery bird is right!
Your mystery bird reminds me of the chickens I saw running around the wildlife preserve in Nepal. No idea of the correct name but the colours are lovely. Happy spooning in the Sheila crib!
Chickens! They are so picky about their friends. Glad to hear the girls are starting to take to Sheila, and vice versa. Auntie Del is a lovely cow!
So nice to imagine the pigs getting closer for the cold weather.
You l know me, I love chooks. And Lester looks very handsome .. No idea of the breed though
Lester – or Leslie – is gorgeous! One year we had Rhode Island Red hens and White Cochin hens… they never mixed. They didn’t fight or pick on each other – they just kind of ignored each other. Each breed would gather together – separate from the other breed – at roosting time.. The Rhode Island Reds were the smartest – by far! But the Rhode Island Reds picked on the smallest… I used to feel so sorry for her.
You are so right….could go either way at this point….but I’m thinking hen….maybe. At this point if it were a young roo, I think you’d have heard his sweet melody by now.
I thought so to, he/she is big bird and very friendly. We will know i think when the tail recovers.. c
I saw a post on Facebook and thought of you. It said if you put a few bottles of saltwater floating in an outdoor water trough…the water won’t freeze. I’m no scientist, I can’t fathom how cold it gets there, and I don’t believe everything I see on online but I thought of you hauling water and I thought maybe it’s worth a try? At the very least it might make a good picture 😊
You can’t help but like Lester. Are those feathery leggings? Glad there’s a safe zone. Chickens can be such bullies among themselves.
Yes – VERY feathery. Lester lives in an old fashioned hay feeder – I call it The Manger – every time I come in he is hanging out there in the warm out of harms way! he is a sweet boy. c
Maybe Lester is a reincarnated Flamenco or Samba dancer. Some chickens are really endearing somehow 🙂