There was trouble in Seymour’s love nest all day today, of a sort I’ve seen before. One hen just sort of goes nuts, and Seymour is involved. He apparently starts persecuting her, she starts spending the day inside the coop or flying into my face whenever I enter the yard as if looking for help.
I let it go the first time this happened and ended up with a hen so emaciated and sick the other hens started attacking her. I saw it happening this morning, let it slide to see what would happen, and by late this afternoon we definitely seemed to have a crisis on our hands. So I picked her up – she made no move to stay away from me – put her in a cage and took her back to the Big Chickenhouse. She’s been gone from the main flock less than a week and was getting along fine there, I have high hopes that she’ll fit back in without trouble.
It’s weird. The other three hens seem to get along with Seymour just fine.
At present my tentative plan is to collect a couple more from the main flock, maybe tomorrow, and introduce them together into the Fortress just so I’m not sending a single hen in there alone. Then I’ll move the one that works out least well back to the main flock. Comments?
They don’t call them bird brains for nothing. Never know what will set them off. Male Birds are the poster child if examples of an abusive husband. If they decide they like one of the opposite sex they do not take no well.
“Comments?” Well that certainly sounds like a logical plan to me, but everything I know about chickens I learned here at TUAK.
Joel & the TUAK chickens school !!
I’m learning too. I’ve seen some live, but mostly wrapped in plastic in the cooler section. Sometimes hot from the oven in the warm deli sections. And I only think they are chickens because that is what the label says. They are tasty, so not sure I should care if they are really that, or something more iffy I should really want to know more about.
Closest to live food bird I’ve taken was a Canadian goose when I was 21. Lost it because out of season or such. Forfeit the High Standard Citation target 22 also. Same reason. Not sure I took the bird for food. I can mark the day as I learned it was same one George Wallace was shot. I stopped my competitive shooting of four years about then. Viet Nam days, Kent State, Navy is paying my last two years NROTC. Shooting paper vs shooting living things, I elected to visit live target.
Hippies, Marines, some really awesome folks around back there then, Pennsylvania way. I think I can connect the dots, and they can work but only if process allow players can opt in or out. My weopons are not for trade. It is an uphill fight. There are to many Mandarins*.
*They plan to out last me…
(I’m gonna send and f**k edit as option then is gone!)
The goose.
I hadn’t gone goose hunting but searched semi rural Main Line outside Philly to shoot outdoors. (Add some youthful idiocy.)
I’m practice then mostly at 50 feet at paper, same old same old I do well. The goose lands maybe 30-40 feet away. First shot hit center of chest. It didn’t go down, but looked at me like saying, “why did you shoot me?”.
I emptied the rest of the 10 round magazine and all rounds missed. I cannot account. It kept looking at me and I can see the eyes today. Come then an Officer addresses me from the road maybe 75 yards away. I place the weapon on the ground so to approach him and engage. I thought it curious when he asked me why I left my weapon as I came toward him! Hello.
We returned to the bird which had expired and another officer already had my weapon. I credit their tactical coverage. The bird went in the squad car trunk and if I recall, I got to ride in the passenger seat. I learned I’m not supposed to want to eat these birds ’cause worms and stuff. My experience suggest police were more personable back then. Neither officer approximately drew a weapon.
Yeah a .22, but I had already emptied a first magazine at a ridge line and am pretty sure the loud enough had put a call out. Also pretty sure my Marine Gunny shooting instructor got wind and intervened in my favor. Lost my weapon an got a $100 fine and went home.
Sorry for all the line space taken, but is an old marker in my life.