Wild Winds Homestead : June 2016

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Wild Winds

Our first week on the homestead was a wild windy one. Martina and I arrived home before everyone else to find the tarp on the trailer vigorously blowing in the wind; in order to save the tarp we opted to remove it. It took all our strength to hold it down long enough to remove it. It was the same as we put up a temporary horse shelter for India. We also love the wild and free feeling we have in owning our property, the freedom our children have and the wild desert around us. Keeping those things in mind we have named our little piece of desert, Wild Winds Homestead!

Our late chickens

Lucy the Red Star, died of natural cause of old age. We will miss her. She had the best personality!

Roni the Rhode Island Red-She was eaten, she would not stop eating eggs, we tried many things to stop her but in the end she was eating 3 eggs a day so we ate her.

Sophie the Red Star- She was egg bound, we tried to save her in vain.

Phil the Faverolle-Her death is still a mystery.

Blackbird the Black Australorp-She was injured and then several other chicken pecked out her flesh around the injury. We separated her and she eventually healed but did not walk very good. She spent most of her time just sitting in the lay box. She was put out of her misery.

Pickles the Barred Rock-She seemed to have some kind of a stroke, she stood for many hours in the same place and stared off into space. She would not eat and only drank for my husband. After a week she was kindly put out of her misery.

Willow, the Leghorn, is no more, she got in the dog pen and was played with to death.

Chicken who stopped by

Mabel the Mottled Java- She came to us from a neighbor, she would allow their other chicken in the coop. She was at the bottom of our pecking order until the new chickens arrived. She would hop the 3 foot fence and not allow the new chickens to eat their own food. She moved to the Jenie Hansen coop in West Haven! She does well there.

Ruby and Rhoda the Rhode Island Reds- Bought from a neighbor. They pecked the flesh out of Blackbird and were aggressive with several of the other hens. They found a new home with a daughter's friend. They do better there at the bottom of the pecking order.