February 16, 2009 | Chickens in the Road

Archive for February 16th, 2009

Feb
16

It started with an angry rooster.

They are rooster-less at the sheep farm and I was happy to supply from our overabundance. Couldn’t be Spartacus, of course. Couldn’t be the black and white one we call the mean one. 52 likes the mean one. I almost like the mean one because he’s so mean, he’s interesting. Couldn’t be Floppy, of the flopped-over comb. That one is Morgan’s favorite. So it fell to the big pretty brown one to make the move.

I caught him on the first try and shoved him in the cat carrier. Just call me the Rooster Whisperer.

We drove him through town. I was kinda hoping he’d crow in front of the courthouse, but he just quietly fumed in his cat carrier.

We arrived at the sheep farm to find Annabelle fresh from her shower, smelling like shampoo and ready for her blow-dry.

While Annabelle completed her spa treatments, the still-angry rooster disembarked from the cat carrier and a Rhode Island Red hen embarked for her own journey in trade back to our farm.

The Suffolk ram said his goodbyes to the little red hen by the truck.

(Above, our new hen.)

The last time we saw our rooster, he was parading about on a hillside with the legion of hens at the sheep farm. Having discovered he had arrived at rooster heaven in the land of all hens, he forgot about being angry. And me. He forgot all about me. That fast. To think, I hatched him from an egg…… And that’s the thanks I get. (SOB)

After a briefing in the bottle feeding schedule and other assorted necessities, Annabelle was loaded up in yet another cat carrier.

She complained at first when the truck started moving, then she got quiet. I let her suck on my finger a little bit, but she really wanted a bottle. I unloaded her on our big front porch and fed her right away, to comfort her and to make her feel at home, and because she bit my finger.

She pulled so hard when she started sucking the bottle, I dropped it. I didn’t expect her to pull so hard. I keep a firm grip on it now.

Then Annabelle met the Giant Puppy.

It was love at first sight for Coco.

Annabelle’s reaction was calm. I love that about sheep. They are so laidback. The goats can get annoyed with the Giant Puppy sometimes. The Giant Puppy is a little too exuberant for them. Annabelle just carried on, exploring the porch. She didn’t even mind when Coco tried to get her bottle. (We didn’t let that happen. My, but Coco would like to drink her bottle, let me tell you.)

Then Annabelle checked out the goat yard from her position high above it.

I took her to meet Clover in person.

I took her inside the goat yard and everybody sniffed everybody else’s bottoms and deemed one another satisfactory.

Next Annabelle met the chickens.

She saw one she recognized.

This is the little red hen we brought home from the sheep farm. There was quite a bit of kafluffling the first day as the little red hen found out what it was like to share quarters with roosters. She laid an egg for me right away. I’m going to have her hold workshops to teach the other hens what to do. I love her already.

Then baby Annabelle came back to the porch. I’m not ready to leave her with the goats yet. She’s so little and Clover is so…..Clover. So unpredictable, so superior, so bossy. Annabelle got too near her (empty!) food dish and Clover chased her around the dog house in the night pen. (I hate to think of what would have happened if there had been a cookie involved.) I think I’d better let Annabelle put a few more pounds on her before I leave her to Clover’s devices.

And I like having Annabelle closeby where I can check on her. Step outside to see her. Look out the window. When I go onto the porch, Annabelle jumps up and scampers to me, throws herself in my arms. From the porch, she can survey the farm and the goats and the chickens and dream of the day she is a big sheep and can chase Clover around the dog house. Sometimes I let her come inside and I rock her. (She snores a little bit.)

We’ve discussed wardrobe.

Annabelle is very interested in fashion.

On the porch, Coco keeps her company. I’m letting Coco sleep on the porch with her, and stay with her a good bit of the day, too. They have become fast friends and naptime buddies. The Giant Puppy generously shares her porch blankets with her little lamb love.

And my, oh my……..

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FACE?!