Oh, those little roos.
You know what I forgot about little roos?
They start crowing.
You ever heard a juvenile rooster crow? Check out the difference between a full-grown rooster crow and a “teenage” rooster crow in this short video. (Little roos are crowing from inside the chicken house.)
And you know what? Pretty soon? I’m gonna have 40 of ’em doing that. GOOD MORNING!
In other chicken news:
The buff hen with her one baby? They’re still living in the garden and she still has her one chick.
I’d have a picture of said chick, but the mama is so protective, and the garden is so overgrown, I can’t get near it with a clear view.
Also, we still have this one hen out of our supposed all-roo batch.
And she’s still a hen.
And also also, I have to share this story.
It’s not unusual–though one would think it would be!–for “stuff” to fall INSIDE my chore boots as I’m walking around. Seriously. Miraculously. It’s very odd. Small rocks. Bits of hay. Feed. You would not think this was possible, but ‘TIS. Latest worst? The hens like to nest on top of hay bales. I pulled down some hay and felt a WET thunk INSIDE one of my chore boots.
Oh, yes.
I knew. Oh, I knew what I was WALKING IN until I finished my chores.
A PIECE of CHICKEN POOP had fallen INSIDE MY BOOTS from atop the hay I had picked up.
Why do these things happen to me? How can it even be possible? Why? How? PERHAPS, chickens, oh yes, PERHAPS I shall EAT YOU ALL!
I just had to share this with someone. Thank you for listening.
Sheila Z says:
rotten egg would be worse
On August 26, 2011 at 1:12 am
roosterrun says:
That’s how the saying “Poop Happens” probably got started!
On August 26, 2011 at 6:07 am
Granny Trace says:
:hissyfit: I put my toes into a mouse in my slogger this morning .UGH!
Granny Trace
http://www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com
On August 26, 2011 at 6:08 am
Flowerpower says:
If you ever went barefoot in the yard you had to be vewwwy careful or you were in chicken poop! Haven’t had the “pleasure” of it in my boot…but I sure wore it on some shoes! :happyflower:
On August 26, 2011 at 6:34 am
jfdavidson says:
40! guess you will be processing some for the freezer!!!
On August 26, 2011 at 7:44 am
Cheryl LeMay says:
Oh yes! Aren’t those young roosters funny when they start to crow?Just like teenage boys when their voices change(although I’d never laugh at a boy for that). But those roosters crack me up every time I hear them.And they think they’re such big roosters when they do it too. As for getting poop and other stuff in your boot-not so funny.Been there done that. Good thing we’re washable.
On August 26, 2011 at 8:36 am
langela says:
I love hearing the young roosters crow. It cracks us up every time. You older roo sounds like he’s gargling while crowing. My kids liked that, too.
On August 26, 2011 at 8:51 am
Imperious Fig says:
I can relate – we have about 95 young roosters starting to croak/crow! When they start to fully crow – it’s time for the freezer! 😉
On August 26, 2011 at 9:13 am
Runningtrails says:
Stuff falls into my chore boots too! I don’t know how it all in there. I have to empty them in the yard before taking them to the porch or inside. Never had chicken poop in them, not yet anyway. Yuk! I have put my foot into dog poop more times than I can count, squshed between the toes even, and cat barf and…
It happens and, yes, thanfully we are washable and so are our socks! lol!
On August 26, 2011 at 9:31 am
cabynfevr says:
A very timely post on chickens! I have a question for all you farmers of fowl. I live in CT and as the whole world knows, Irene is about to make an unwelcome visit. My delemma is, do I let my free range chickens, ducks and geese remain out during the storm or should I lock them up? My father always felt it was safer to provide access to shelter but to NEVER lock an animal in so they had an escape route if needed. I tend to lean that way… lock them in the smaller pen with the barn door open so they can go in or out as they please. Any suggestions??
On August 26, 2011 at 10:06 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
cabynfevr, from my observations of my chickens, chickens will seek shelter in the rain. They don’t like it. (Like goats!) But ducks and geese will stay OUT in the rain. They love it. If you have a sturdy shelter for them that won’t blow down, they might be better locked up, though if the winds are strong, they might finally seek shelter on their own.
On August 26, 2011 at 10:27 am
lizzie says:
Suzanne, you gave me a giggle this morning, Thank You! been there is the poop, but no roosters on this property, the neighbors would roast me.
On August 26, 2011 at 10:10 am
chickenherd says:
I would personally lock my birds up, being a control freak and way overprotective of my chicks. But, I’ve never had a huge storm like that come through around here, so I wouldn’t really know for sure. Seems like they might get blown away if you don’t lock them up, though. :no:
On August 26, 2011 at 10:11 am
DancesInGarden says:
I was carrying a pan of poopy water to dump it outside the chicken trailer (yes, our chickens live in an abandoned trailer ROFL!) when one of them flew up and tried to land on the edge. It tipped, and that poopy water poured RIGHT INTO MY BOOT.
On the bright side, I know my boots don’t have any holes, because they held that swamp very well as I walked around sloshing. I feel your pain (and squishy feelings)!
On August 26, 2011 at 10:18 am
Jersey Lady says:
Roosters are ready for “action” about the time they really get their big boy crow going. That also is the time when they start to develop muscle. Since muscle in chickens makes for tough eating, it is best to butcher roos on the youngish side. That will result in the most tender meat.
On August 26, 2011 at 10:51 am
Merryment says:
I feel for you on both counts, Suzanne! I went out yesterday, and two of my very friendly pullets hopped up on my shoulder. I don’t know what Paprika had been scratching in, but it sure smelled a lot like dog poop. Eck.
I was in the bathroom the other day getting dressed for work, had the window open (because I like to hear the meaties wake up & make noise every morning) and I heard something that sounded like a kazoo. And again. And again. I’m feeding them tofu and crumble mash now, hoping the phytoestrogens help temper their ‘cockiness’. With my luck, the ‘kazoo’ will just go up an octave! They go on their Special Vacation on the 8th. We live in town & aren’t supposed to have roos, but the Red Broilers only come as straight run, so what are you gonna do?
The good news is, not all of the little fellers will crow, only the more dominant ones. Roo Hoo!
On August 26, 2011 at 12:04 pm
csugden says:
Your rooster has a french accent! He rolls his “r’s” very nicely.
On August 26, 2011 at 1:29 pm
holstein woman says:
Its not bad until they try to wake me up at 3:00am. I have about 25 to butcher NOW. I’m so glad the roosters don’t do their major crowing at the same time the hens are cackling. I have over 70 hens annd 64 in the brooder.
On August 26, 2011 at 2:03 pm
jobeth9 says:
suzanne, are you planning on processing the meat birds yourself? my husband & i would like to raise meat birds (we all ready have egg layers). but, we have never butchered a chicken before and we also do not have a plucker…any advice?
On August 26, 2011 at 2:46 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
jobeth, yes, we’re going to do them ourselves. We have borrowed a plucker. I don’t know any advice as I’ve never done it before and honestly am planning to stay out of it here! I’ll be waiting in the kitchen with the batter and the skillet, LOL.
On August 26, 2011 at 2:51 pm
mamajoseph says:
Poop happens. (someone had to say it)
On August 26, 2011 at 3:17 pm
CarrieJ says:
Huh. Now I know I don’t want roosters. Those juvys sound really kind of lopsided and crooked if that’s possible. Are you going to keep the surprise hen?
On August 26, 2011 at 3:45 pm
enjay says:
You might consider skinning the chickens rather than plucking for your first time butchering experience. Hand plucking is not too difficult if you don’t have a large number to process but it’s time consuming and can cause sore, crampy hands.
Youtube has some videos on skinning chickens, plucking etc. I’d link to some but they can be a bit graphic. Chickngrl https://www.youtube.com/user/Chikngrl has a video with good discussion of the technique she uses and a couple of tips in her skinning video, but she doesn’t show the skinning itself.
On August 26, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
enjay, we are borrowing a plucker!
On August 26, 2011 at 7:21 pm
cabynfevr says:
Thanks Suzanne and Chickenherd! I think I’m going to lock them in the smaller pen around the barn and leave the lower half of the door open (hoping it doesn’t blow off the hinges!). As afraid of them getting hurt in the wind as I am I’m almost more afraid of a tree falling on the barn and them being trapped inside! Definately cutting the electricity to the barn though!
On August 26, 2011 at 9:44 pm
JerseyMom says:
I routinely check my shoes before I walk into my office because even though I’ve usually changed shoes after I do my barn chores sometimes I end up running back out there before I leave and have had the misfortune to be at my desk and smell one of thoooose smells – can only be coming from my shoes in that environment 😕 I was at high school orientation with my daughter last week, sitting in the auditorium listening to the various ‘welcome to the big bad world’ speeches and looked down to see a 12″ piece of hay IN my shirt! DD just rolled her eyes when I removed it.
As to the chicken in storms quandary, if they are all in the coop when I check on them last I’ll latch the door so it doesn’t blow off. We are glad that we are ONLY getting winds of about 45mph by the time Irene gets here. Last night it was supposed to be more like 70. Still planning to become and island in our little village as we are the high spot in town and we anticipate several days with no power but we are prepared. The rain has just begun….off to clorox the tub and fill it with water for bathing, etc.
On August 27, 2011 at 10:18 am
whaledancer says:
I keep playing this video over and over, because it makes me laugh every time. Those soprano cockerels sound so pathetic, it cracks me up!
On September 7, 2011 at 11:18 pm
SoIn_FarmGirl says:
I love the sound of young roos!! So cute. I first heard it from one of our first batch of “pullets”…I was a bit suprised! :chicken: But still a cute sound.
On September 8, 2011 at 8:01 pm
CockoftheWalkFarmandGardens says:
:heart: Oh my goodness do I ever love “farm sounds”!!
On May 7, 2014 at 6:52 pm