Another coop is going up in the storage shed. The first was just for small birds, to be close to the bigger birds as they grow. So now the bigger area is going up. Slowly. I swear I will finish this coming weekend -- I have to, because the little ones can not fit in their 18"x18" box. And they stink the house up.
The elders are undergoing changes -- their heads are taking on a distinctive blue and purple color against a chalky white. Can't wait to see them fully grown.
YT, who had lost his toenail a few weeks back, seems to be growing it back. But not without some bleeding along the way. Poor thing.
There is now a dinner bell attached to the coop! I ring it every time I feed them millett. Hopefully they'll get it and know to come home when they hear it ringing.
Kerrie and I had ate a guinea fowl over the weekend. No, not one of mine. Store bought. Delicious!
2004/10/27
2004/10/20
11/2 already!
At the two week mark one of the babies jumped out of the box, so now there's a screen over the top. One still has a hard time walking, and another has funny toes. I see a meal in their future.
The elders are mostly okay. 0010 had a serious toe bleed the other day, so I seperated her from the rest. She cried out a weak buck-wheat like she was being punished. It was the right thing to do though -- she had droopy eyes and looked like she was about to pass out. The others were pecking at her toe and her chest feathers were covered with blood. Yuck.
The coop expansion has been delayed, due to too much napping. There are still just two females that I know of. Kiki is buck-wheating up a storm as usual, and Rotisserie is an outcast. I give him special attention though, so he's otherwise fine.
The elders are mostly okay. 0010 had a serious toe bleed the other day, so I seperated her from the rest. She cried out a weak buck-wheat like she was being punished. It was the right thing to do though -- she had droopy eyes and looked like she was about to pass out. The others were pecking at her toe and her chest feathers were covered with blood. Yuck.
The coop expansion has been delayed, due to too much napping. There are still just two females that I know of. Kiki is buck-wheating up a storm as usual, and Rotisserie is an outcast. I give him special attention though, so he's otherwise fine.
2004/10/10
10/1
Week 10 for the elders, and week 1 for the youngin's.
The elders are fighting still -- lots of scabs on necks, and YT, the supposed king, has lost a claw on the right foot, right toe. Oddly enough, some of the other elders have damaged right toes on the right foot. I wonder if it is something in the environment that might be causing this. They are otherwise fine. There is a lot more vocalizing too -- "chi-chi-chi" from the males, and "buck-wheat, buck-wheat, buck-wheat" from the ladies. Some are not vocalizing yet so it's hard to tell what the final male/female ratio is.
The babies are a week old. Their new feathers are about 1.5 cm now. Seems they started showing growth about 3 days ago. One of the newborns has what's called spraddled legs -- they don't point quite straight forward. I've put a rubber band around them to pull them back towards each other. It'll be a permanent deformity if it's not taken care of now.
The coop is getting renovated -- a larger area is being made for the adults, and the area they are in now will become the wild game area: pheasants, chukars, what-have-you.
Thank you for the visitors today. The Alpine Learning Staff was glad to give a tour of the facilities for the adoring fans. Thanks for coming.
The elders are fighting still -- lots of scabs on necks, and YT, the supposed king, has lost a claw on the right foot, right toe. Oddly enough, some of the other elders have damaged right toes on the right foot. I wonder if it is something in the environment that might be causing this. They are otherwise fine. There is a lot more vocalizing too -- "chi-chi-chi" from the males, and "buck-wheat, buck-wheat, buck-wheat" from the ladies. Some are not vocalizing yet so it's hard to tell what the final male/female ratio is.
The babies are a week old. Their new feathers are about 1.5 cm now. Seems they started showing growth about 3 days ago. One of the newborns has what's called spraddled legs -- they don't point quite straight forward. I've put a rubber band around them to pull them back towards each other. It'll be a permanent deformity if it's not taken care of now.
The coop is getting renovated -- a larger area is being made for the adults, and the area they are in now will become the wild game area: pheasants, chukars, what-have-you.
Thank you for the visitors today. The Alpine Learning Staff was glad to give a tour of the facilities for the adoring fans. Thanks for coming.
2004/10/05
XXX Hot Chicks XXX
Well, not chicks, but keets. They are naked though.
They are doing what keets do -- sleep 10 minutes, eat/drink for 2, repeat. Funny how easy it is to spot the runt. It's slower at finding food and water, and isn't as active as the others. Already.
And without further delay...
[Title shamelessly stolen from Lissa who used that to get my attention in some recent email.]
They are doing what keets do -- sleep 10 minutes, eat/drink for 2, repeat. Funny how easy it is to spot the runt. It's slower at finding food and water, and isn't as active as the others. Already.
And without further delay...
[Title shamelessly stolen from Lissa who used that to get my attention in some recent email.]
2004/10/04
Week 9 and week 0
There's some good news and bad news. First the bad news.
The keets are continuing to establish pecking order, in a big way. One has a big scab on his neck, and two others have bloody toes. Kerrie and I saw YT bullying Rotisserie. He's definitely top dog. This is normal behaviour, so I try not to get bothered by it. They are otherwise acting normally and growing -- the helmets are showing through now, and the wattles are growing in more as well as darkening.
The good news is... out of the 10 remaining eggs from the original 22, 2 have hatched, and 4 others are pipping! They are a bit darker than the first batch, and as cute as ever, even when they are still wet.
The keets are continuing to establish pecking order, in a big way. One has a big scab on his neck, and two others have bloody toes. Kerrie and I saw YT bullying Rotisserie. He's definitely top dog. This is normal behaviour, so I try not to get bothered by it. They are otherwise acting normally and growing -- the helmets are showing through now, and the wattles are growing in more as well as darkening.
The good news is... out of the 10 remaining eggs from the original 22, 2 have hatched, and 4 others are pipping! They are a bit darker than the first batch, and as cute as ever, even when they are still wet.
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