Another Strawberry weekend

We did it again.  Saturday morning we went to the farmers market and then we drove out to pick strawberries.  We came home with 4.5 gallons of them, again.

Strawberry stained doesn't count as "dirty"

I managed to get about a gallon of them frozen and dehydrated, but the last 3 gallons are screaming my name.  I have to get them hulled and cooked into jams tonight or they'll be bad before I have time again.  Wish me luck.

Guess he's attempting to make himself at home

Last night the visiting rooster was back in the coop.  I hadn't seen him all day, but he was in a nesting box with one of the 3 month-old chicks when I did the head count.

This morning I opened the coop door and Clyde and several girls hurried out into the run.  I walked around to open the big door so that I could let the chicks and the guinea out to free range and there was the rooster, attempting to blend in.

Just don't make eye contact and she won't see me

I had to go in and usher him out of the coop to free range because I knew Clyde would tear him apart if he was in the run.

This time I watched where he walked off to, just a short distance behind the coop.  And a few hours later, he was still in that same area.

I haven't seen him come out into the yard area where the birds have been free-ranging this afternoon, so I think he's keeping his distance from Clyde, which is a pretty smart move.

I'm still not sure what to do with him, but for now, this is working.  The only problem is that on week/work days I don't like to put any of the birds out before I leave since it's still early enough to be fox time, but I know I can't leave this guy in the coop or run or Clyde will kill him.

First day of real freedom

I let the youngest chicks out of the coop today to free range.

Freedom!!!

Most of them made one step out the door and then flew the rest of the way

Look at the expression in the eyes of the flying bird

Looking for bugs

They are so pretty

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I think these birds like to take flight more than the others ever have

Some chickens were still hiding in the coop (pun intended)

Chicken!

Just too weary to leave the comfort of the coop

An adult that didn't attack!

Look at the feather on its leg

I think nothing says it better than the look Clyde was giving to the chicks over his shoulder....

Sunbathing

It was about 90 degrees outside today.  Clyde decided to do some sunbathing and a few of the girls joined him.

What in the world?!?!

Three days ago, I heard a rooster crow on the other side of the garden.

The problem was that Clyde was standing about 20 feet away from me.  I stood up straight and looked in that direction thinking maybe one of the first batch of chicks crowed.  I knew it was too soon, but I didn't think of anyone else that would crow.

Clyde turned towards the sound.  Waited a moment, and then crowed back.

Just as I was about to walk in that direction, Clyde took off ahead of me.

I got to the edge of the garden just as Clyde stopped, 10 feet away from a rooster that we'd never seen before.

Clyde planted himself between his women and this stranger

 I'm sure this is just another escapee from the neighbor's barn, but I was still a little nervous about my birds getting in a fight with him.

It wasn't more than a couple of minutes before he was gone.

Two days ago, I saw the rooster again, standing outside our goat pen, about 100 feet from the chicken run, where my birds were still locked up.  He disappeared before I let everyone out to free range.

Today, I let everyone out to free range and then around 9, I went to lock up the coop.  I was in the coop for about a minute talking to Big Red before I looked up and saw this.

He's in my coop!  I couldn't believe it.  

I'm sure he wants to feel safe in a home instead of out in the woods, but I'm shocked that he just walked into my coop with 21 birds in there and a HUGE rooster.  I mean Clyde is three times the size of this guy!

I could tell the older chicks aren't happy, and Big Red isn't happy because the chicks have taken her spot since the rooster is in their spot.  I'm guessing Clyde won't be happy in the morning.

Big Red isn't doing well, still

Although I put Big Red back in the coop last night, any progress she'd made Monday in the house, has been lost.  When I took her into the coop she was still swollen but was standing slightly more normal.  In the coop she stood staring at the roost for about ten minutes before I picked her up and set her on the lowest perch.  In the morning, she was in the exact same place and I put her on the ground because I worried about her getting hurt if she tried to get down.

When I got home from work, she was up against the fence in the chicken run, standing completely upright again.  It breaks my heart.

Here is a picture of Big Red's twin sister.

Notice her back is parallel with the ground and her head is across from her tail.

Here is Big Red after she finally made it 20 feet from the chicken run.

Notice how she is almost completely upright like a penguin

I'm really not sure what to do for her.  I don't want her to suffer, but I don't know how to help her.

So I took a bowl of yogurt out to her.  And all of the other birds ran over.  They've never been so willing to eat out of my hand.

The twin was the first to push Big Red aside to get a taste

Clyde was definitely there to get as much as he could

Notice his big head doesn't even fit in the bowl, he was having trouble getting it after awhile

 While it was nice to have all of the birds being so friendly and willing to eat from me, I only felt bad about Big Red being bumped and stumbling because she couldn't keep her balance.  I'll be heading out soon to make sure she makes it back into the coop, picking her up and putting her in a safe spot if I need to.

Deer, Deer, Deer

This is what I looked out the window and saw this morning as I was about to leave for work....

A chick fight

As soon as these two were both out in the chicken run they started going at each other.

 

They finally stopped after just a minute or two and acted like it never happen.

*** Disclaimer: No feathers lost, no blood shed.  You can't break up roosters/cockerels from fighting because it's the way they establish the pecking order. Stepping in doesn't stop it or help.