April 9, 2008
Visitors to the flock & hand "after"
Yesterday I got some charming photos and a note from a reader. My only concern is the visitor could bring in disease or mites to a flock. Introducing any new birds to the flock is always tricky, but it looks like this one is pretty tame!
Look what showed up in our yard this morning! She's been trying to get into the pens with the chickens all morning and now that I've let them out, she's following them around. She's all alone, so assuming she's looking for a flock to belong to. Julia and I have named her Isabel. We're hoping she stays. (NO, not for dinner!)
Angel Fruit
A further update today ---
:) Thanks Allison. She stayed all night, roosting in the trees above the winter coop. She was trying to get with the chickens again, but we keep them penned until 11am due to avoid most predators. Currently, she is no where in sight. Yes, the mites/disease issue was raised in my mind also. After calling the neighbors yesterday, I discovered that she has returned to the place from where she was laid! Last summer, when my father-in-law was cutting hay, he accidentally flushed the mother from the nest. In the years past, he would mow a decent sized circle around found nests, leaving the tall grasses up and the nest untouched. Can't do it anymore bc it just makes them a target area for predators. So, last year, he gathered 5 eggs and gave them to the neighbor lady who put them under her chickens to hatch. When she felt they were big enough, she let them out of the chicken pen and have had free reign. The 2 gobblers & 3 hens now roost each night above the chicken pen. They leave during the day to forage, but return each night. She said she has never handled them or hand fed them, but Isabel sure seemed tame. After the chickens put up last night, I walked up to her and she laid down very submissively. I sat in the field petting her for a good 5 minutes. She even let me hold her for a few minutes. When she got restless in my arms, I let her go and she calmly walked off and found her roosting spot for the night. This experience has been fun for us.
On the other hand....
My cast is finally off, below is a photo of the "after" -- numbness issue is gone, but I am finding that I have some weird soreness in the center of my palm. Well, I start physical therapy tomorrow.
