Flocking

Friday, January 07, 2022

_{(January sky’s “Waxing Crescent”, or the “Wolf Moon”, will rise fullest on the 17th.)}

Winds are blowing mightily again, and today’s expected weather is for off-and-on rain and snow. This is a day for me of no outside work, and I’ll walk the horses over to Bobby’s pasture. Let them graze all day, unless our weather gets just awful and that’s doubtful.

Today, I’ll travel to this town’s southern section, Deschutes River Woods, to meet two hen turkeys and three hen chickens that I’ll be adopting. First, my place needs adequate shelter in an area that’s safely-fenced and adjacent to my current chicken flock. My plan is to keep both new and established birds safe while all mutually become familiar. And then to integrate all as one flock.

I continue worrying about having two roosters, and having too few hens to give each rooster his own flock. So far, there haven’t been signs of fighting or bloodshed. Neither rooster has attempted to attack me. Surprisingly, neither has fully developed spurs with claws. I’m hopeful that both may continue their lives among the flock. Otherwise, the Old Welsummer hen, still thriving in my garage, may gain a garage-mate.

Maybe I could leash-train an unneeded rooster and take him into the feed store where I work? Maybe we’d run across someone who’d wish to adopt him?

Dear Friends: Integrations and roosters, not easy fixes but worthwhile projects. Diana