A little about me. I love animals, I love traveling and seeing animals, I love studying animals, I like rescuing animals. Most of you know that I hold two degrees, A Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Environmental Science, and Master of science in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science, and if it isn't enough, I am planning for a PhD in animal cognition. I moved away from most of my friends, and I keep up with them all over the world the best i can, with facebook, emails, now a blog. So many of my friends have blogs, so, now, me.
So, my chicken background story....
Two years ago, I brought home Henny a black bantam hen and her 11 babies. Cute! She had come visiting Andy the lemur at the zoo while we were picnicking on the grass, and she had to come home with me. She settled at the base of some tall palms hidden in brush and she raised her family in our yard. It was not long until a rooster found us and we had more chickens coming to visit. Henny raised another brood, and then attempted a third, which failed due to the fact that her nest was next to the propane tank and only one chick hatched. We named that sole chick, Lone ranger. Henny tried a fourth nest that was depredated by a mongoose (most likely). She left our yard for the neighbours across the street (Now we know why the chicken crossed the road) . She had left behind many offspring.
This is Henny and her chicks. Anyway, our wild chicken population had been established and many dramas ensued...This is the current cast:
Alpha rooster: Mr. Red Rooster, "Red"
Beta male: Master Cockadoodle Robert III, "Bitty Bob"
Hen: Nut
Nut's first brood of the year: The Famous Five
Nut;s second brood: Five days old: unnamed
Hen: Henrietta
Henrietta's four babies: no name yet, except one named Pepper
Hen: Jenny (Bitty Bob's sister)
Jenny's four babies: the Jayjays
Hen: Jessie (Bitty Bob's sister)
Jessie's five babies: unnamed
Hen: Pistachio
Pistachio's first brood of the year: the Super Six.
Dummy Mummy- gave her away, but she had two babies that she rejected early, named Dawn and Dusk. Only Dusk has been seen around the territory.
Settings...
The Territory: encompass our property, our neighbours Lyle and Janetha's property.
Otherlands: the back of our property and the lava tube.
The Other side: Joan and Russell's macnut orchard
I have given away a lot of wild chickens. Most babies get a group name until I either give them away or can tell them apart. I have a softl spot for the special ones with flaws, especially character differences. pepper was named because I can grab and hug him everyday and he is used to it.
The babies:
I try to rescue chickens, and I learn a lot, but most die.... birds are delicate creatures, but I have three babies:
Penelope is a Silkie Hen bought from a bummy looking guy outside the post office. It was her, out of her sibling that I picked and we needed each other. I had just lost Stella ( will write her story later) and was lonely for the company of a chicken. She needed medical attention. She has now grown into a fuzzy butt hen with an attitude that I love.
Stormy: is my pride and joy and only chick raised from a few weeks old to adolescence. He was healthy when arrived but separated from his mommy from what later turned out to be the other side. He is now running free and comes back for corn (in return for hugs).
Stormy in his younger days loved to hide under "my wing" and enjoyed perching on my shoulders.
Star is a pheasant of some description. I think he was dumped at my land because someone saw all the chickens. We don't what he is, probably a young male hybrid. He has a slight limp, and is accustomed to human presence but does not like to be touched. He is Penelope's companion and sleeps perched to her at night.
And so it starts.... I will continue to write as much as possible about the chickens, I have a lot of stories to cover, the triumphs, the losses, the births, death, heros and bullys of the Chicken Country.
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