As you all know we welcomed Hana Bean to our homestead the Wednesday before last.
She had a bit of a hard time adjusting to her new home, but now all is well. Getting used to The dogs is a slow prosses for her as she had never been around any and Baricad and be a bit excited at times, it is all coming along though. The baby boys have taken a liking to Hana but it is not a mutual thing yet, as I am sure it will be soon.
Losses,
Yesterday I was running late and in a hurry. Normaly when I go out to do all the feedings my dogs are out with me, but this morning they were in finishing up thier breakfast. As I walked into the yard to feed the baby boys, I saw this dog like thing zoom by the outer property gate opening where all the chickens hang out and forage. I knew exactly what it was........A damn Coyote! I dropped those bottles and ran out after him, all the while forgeting that I did not have my Mommy protecters (the dogs) with me. I ran as fast as I could tward where he was heading, I figured he just came out for a shot at an easy breakfast and that I had cought him in the act and ran him off. I called for my 9 yr old daughter Rylaya to "Let the boys out now, HURRY!" They came bounding out of the fence.
By the time we got to where I thought he was, he was gone. So I turned right around and ran the other way to the lower property. I stoped at the top of the hill before the decent down and there he was at the far end, he even turned and looked right at me when I yelled at him. Then he ran into the creek and was gone.
I was worried there might me another one because they sometimes run in pairs, not often though. But I thought sence my luck was good enough to have coyotes in the middle of the city in the first place that I better not chance weather or not one was still here. Better safe than sorry. So I again turned around and ran back the other way. I checked on the girls as I ran by, I saw most of them. But wait, where are the newest three? I stopped dead in my tracks with the dogs going crazy by my side..... Shit..... Those three girls never stayed with the group, they always ran out to the front pasture every morning. I began to run again, hopeing that they found shelter in the thick black berry bushes that they like to wander underneath.
Nope. As I walked into the tree line there was the first batch of strewn feathers from one of my new Silver Laced Wyndottes. This group consisted of two SLW and one Elvis looking cracked out Road Island Red. I walked a bit ferther and there was another struggle site. Leaves cleared from the battle, dirt turned up and feathers all around. But no bodies, no parts, no blood! In total I found four spots where this had occured so I imagine that they gave a bit of a struggle, I praised them for that! Still I have not found any sign of RIR feathers. Maybe that kill was taken very quick and easy then left with to eat else where.
The boys and I continued our rounds of the property to scare any remaining coyotes looking for the breakfast buffet. Also so that I may continue yelling and curseing out that damn coyote that did get my girls, and warning him that he better not come back or I will be useing his beautiful hide as a bed or couch cover!
My own reaction and feelings in this are funny to me. Why? Well because you see, I have this soft spot for animals, it is called my whole self. I love animals with every ounce of me, just a bit under the amount I love the Chief and our tribe. Normaly if any of my animals had died in anyway, I would have just broke down and cried, and cried, or and cried some more. But those ways have begon to change after I started out lil homestead thing here. I killed my first chicken on Saterday or Sunday ( but that is a story for another day, coming soon) At first it made my stomach a bit funny, but as I began gutting it, I got better and then the feeling was gone. So when I realized this coyote had taken two, possibly three of my girls I was not sad. No, I was PISSED the FUCK OFF!!!! This bastard took food off of my table, and out of the mouths of our tribe! Those two (or three) chickens would have brought us not only eggs soon, as they were not yet laying, but two dinner each! That is four dinners. It took me at least half the day to cool down from this insident. I think the Chief was really getting tired of hearing about it, which in turn made him more mad that this had happend cause he had to listen to me rant.
Well, after contacting the local Fish and Wild life in our area, and finding out that there is nothing I can do about it in the city limits (if they were to find out) The Chief sugested that we go pick up a high powered pellet gun, if not for anything elts but to make him think real good and heard about coming back again after his next atempt.
This has happend at a really bad time for our homestead as we are getting some additions. Which brings me to.....
New arrivals,
After scouring Craigslist as I do every morning and at least a dozen more times threw out the day, I found a lady in Seatac with three hens and a rooster 8 months old. She was giving them away for free. Would have been nice if she had decided this last week as I drove right by her house on the hour drive to get Hana Bean, would have been convienent. So I got ahold of her and arranged to go pick them up. For those of you whom do not know my area at all, this is 45 min away. Our scheduals conflicted so much that she told me just to go to her house and get them out of her back yard.......Right.
Well today I packed up the car with a few boxes, chicken treats and Mommy treats as well as my Smith and Weston M&P 9mm. I love this thing. See I am a very petite girl/woman and allthough I can certainly carry twice my weight in gold (not literaly, but alot ;0) the Chief insisted that when going to do dealings with people from Craigslist (becaue of the killings and robberies) that I carry my gun. Expecialy when I can't take Jazz with me ( Mommy protector #1)
It did not dawn on me untill I got there that Roosters can be VERY protective of their girls...Shit! So here I am thinking I am going to get my ass handed to me by a pair of spirs, but I though hell I came all the way out here, I'll give this a shot. I went into the yard and was greeted by these two beautiful Black Cochin hens and a Gorgiouse BC Rooster. The roo did not run after me, just stared at me for the 5 seconds it took me to get a handful of scratch out of my bag and throw it for them. I looked for the third hena and she was nice and snug in the nesting box waiting for me to wisk her away.
As I took chase around the yard, I noticed that there were eggs all over. One here, one there and then a nest of about 10 under the porch. The chase of the girls ended very quickly with the great help of some very ong branches that had fallen off thier trees. Then I went one round with the roo threw the yard and in the coop he went. Oh damn, what a shame sir. Here just let me close that door for you. So I closed the coop door and opened the nest lid, grabed out the hen and then used a small lil broop to make the rooster walk right to me. I was very worried about what would happen when I grabed him, but I prepaird myself and carfuly grabed him by the neck and under his burly chest. No struggle, in the box he went and out to the car.
The only way I had to contact this woman was email. So I sent her one to say thank you and let her know I was heading out. And as if free chickens was not enough I asked her if she was done with chickens and I could have the water container. I waited a few minutes and then headed on my way as I wanted to get home and let these beauties out so I could stare at them in my yard. Now I am wishing I was a bit more patiencent. Not even five minutes later as I just got on the freeway she emailed me back saying that the chickens where her ex husbands thing, he left them there months ago and she did not want to deal with them any more and that I was welcome to any of the suplies I wanted.....Are You Kidding me! She even said if I had drove a truck that I could take the chicken coop. I had been nice enough to collect the eggs for her and put them in the nest box so she did not have to hunt for them and she said I could have taken those too! CRAP!!!! Because I was already on the freeway and did not know this area at all, also cause I didn't drive a truck, I drove home happy and bumbed at the same time.
Now just so you know because of how she openly let me into her yard, and how we do not trust people I made sure to leave a note on the door with my contact info on it.
Also the breed of the chickens was a mystery, I was expecting just either some mutt chickens or just some of the few I already have, which for freee is just fine by me. But no I got these......
Then there is,
Soon To Be's
While on one of my Craigslist searches I also found a pair of Heritage Turkeys for $75. I got ahold of the woman that owns them and she is holding them untill Saterday for me! I was planing on just letting them be where ever they wanted with a shelter to go to and not fence, just roosting in the trees. But now with this coyote thing I am worried that I may have to cancle on buying them for now. Which sucks really bad cause all the other turkeys I have seen for sale are about $100 for the pair. I would really rather not back out. These turks are already at laying age and will hatch their own babies.
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