I got up early this morning to do chores. I needed to do a head count. And with the boy gone for the last week it has been up to me to cover his chores. So I dug up something for the cats to eat. We ran out of cat food and I have been working the last few days. And with the holiday stores were closed. So the cats had to eat dog food today. I will let you know if they start barking or lifting their legs to pee. The cats got dog food and the birds got corn. I made sure the heated water dishes were filled with liquid and not solid chunks of ice. I had decided to hook up the old heating lamp. I usually only use it for the new babies in the spring to keep them warm until they are bigger and the weather is warmer. But it is again frigid cold and it looks like it will be that way for at least another week. So I shut the outside barn door to help keep the heat in and the wind out but still left the inside bar door open so they could come and go as needed. The chickens like to get out and wander around. The opposite of the ducks to would stay super glued to the inside of the chicken coop until it got warm enough to rain again. So every thing was shut up and I turned on the heating lamp. And it started smoking. UGH! So I unplugged the stupid thing and scraped the dried on chicken poop and hay off the hood. I plugged it back in and turned it back on. Thankfully this time it did not smoke. I feel much better now. I know that they are all still safe and made it through the night ... and at least semi warm.
I left the chicken coop through the inside barn door. I heard a ruffling coming from the rafters above my head. The chickens had high tailed it into the barn when I went into the chicken coop. I looked up half expecting one of my perdy reds to be hanging out up there. But when I looked up I didn't see anything. Just as I gave up and started to walk away I heard a VERY loud and boisterous crow. I looked up again and this time I saw this little guy ...
Where in the heck did he come from?! I have Barred Rock hens that are either completely black or striped black and white. I have some random roosters that were here when I moved in a decade ago. OK they are actually the decedents of the big dog daddy that ruled the farm when I moved in. But they look very much like their father. Last spring I got 6 Rhode Island Reds. They are very large and a deep beautiful rust color. They are gorgeous and I love them. I am thinkng of getting more in the spring. So this tiny little grey silky looking guy was a surprise. I know that I have never raised any man so tiny and so darn cute! He was tiny but he had a crow on him that put the rest of the roosters to shame! LOL
He is probably one of the neighbors roosters. We live close enough to our neighbors that we tend to interchange animals here and there. I hate guineas but some how those loud annoying buggers always end up in front of my window during the summer. We often get cats that are not ours hanging around my little ladies. That is how we ended up with Hunter Jr. So I am sure this little fellow wandered to far from the flock and ended up in our chicken coop last night. At least the big reds didn't tear him up for being in their house. But then with that crow I don't think I would mess with him either. Us little guys/girls are scrappy!!!
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