Turn back the clock!!!

That farm auction sure was fun. But I wish we had never gone, and never bought these dang chickens (except for Mr Kowalski… I LOVE  Mr Kowalski!)

So far they have been a nightmare! As I mentioned before, three of the four game hens are sick with respirtory infections and have needed to be seperated from the other chickens  to prevent infecting them, BUT they can’t be put into crates with each other because they fight. Not just a little pecking either… they rip each other’s combs and draw serious blood! I’m going to have to re-home these girls, I didn’t do enough research into this breed and they just don’t belong in my peaceful little egg-laying community. They need to be somewhere free-ranging.  I don’t even want to add up what I’ve spent on antibiotics and vaccines for these birds only to have to turn around and give them away. I’ve thought about just turning them loose to free range around here, but we’re already deep in the dog house with our neighbors to the left because of Seymour’s crowing… our luck, they would free range right over to their house and roost on their deck right over their hot-tub and poop all over it.

On top of all of that, I went down to the coop to feed the other day and found poor Mr. Kowalski had been attacked and was a bloody mess. So now he too is in the garage infirmary… in yet another crate!  Seymour is the likely culprit although it could be Bess since she has been a royal biatch to everybody establishing herself as the top hen.  He’ll be ok I think, but now we have to build him his own place since I can’t risk putting him back in with the others. THAT, of course means, we have to get him a couple of his own girls too… can’t have him getting lonely!

The last but not least complaint is that Seymour, who had been good-natured and just a big sweet boy has started to turn mean! The last two days I’ve gone in the coop he has charged at me and tried to attack my legs! I don’t think he’s hopeless, he does back down quickly… guess I’ll just have to spend time with him and bribe him with treats.

SIGH… NO MORE FARM AUCTIONS!!!!

Meet Mr. Kowalski

chickens 2008-2, originally uploaded by Weluvthat.

So last weekend Mr. C and I wanted to do something fun.
Mr. C has wanted to get a new rooster since our last one was tragically ripped through the fencing of the enclosure by some unknown creature and eaten … R.I.P. Augustus. I looked in the Valley Trader paper and saw an add for a small farm animal auction in the nearby town of Berryville and off we went.
What an experience! There were chickens, roosters, bunnies, turkeys, pheasants, quail, guineas, goats, BABY goats (oh my!) and a large assortment of odd people. (there were normal looking people too)
We watched for awhile and then asked an on-looker what we needed to do to become a bidder. We went and got a number and became official bidders.
Mr C wanted a rooster, and I wanted a couple more large laying hens since my girls have decided to go on strike for some reason.

We got to the auction late and we didn’t have a chance to preview the critters beforehand so we just had to look at them from the stands when they were held up for bidding. Up for bid came a group of Bantams (those are mini-chickens for you non-chicken people) …a rooster who looked like poor old Gus and two hens that were already laying. I had told Mr. C to give me an elbow if he wanted me to bid and I got the nudge. Bids were up to $9.00 and I won! What I did NOT realize was that it was $9.00 for EACH chicken, not for the group… o’well, they’re cute.  Mr C had to hold my hands down when the baby goats came up for bid!
I still was waiting for some nice laying hens to come up but each time there were some, the bids went far too high for me. It was a long wait on a chilly day and we were getting tired. Then up for bid came a beautiful Buff Orphington rooster… I’ve read that they are very docile and sweet birds so I decided to get my big girls a guy too… maybe that would make them come off of their strike? I bid and missed out on that one… but the next one was a younger version of him and I won! His name is Seymour.
Mr C got up to go to the bathroom and I continued to watch the bidding… out came a beautimous Polish rooster. I have wanted one forever! WHAT? No one is bidding? I got Mr. Kowalski for $3.00!!! Mr C came back “THREE roosters, the neighbors will NOT be happy!!”
But I still hadn’t gotten my laying hens! Up for bid came a group of 4 pretty little game hens… assorted colors and the bidding was low so I went for it and won them at $4 each. We collected our new kids and came home. 6 hens, 3 roosters.

I immediately regretted buying the 4 game hens after googling them… they (the breed) are supposedly somewhat mean and low egg producers. On top of that, they were SICK! Right now three of them are in the garage being treated for upper respiratory disease.  One of them seems fine and I’m praying that they didn’t pass it to Seymour while they were all in the same crate.  Mr. Kowalski should be fine… he was in his own box, as were the Bantams. I haven’t named the game hens yet.

The Bantam rooster is Augustus II and the girls are Kristen and Nikki… all of my Bantam hens are named after my sweet nieces… Erin, Steph, Emily, Jackie are the first 4 I got (along with Augustus I) when dear Capri D strong-armed me into buying them at the flea market a couple of years ago.  love ya Deb!