Well, the chiclets are home . . . but Poppy was nearly homeless! I can kid now, but earlier was a different story.
It started out shortly after we turned out of our driveway. Two deer crossed the gravel lane right in front of us, and Poppy started bark-screaming. She had seen these same two deer in our upper pasture when we got home from agility last night, and really wanted to get out and chase them then. Seeing them again just sent her over the edge, which in turn nearly sent ME over the edge!
When we got to Kate's (my chickens' foster mom 😉), Poppy got to play with her good friend Glory. We went for a walk up the hill off-leash, she got her feet wet in Glory's 'swimming pool,' and there was plenty of romping. But when it was time to catch the chickens and put them in the dog crate I brought, we thought it best to tie up the dogs, both of whom are a little too interested in feathered peepers. They were together on the front porch, close enough to interact and even play, but when I walked out of sight, Poppy started screaming again. Oy. It was most annoying; Kate even got after her.
Once the chickens were loaded in the crate in the back seat, I had Poppy jump into her side of the back seat to be 'buckled in.' She immediately zeroed in on the 'birds in the box' and started trying to gain access. Clearly THAT wasn't going to work! So Kate moved the chickens' crate to the front seat, and we headed for home, with Poppy periodically exploding with more screaming, "I WANT THOSE CHICKENS!!!" I finally had to pull over and put the chicken crate in the trunk to save what was left of my jangled nerves, shortening temper, and damaged hearing.
When we got home Poppy was deposited in the house so I could get the chiclets moved in. First, though, I cleaned the henhouse and put down fresh straw. Then I set up the 'nursing pen' next to the inside waterer, with a perch and food, installed the chiclets, and hand-fed them some treats. When I checked on them later, I was able to reach in and pet Chippy, Lottie, and Dot; Kate is more skittish. At bedtime, everyone was on the roost.
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| On the left you can see a much-larger adult |
All that screaming is exhausting, apparently; Poppy has been very quiet ever since we got home:
That's it from the noise-exhausted at . . .
8 comments:
It's always fun to get new chickens. I don't know why we didn't have hens long ago. Now, I have 3 hens. My dog, Annie, likes them, but I'm worried she might like playing and herding them a little too much! After my rooster (now true to his name, Noodlesoup) kept attacking Annie, I have not been able to let the hens free range because Annie likes to 'spook' them into running - and that game could get dangerous. At least Annie is quiet, mostly. And from the other day, yes, July and August seem to take forEVVVVVVer to pass. Cheers.
Oy! Sounds like a bad case of sugar-highs for Poppy. I know it wasn't but something triggered her buttons. Glad all involved survived!
Poppy has been mostly quiet until now, too, Tim. Very rarely barks; uses whines to communicate. I hope the screaming is not a new normal! (Glad someone else understands this interminable month.)
It was touch and go there for a bit, Mama Pea! 😉
Sorry Poppy was so upset about the chicklets and the deer. Let's hope it was an anomaly.
Oh, dear! (Not deer!) You did have quite a day! I'm so sorry that Poppy got carried away with her screaming. I hope you don't have hearing damage! I hope she doesn't carry on like that anymore.
The chiclets are so pretty, and they seem to have done okay with the big move, though who knows what they were thinking while they were in the car! I hope they will all become tame enough and friendly, so you can pet them. Which one is the dark one? She's so beautiful!
Have a good day.
I know that was probably nerve shattering, but I couldn’t help but chuckle reading this tale. The shear screaming of little Poppy…sorry, it just makes me chuckle! Great story!
I don't know, FFG. My friend Kate said yesterday, "It sounds like someone is coming into her adult self." 😳
Jeanne, the chiclets are already so much tamer than my others (acquired when they were older than this)! I'll keep petting them, hand feeding them, and picking them up to keep them that way. The dark one is one of the two Whiting True Greens; Dot is the other one.
Thanks, wyomingheart, I hoped it would be entertaining – from a distance. I didn't think to record it; that would make it LESS entertaining if you played it at real-life volume!
I enjoyed having chickens, but we didn't really have much luck with them. We're better without, I think.
I'm gearing myself up for a noisy journey to the V-E-Ts with two of our feline friends on Tuesday...That is if they don't work out what's happening and disappear! Millie is a particularly vocal "singer"
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