Happy Easter from Bel & Cleo

Here is your  Easter wish from Bel & Cleo.  Enjoy the link and happy season to all our friends.

Funny page from a friend

Dear friends pakluks recommends the following page: http://www.terrisfp1.com/holidays/chick.html This FUNNY Page! LOL!

Bel is coming out of the Closet??

This week has been a pretty stressful one in chicken life at our coop. But there has been an interesting change developing. I think Bel is trying to crow in the morning. It is not a clear "cock-a-doodle-doo," it's more like "rrrh-e-rrrh-rrhh."

I have noticed that she has taken on the strong role in the coop. Cleo has been passive and illusive where she used to be more aggressive.  She plays hard to get when it's time to go back in the pen--something that Bel used to do. Now Bel wants first dibs on the food and runs ahead of Cleo to get it.

Bel is behaving differently, like she has developed a case of blooming male hormones. It's funny, because she is the broody one of the two.

Well, I have nothing against trans-gender chickens, but if she turns rooster on me, the laws change and we have to get permission to have her/him from everyone in a two block radius. At least she doesn't crow until after 8am. If she/he started at 4am I would be worried --and tired.

She is still laying eggs. Cleo hasn't stated yet. I think they both need a chicken whisperer. Of course if Bel wants to be Bil, I will still love her/him. 
Hopefully this is a passing phase in the secret lives of my chickens.

The survivors of that dark night or PRTD (Post Raccoon Trauma Disorder)

We are settling back into springtime routine. Cleo is not laying eggs yet after the trauma of last week, but she seems to have survived otherwise. Yes, I believe she is suffering from PRTD. She is not so sure of herself when the shadows of evening fall. She is quieter, seeking more inner space, skittish of strange sounds, and not eating as well as she did. She doesn't fight over the best foods, letting Bel get most of the barley and rye (by-products of beer brewing). She did fight over an apple core though so there is hope. She has laid only one egg in the last week where Bel has kept up with the one egg a day routine. But she is healing.

Today, the sun is shining and it's warm and dry outside so the girls have been playing in the dirt, preening themselves, and picking at some sprouting greens. So It is photo time!

  

                                     

                                       Cleo strutting in the sun

          


  Bel  kicking up some garden mulch.                                                                   

                And our heroine, Beyonce, the true chicken guardian catching some rays to keep up her tan.

Beyonce, Chicken Gaurdian saves the night.

It has been way too long since I posted, apologies aside, Bel & Cleo made it through the winter but nearly did not make it through last night.

3:00am: "squawk, squaaawk, I am screaming, can't you hear there is a varmint trying to snuff out my existence." (that would be Cleo).

Beyonce and I bolt out of our sleep and ran out the back door, neither of us were wearing anything on our feet and if you know Beyonce, you know she hates getting her feet wet--not only had it been raining, but the ice was still on the ground left over from  a whole winter's worth  of snow (the north side of the deck). Tim was there right behind us. Beyonce ran around the coop.

Beyonce: "Ruff, ruff, ruff, I raw rat rarmint rith my Reo in its routh. I reached in and rabbed the thing. I rulled it out of the ricken crage, rrrh. I ras rad. rext ring I row, we ras rrestling and rrighting. Rit ras rissing and I raid it on its rack. My rumens raid it ras a racoon. Ruff, ruff rururruff, it ras gone."

Cleo: "Bawk, she really did save me, bawk. Of course I was glad. Bel hid up on the bawk bawk perch so that varmint couldn't see her bawk. We were both glad to get inside the coop. Bawk, bawk"

The chickens are fine, The coop has been tightened and varmint proofed. All possible entries are secure. But Beyonce, Chicken Guardian, will remain alert.

Ruff ruff! Rust ry and rome rack you rarmint!