"She's going to Life 2 now," as Brent put it. Which, I thought was awesome!
Another rooster has found a new home with his very own pair of hens, so he's the luckiest of them, these days. A friend's rooster was killed, and her hens were so upset they wouldn't come out of the coop, and one even tried sadly to crow.
The rest are healthy and we have the best fun with them. We all, throughout the day, go out at different times just to sit and throw them a bite or two of food. It's like being hooked on a soap opera - watching all their different personalities and moods. Our Alpha male - Cloud (who has been recently upgraded to StormCloud) is fascinating to watch as he builds his dominance and takes on the role of protecting the flock.
They free-range right now over about an acre area, from morning until night. Sometimes I will put them back in for storms or if foxes are near. But lately they have decided they enjoy their freedom too much and I've only got a 50/50 shot of getting them all back in. So, they're making their own fate at that point.
We're not forcing them to be tame, and some I haven't touched in weeks. Cotton and Checkers still want to be held, but Checkers is coming into his rooster-hood I think and goes through spells where he bites me if I reach for him. Other days he jumps on my lap for snooze. And a few others don't mind crawling up on us for food or coming up to visit but just aren't keen on the touching part.
And it's not just the chickens - they're just a good excuse to grab some lawn chairs and water and sit in the shade when it's just too hot to do anything else. Of course, if you ever want to clear your yard of chickens, I highly recommend renting two 6-year olds with large water guns.
We've also been touring some local state parks and found a nearby lake beach with a kids section. A slide goes down into the shallow part, or you can ride the turtle fountain or climb on the big floating lily pads. More fun than a pool, and comes with fish and frogs!
The garden has its struggles and successes like mine tend to do. But I learn from each experience. I know organic gardening means different things to different people, but for me it means trying not to use any chemicals, whether they are labeled organic or not. I managed to deter the deer for a few weeks, but I eventually did have to buy spray for the beans and strawberries and tomatoes, after losing nearly everything. But the good news is that my garlic/cayenne pepper spray worked as well, it just needs reapplied after rain.
I'm also battling squash bugs, which got out of hand on me quickly. I'm trying to not bother any insects as long as there is minimal damage to the plant, because I'm studying them to learn more about the natural ecosystem here and how to use it to my benefit, with companion planting and natural insect/bird predators. But next year I'll be hunting down little red eggs on all my ground vine plants to keep them under control.
Some people have a perception that living in the country is boring and slow-paced. But for me, every day is busy and exciting, and there is always something beautiful right under your nose.
