Oh my gawd, baby jezuz, mary and joseph! My uncle went to the local Haywood County Small Animal Auction and brought me back six new chickens.... 5 big laying hens in beautiful colors and one tiny tiny TINY adorable white americuana chick (which I am holding in the picture above.)
The rooster (whom I have had for over a month now) was oh so proud of all his new ladies, and even though my one hen "Honey Pie" was pecking at them & pulling out their feathers - the rooster still stood tall, proud, protective and horny.
And you can see why! HAwt Ladies!
This is what chicken sex looks like (pictured below)... the rooster chases the hen, holds it by the back of it's feathered neck, opens wings and goes at it pretty quick. Even though the hens resist at first, or maybe just tease, they seem really satisfied after... happy.
BUT..... as amazing and wonderful as this all seems...... there was JuJu Bean, the donkey. The donkey who has been a great guardian animal to my hen and rooster, she has loved them, she knows them. So to say I was shocked when she hauled ass on my new chickens is an understatement, I screamed in horror at the unexpected scene!!!She went after them, not just in a dominating way but with her front hooves pounding at them like she was going to smash them to bits, like she hated them the way a donkey hates a coyote!
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At first I tried yelling "NO" and hit something loud (a bucket onto a tree stump) to startle everyone into reality. That didn't 'work' per-say, but it did slow things down. Then I ran to my house, cut up carrots and used the reward method. I had JuJu walk past the chickens over and over while giving her treats, and if she made a move towards them I touched her chest and said a firm "NO". That seemed to calm things down for a little while.
....but then after JuJu was rolling in her favorite mud spot, she saw the tiny little white wonder who had been following me around, standing between my legs & who I had also been carrying around in my arms. She turned on the tiny bird standing near her and went straight to threatening, stomping, kicking, and running over it. I let out a terrible high pitched scream and ran for the bird. I charged JuJu in an animalistic way, angry/in charge, then left the area with the possibly half dead baby chick. I put it in a basket and brought it in my cabin. It's sitting on my desk next to the computer right now as I write this post! Fingers crossed it'll live!!! Cause I already wuve it. Tons.
Xoxoxo
Such DRAMA! Thanks for sharing all this. One quibble: this sentence: "the rooster chases the hen, holds it by the back of it's feathered neck" should be worded: "the rooster chases the hen, holds her by the back of her feathered neck" - she is most definitely a she and not an it! :)
ReplyDeleteI love a good rooster. Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Oh my goodness..it's all happening ..sex, war.. never a dull moment . There's a lot of pecking order stuff going on , with the donkey included. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRescue Remedy all around, in their water and yours too. It will chill all involved out. They are having basic boundary issues - what's what and who's who.
ReplyDeleteHey Beautiful Kind!
ReplyDeleteHa, you know I have called people's human babies "it" before and the parents get really insulted. With the chickens, you cuaght on to my subtle attempt to not get overly attached to them- i usually even avoid trying to name them because wildlife kills them so easily.
The donkey though - won't let anything kill them IF she learns to not kill them herself.
Joan -
Ah, barn yard soap opera! The Young & the Restless. :P
Anonymous-
That is a good idea! Now if someone wants to drive it over to my house. ha ha ha.
I really stay fairly calm during this stuff, but when JuJu tried to smash my chick, i felt a surge of maternal adrenalin.
Fun blog, interesting life. Glad I wandered over.
ReplyDeleteIs the baby okay?!
ReplyDeleteCruelty to animals takes many shapes. Your entertainment and amusement is hurting these animals.
ReplyDeleteYou can make flower essences yourself. This is just one site that tells you what's needed. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.greenfootsteps.com/how-to-make-flower-essences.html
Thanks Teresa!
ReplyDeleteStephanie-
The baby not only lived but seems perfectly fine, which is amazing. I am wondering if the donkey was upset but did not intend to kill it, because she certainly could have.
That baby is SO cute, i love it. It even has blue-ish eyes, and a tiny little beep beep chirp.
Anonymous -
That is completely ridiculous. I dont think you actually even read the post. I have never laughed at or been cruel to an animal in my life... and if you knew anything about donkeys you would know they are fantastic gaurdian animals that make sure you don't have your cared for livestock killed. Without the donkey there to protect them, even with the best designed chicken coop these chickens would be killed by the natural predators of the forest.
It's nature.
You can not prevent a hawk or owl flying out of the sky, etc...
The donkey had been nothing but nice to the other chickens, and once she threatened the rest, I rounded them up into their chicken coop (which is quite roomy and has a dirt floor for them to scratch on, nesting boxes, perches, etc that I personally designed with the help of a chicken loving enthusiast.
Personally speaking, I dont see how you think I am amused by the chickens being hurt, it was horrifying to watch and unexpected, my reactions at the time were done purely by instinct to stop what was happening.
I would like to know what you could have done better.
Anonymous-
Thanks for the link! I will try that out. :) I have taken flower essances before, many years ago and for me they seemed to work well.