Home Birds: Hummies And Peeps
Tags: Nature
This morning I was privy to a bout of hummingbird aggression. A hummingbird came to the feeder for its breakfast and as it was perched there feeding another hummingbird flew over top of it, using its body to push the first birdie down and away from the feeder. Neither one got fed because they both were too busy chasing or defending. The first birdie tried over and over again to feed but the second birdie repeatedly pushed it away. Nasty little thing! There are 6 flower outlets on this feeder, there is no reason to fight, but they are so territorial that it doesn't matter to them. I wonder why the first birdie didn't simply go to anohther feeder or to one of the many flowers I plant for them each year.
Today our layer chicks will arrive. We ordered 12 chickens, 6 hens and 6 mixed gender, but we are recieving only 11 hens. That's fine for egg laying next year but we won't have any baby chicks next year until we re-order and get some roosters, chicken propagation being what it is, then the roo's will need to mature to breeding age and size. We'll get treated to the immature roo's learn to crow at dawn each morning. It's one of life's more entertaining experiences, even at that hour.
I am preparing a baby wading pool as the chick's first home. It will be filled with sawdust, paper mulch or straw of some sort. The peeps should be arriving with a feeder, a waterer and bags of feed. Flyn & Lily will be trained to watch over the chicks. "Let's go check on the chicks" will be a nearly hourly command for them until the birds get a little bigger and a safe chicken house gets built. Hopefully two dutiful, trained border collies will protect the chicks from wild things that intend to make a meal of them. It will be a joy to train the dogs to a new command, for both them and me.
This morning I was privy to a bout of hummingbird aggression. A hummingbird came to the feeder for its breakfast and as it was perched there feeding another hummingbird flew over top of it, using its body to push the first birdie down and away from the feeder. Neither one got fed because they both were too busy chasing or defending. The first birdie tried over and over again to feed but the second birdie repeatedly pushed it away. Nasty little thing! There are 6 flower outlets on this feeder, there is no reason to fight, but they are so territorial that it doesn't matter to them. I wonder why the first birdie didn't simply go to anohther feeder or to one of the many flowers I plant for them each year.
Today our layer chicks will arrive. We ordered 12 chickens, 6 hens and 6 mixed gender, but we are recieving only 11 hens. That's fine for egg laying next year but we won't have any baby chicks next year until we re-order and get some roosters, chicken propagation being what it is, then the roo's will need to mature to breeding age and size. We'll get treated to the immature roo's learn to crow at dawn each morning. It's one of life's more entertaining experiences, even at that hour.
I am preparing a baby wading pool as the chick's first home. It will be filled with sawdust, paper mulch or straw of some sort. The peeps should be arriving with a feeder, a waterer and bags of feed. Flyn & Lily will be trained to watch over the chicks. "Let's go check on the chicks" will be a nearly hourly command for them until the birds get a little bigger and a safe chicken house gets built. Hopefully two dutiful, trained border collies will protect the chicks from wild things that intend to make a meal of them. It will be a joy to train the dogs to a new command, for both them and me.