As the geese go into their second month of life, many things have happened. One goose is gone (RIP Cricket), after being chased into a patch of bamboo by the dogs and never reemerging. During that episode, it seemed that I would be down to just the Duke of Poop, but the next morning Duke and I went out to the river and we heard Spruce Goose crying a ways up. She was following a red canoe, and the kind passengers steered her back to her mama goose's feet. She and Duke had a nice reunion but I have noticed that she is a little less friendly than Duke, who is always after attention and is slightly less adverse to being reached out to and picked up. Once they have both been picked up and cooed at, they happily chirp and coo back, nuzzling their beaks deep into my armpit, and sometimes up my shirt sleeve.
Yesterday morning, I was quite distraught to find Jane racing around the acreage with a live chicken in her mouth. It was one of my younger Americaunas, and after I'd retrieved her and put her back inside I set out to search for the other two. One I found under some ferns, peeping out at me as I called for her -- and the other was not to be seen or heard. I went inside, disappointed that I'd lost another bird. But this morning, after nearly a full 24 hours had passed, she ran out to me from under the house. She was hungry, and had sustained a patch of lost feathers next to her wing, as well as a few scratches on her head but otherwise seemed much friendlier than the day before. I suppose a little taste of the wilderness was enough to enlighten her unto the comforts of domestic chickenhood...
The bigger chickens are just a delight as usual, and EASY compared to the others... They free range in the yard during the day, but lately, they have started to come back inside the screened-in-porch on their own and will just sit on top of their night-time cages and make a big mess everywhere. The weather hasn't changed dramatically, so I don't understand their boycott.
They still boss the geese around, even though the geese are now twice their size. And while the geese are like kittens when you hold them, picking them up is difficult. The big chickens are so friendly, particularly my rhode island reds and my plymouth barred rock, Jenny, as they will jump in my lap or perch on my shoulder while I walk around the yard.
They have also started nesting in the ground outside, by digging holes and then laying down in them, like so: (Carmen looks particularly silly in this picture...)
The big chickens have also started roosting on the porch steps, which is sort of funny to come home to. I took some photos on my phone, but will upload them later or take better pictures in the next few days.
