Quote:
That seems to be introducing him to a little bit TOO much chicken life
I believe you are right!
haha.
Today the Fuzzy Butt Thundering Herd of Wisco has yet another "new" home. Can you guess what it is?
Its rusty and grey. It is down the hill from our renting house. Its where the FBTHOW was raised until around August. It's hardwood floors were once caked in Cornish-X crap, but I worked my butt off to get it clean. Then new cornish-xs came in, and made it worse than it was when I started. Me and my bro have spent the last two days scraping the vile stuff off the floor, again.
If you guessed the "grainery", you are right!
We have decided that the "chicken tractor" will be their summer home and the "grainery" will be their winter home. I just got back in from herding them back to where I did NOT want them to go three months ago. They will be held there against their will for maybe three or four days. I feel very relieved that they will now spend their winter in a bigger space.
It seems like just yesterday that I brought home a box of 7 cold, screaming, day-old chicks. In truth, that day was a year ago today! Yesterday, June 17th, was the Fuzzy-Butt Thundering herd of Wisco's 365th consecutive day of thundering. And I have enjoyed every single day of it.
Here they are celebrating their birthday yesterday!
Here is photos of every single Fuzzy-Butt, from the first day to the 365th:
Domonique then:
Domonique now:
I have come to call her "Neekers" Its just shorter. Half a year after the fair, she now has the comb that she was supposed to have when I showed her. She is also the right size for an adult Domonique. She is still my beautiful show girl, and she always will be. Though she no longer likes people, I still love to hold her while I get the chance. She still reigns as Roos favorite girl ever, and she is about the only one without feathers missing from her back. She does NOT take crap from that rooster.
Lesson learned from Domonique? Nothing is impossible.
Omelet Then:
Omelet Now:
Omelet, my brothers Buff Orphington, is really no longer his. Oftentimes, I think he forgets he HAS a chicken. She is at the head of the pecking order, and she LOVES food. She still has the biggest, fuzziest butt in all of Wisco, possibly the U.S. She is a beautiful color, and she only has one vocal noise all the time: "Baaaawk bawk-bawk." Its her alarm noise, he going-to-sleep noise, her egg song, even her eating noise. She is completely and utterly unique.
Lesson learned from Omelet? A big badonkadonk will get ya far in life.
Red:
I lost the chick one of red
But here she is now:
Red, as predicted, is the cranky old woman of the bunch. She is beautiful, but she seriously hates people. Having her in your arms is like trying to hold a wild tomcat. It's not possible. She really ranks no where on the pecking order, she just doesnt care. Roo is really the only chicken who hates her. He constantly harrasses her and will chase her all over the yard. It is hard to watch.
Lesson learned from Red? If you're going to be cranky all the time, NO ONE will like you.
Big Girl then:
Big Girl now:
Hmm. What to say about Big Girl.. she is at the bottom of the pecking order. The feathers on her back are either missing or mangled. She does what she can to make herself beautiful, though, and in my mind she is still gorgeous.. It may be that she his harrassed by the others, or it could be out of the goodness of her heart- but Big Girl loves me, I just know it. Never thought a chicken could love, did ya? Well Big Girl does. When I get home, she runs up to me and climbs right in my life. She loves to be petted. She makes happy noises and looks at you with those eyes, and all the bitterness brought on by high-school life melts right off your heart. I believe that she has saved my life.
Lesson learned from Big Girl? No matter what they look like on the outside, someone can still be beautiful on the inside.
Pacobean then:
Pacobean now:
Pacobean, the possibly most uniquely named chicken in the world, has been dubbed by me as "Beaners". I never could figure out what about her it is, but she just brightens up my whole day just by looking at her. I love her colors, her dark "I-see-right-through-you" eyes, her very large ear muffs.. just to look at her is to know what humorous looks like. I just love her. She is nice to the others, and they are nice to her.
Lesson learned from Beaners? Look cute, and no one will ever suspect you.
Little Girl then:
And Little Girl now...
We buried "Honeybear" two months ago in her favorite spot, beside the compost bin, under the pine tree. We came home one day to find her dead, her neck snapped. We will never know what exactly happened that day, but I do know that she is very, dearly missed. It was very emotional to celebrate the others first birthday without her. The herd hasnt been the same since she left us, and it never will be. I think sometimes poor roo is still wondering where she is, the way he wanders about crowing at nothing. When the herd thunders, there is alot less boom, and they are much less spectacular looking. Little Girl was always so beautiful, and everyone loved her. She will not be forgotten.
Lesson learned from Little Girl? Appreciate the ones you hold dear in life, for you never know when they will be taken away from you.
aaand of course, the reason I started this thread, the star of the show,
LITTLE ROO!!!
Annd Roo!
This is his creepy stalk
:
And his permanently angry face:
Remember that very first post on the "Fuzzy-Butt Thundering herd" thread? The one that first had the fantasy roo, then the pathetic real one? Well now he IS that wonderful fantasy rooster! He is absalutely GORGEOUS with all his silver, gold, and brown colors. His feathers DO shine in the sun and wave about in the wind. His spurs are now about the legnth of the TAB key. They arent that sharp, but they are definitely getting there. He will someday be able to do some major damage to some foe he meets while thundering along.
And he DOES love his girls. They ARE his whole life. He lets them have the treats I try to give him, and when he finds something that might be food, he calls them right over. When they roam about the property, he never rests. He is always attentive and listening for danger. When I hold one of the girls, he gets red(der) in the face, cocks his head, and creeps towards me. He has yet to attack us though. He is everything I could have hoped for in a rooster, besides the fact that he is tearing the feathers out of the backs of the girls without meaning to.. when hes on the ground, he pretends to hate us, but once you get him in your arms, he turns into my little boy again. He is like a teddy bear with needles for fur... we still love him though.
Lesson learned from Roo? Someone with a tough exterior may on the inside be the kindest you have ever met.
Yup, It's been quite a year, with many lessons learned, and many still yet to learn. I can see many more happy years with these fuzz-balls ahead, and I cant wait to watch and see what happens. Though they are full- grown I am still as much their Mommy as the day they got here, and I just love them more and more.
This is my last post on the thread, as the Fuzzy-Butt Thunndering Herd of Wisco is all grown up now, and their stories have been told. Who knows? Someday, I might even let them be mommies of their own, and I will let you guys know.
To all my followers, thank you; as it has been a rough and, at times, beautiful year. I went through good times and horrible times. I loved and lost. But I made it through, because everything is okay in the end. If its not okay, its not the end.