The goal today was to get my “new” chicks relocated to the chicken coop.
First, put the Baby Bull in the alley, so he doesn’t help. Twice he’s been in the milking room where I’ve been keeping my new chicks. And, yes, he’s trashed it! Not a chance this time, buddy!
Then, I waited until almost 9 o’clock, and I hadn’t fed the chickens. I entered the room, threw some feed in my dog crate, and zoom! I had chickens in the crate! They then got a ride in my little white truck… which they DID NOT ENJOY.
I then lined the crate up with the dog kennel that is attached to my chicken coop… and opened the doors. Easy peasy! It didn’t take long before they were installed. My old chickens usually use the little door that leads to this pen, but for now, they have to use the people door. I’ll let the new chickens hang out here for a while, so the old chickens can check them out, and they get used to being fed and watered here.
I proceeded to clean the coop, install more nest boxes, and I’ll hang more feeders too…
Then, I caught this.
Yeah, I know, I look gorgeous after cleaning out a chicken coop! You’re supposed to be looking at the pigeon! This friendly pigeon was noticed by Vernon yesterday. He has a band on his leg… and I spent some time figuring out his story.
This band told his story.
He belonged to a young man from Utah County, Utah. He’s just left on his Mormon mission, so he’ll be gone for two years! The racing club might be able to pay for me to ship him home, and unfortunately, they don’t race from anywhere closer than Jackson. It didn’t sound very simple to get him home. Since there are wild pigeons in the area, he’ll be ok… and he might even leave and continue his way home. I had an interesting conversation with the club secretary, learning that racing pigeons average 35-40 mph, and he’d had one clocked at 66 mph with a tail wind! Thousands of dollars, pedigreed birds, races clear from the Canadian border to central Utah are commonplace! It was an interesting conversation… but at the end, he said I am now the proud owner of one well bred racing pigeon!
It’ll be interesting to see how long he sticks around!
It was definitely a Bird Day!
Find me here!
We had a banded pigeon show up and stay for week under our covered deck. I tracked the down the owner (500 miles away) and he told me that the pigeon was in a race, just got thrown off course due to the high winds and landed in our deck because it looks similar to a pigeon coop (like your garage?) He said the pigeon just needed to rest/refuel and it would eventually come home. I told him that I hadn’t seen the pigeon in about 12 hours…he went and checked his coop and sure enough that pigeon and returned home!
What a shock to see you wearing a Star Trek shirt! Your chickens are beautiful.
Hope to keep D.and you in eggs in this summer!
You are so clever getting the new chickens moved! Also loved seeing Dally
and Lucas in the back of the truck. And with a pigeon in the managerie, you’ll have to keep us informed if he likes your ranch or moves on.
You certainly do have some interesting days! As my dad owned a Hatchery in Kearney, NE where several thousand ” new chicks ” were hatched, debeaked,boxed and ready for customers from huge incubaters, I was expecting to see baby fluffy chicks as your new chicks! I’m just wondering where you got these older new chicks?
You just missed it, I bought them as little fluffy things, they’ve just grown! Look back and you’ll find the entries… or type in chicken in the search box! I had no clue you came from a “chicken background”! Hope to see you on Saturday… You can buy pullets from some hatcheries…
My BF used to race pigeons, and he said it is likely he will continue on his way home. He will just be later than the rest. He had some drag in weeks (even months) late.
Ask him the best way to catch them… He gets awfully close to me, but is there a trick? He loves my garage, but I don’t really want him living (and Pooping) in there!
My Dad use to race pigeons. So good to see that it is still going on. Just hope he does not attract more. They can become a problem.
We have flocks of them as of 10 or 15 years ago… Didn’t used to be around… kinda like the Kevin Costner dove, ring necked dove, they were never here either. Invasive species that they are!
Love the pups in the back of the truck with the chickens in crate. We have neighbors that have racing pigeons, amazing animals.
They are… it was interesting talking to the guy.