*******Maybe This Link Will Get You To My Tick Tock Channel*******

At this point…..the mail-order chicks are way past the puff-ball stage…..

…..but they are still at the “Otto-worthy” stage…..

I’d better continue keeping them under lock & key (on the back porch) for awhile longer…..

…..(until they are big enough to out-run Otto…..when he decides he’s a bit peck-ish)…..

…..then I’ll put them in the chicken coop and rig it to keep them separated from the adult chickens for awhile longer…..

You know that term…..”pecking order”…..

…..the big ole’biddies in the coop can really be rough on new babies who aren’t their own…..

That old term…..”pecking order”…..can take on some really graphic/grotesque meaning…..along with bloody, pecked-on chicks…..

I always try circumventing that nasty/inevitable behavior as much as possible…..

…..usually with some sturdy/temporary fencing between the adult birds and the newcomers…..

Life on a farm is not a 24/7 petting zoo…..a lot of people think it’s all bunnies and lambs…..dewy pastures…..

…..harsh reality sweeps in on a daily basis…..

…..all you can do is try your best and steer clear of some of the worst/predictable behaviors…..

I should be able to compartmentalize the chicklets where they have a chance to grow bigger…..before going outside into the harsh/real world…..

…..of hungry raccoons, and foxes, and coyotes, and Wolfhounds, and let’s not forget about Otto…..

These chicks are mostly French Cuckoo Marans and French Black Copper Marans along with a few “Olive Eggers”…..

My older daughter made me swear that I wouldn’t get anymore roosters…..

…..we have a few already…..

…..there’s a surplus of roosters…..who need to go “down the road”…..

…..(ssshhhhhhh)…..

…..(but I had to)…..

…..(I just had to)…..

…..(Simone would understand)…..(I know she would)…..

…..(if I put the French Cuckoo Marans in the turkey coop…..then all the eggs will be purebred Cuckoos)…..

…..(why do I find that so amusing?)…..

…..(ssshhhhhhh…..Simone…..in a couple years we’ll clean up at the Florida State Fair with all these Maran roosters)…….

…..(Wanna hear a silly story?)…..

…..a couple years ago…..I “thought” I had bought the elusive French Black Copper Marans…..

…..silly me…..

…..I erroneously bought French Black Marans instead…..(different birds entirely)…..

…..(hence…..the arrival of Jean-Luc)…..

…..(this poultry-thing is all so confusing)…..

But at the end of the day…..I want giant breeds…..who lay big/brown eggs…..

…..I’ll be happy with that…..