The Nervous System of a Chicken
 

I love my chickens. :hug: I got 8 more. I now have 23 girls, all with names that I will not bore you with, and 2 boys....Anders and Lars.

I have vowed to be less like a chicken. To not panic and run into a more dire situation....such as an electric fence.

Chickens experience communal panic, such as when a dog barks, they ALL jump and run for what they perceive to be safety. Following the crowd is not always the best thing to do.

Chickens are physically fit and can run very fast....I am not, but I am getting better at it, however, fast is not always better. Slow and steady is good.

I better go open the little coop door now.:)

.....Slow and steady is good.....

(Said the Tortoise to the Hare :cool:)

I don't know if it is just summer that is making me feel better, or if finally, finally, my ivig has kicked into overdrive. :) I just feel pretty good right now, which is really rare for me. No, not normal, but, better. I will take what I can get. Any slight reprieve is a relief. It is all relative, you know. Off to feed the ladies and move around the fence.

I am glad you are feeling better Cycleops and I hope it continues for you, will we ever be normal I don't think so. Take care.

I JUST gotta ask? WHY????
 

:hug:Names of Anders and Lars????
Isn't IVIG akin to taking a double cappucino with a dollop of dope? You are both High and LOW at the same time. I liken it to a 'war of the immune system' with in myself? And, truly IT is!
Those are well kept 'birds' and they are royally treated! They don't know it tho, and I guess we better not tell them?
May the IG keep on 'kicking'! - j :hug: :hug:'s !

Anders and Lars have a harem of 23 chicks with Swedish names, lol....yes, I know I am strange.:p

Thanks for the well wishes....same wishes to all....I wish all of us could be normal for even a day...ok....maybe 2...or 3....why not a million??

My chickens are apparently not trained well enough to go into their coop at dusk....darn things....This has resulted in a chicken chase at dusk every nite. About half of them now do go in to roost, without an escort. The other half we have to round up and even chase and catch. It's hillarious to any one watching.... for hubby....he is not entertained.:o

....chickens.... :)
 

......are actually much more intelligent than people think....

http://dl2.glitter-graphics.net/pub/...r3rnogsefn.jpg

Glad you're feelin better C.... :hug:

http://dl8.glitter-graphics.net/pub/...giv8aabwao.gif

Chasing chickens around & catching them is far beyond my balance ability.
That's why I had to stop skiing.
Can't change direction quickly without fall-down-go-boom!

HEHEHEHEHEH... sort of reminds me of a movie:

Chicken Run...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120630/

If you haven't seen it, you might like it. It has some very humorous parts, and is very clever. (from the man who also did Wallace and Grommet). It was all claymation created, and very painstaking to do.

I heard that Chicken Run is a very funny movie. I should rent it.

My ladies and 2 gentlemen, are for eggs, so they will not go into the stew pot for a long time....as long as the ladies lay and the boys do their boy thing (which includes keeping social order in the flock of females)....they get to hang around in relative luxury in their fully insulated, elevated condo-coop.

If a rooster is not present, a female takes on the role and even attempts to crow like a male. The impersonators are not always as fair and will still henpeck the ladies at the bottom of the pecking order, where as the males are more fair about things.

Rrae is right, they are smarter than one thinks. They also DO have personalities. Lars is a very good provider. Anders is the looker but has no inclination to care for his ladies. Lars looks after his ladies. He clucks to them when he finds food and her herds them into the coop....Anders stays out late and parties. Lars will even come to me and sit on my hand....Anders is not so inclined. Of course for a month, I thought Anders was a girl! Poor guy...imagine his ego!

I hope that the two roosters get along. So far, so good. With all the room they have and this many hens, they should be fine. If not, Anders goes in the pot.:eek:

Sounds like a lot of fun at the Cyclelops house this summer... not to mention those delicious eggs...:wink:

Mere

Hi Cycleops!
So glad you are enjoying this!
Thanks for reminding me to add daily fun/enjoyment to my day! :Thanx:
:Doh: It's important to have fun! :Dancing-Chilli:
Life can easily get a bit too mundane!
Hoping to hear more about the adventures!
~DejaVu

Saw this and couldn't resist.....
 

In my back of 'tricks', I saw this and couldn't help picture this is what a typical evening might look like at the Cycleop's household.....

http://dl8.glitter-graphics.net/pub/...mh15dvbh67.gif

......now, would this be Landers....or Lars?......

Geesh! That clip is shades of the 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes'!
 

But far, beyond 'Chicken Run' for sure.
Cy good person? You forgot the 'equinox'! You of all people! Now the DAYS are gonna get shorter :sunchair: and I'm just 'depressed' thinking about THAT!
Please one and all? Go hug yer critters! [IF they'll let you - I think chickens aren't the 'cuddly' types?] Let's all appreciate little things like we have power that's working, same with the AC and other things. :hug::hug:'s - j

Oh, I did not forget the equinox....I was in the basement, hiding from a tornadic storm and praying for my ladies and 2 gentlemen in the coop!:o

We are all fine.

Now we lose light every day....how depressing!

Lars and Anders are my boys....Lars has a nice personality and Anders does not....that is my only comment on Anders. And rooster who chases me like the video gets the broom to the behind.

My baby chicks are now mixed in after some careful fine tuning and many days of putting them out there in a small wire dog crate....they are assimilating without bloodshed. They are imprinted on me, unlike the older batch, so they follow me everywhere when I am in the fence....they also are good at escaping but they dont go far.

Then there are 23 girls (15 older and 8 younger)....Annalise, Annika, Astrid, Brita, Bjarta and Brynveig, Inga and Ingveig, Ericka (the red), Eir, Elsa, Elsveig, Ehvi and Eidunn....then there is Margit, Marne, Marta and Mora. There is Sofi, Sonja, Solveig, Sylvi and Silja (barred rocks).....

The Barred Rocks look very similar and are not fully feathered out, so they have to wait for names until they are mature and we can discern who is who...also Solveig, has a very white head. The Rhode Island Reds...same thing...the Ameraucana chicks are distinct and they all have names. Then of course Anders and Lars are very identifiable.


I have not kept up with the weeding, and my neighbor must have noticed and brought me that huge round bale of straw I requested 6 weeks ago...ah yes, now I have my work cut out for me. It is simply too hot to work outside today for any length of time....it is a June dog day!

It has been a busy time! One of my daughters has moved in and I now have a 2 and 1/2 year old granddaughter in my house! Again, a mixed blessing, but in general, her laughter is the best medicine. She has lovely long dark thick curls and dark eyes....unlike my other 16 month old granddaughter with little wisps of red hair in Pippi Longstocking tails and big blue eyes. They are polar opposites and I love them both so much. I also have a grandson just 6 months old, but he lives out of state right now. It has been a good summer. Children love those chickababies! Now I want a horse...just a little one! Maybe a goat too??:p

The heat has been extreme here with nightly storms, some severe. My chocolate lab has now developed a phobia of thunderstorms....his only relief is a lower level bathroom with no windows....When he is down there, even if there is no thunder yet.....I know it is coming!

The distraction has been good, but the overworking has been a mixed bag.....feet and hands are killing me, as is every muscle in my body.:eek: I don't know if this is good for me in the long run...but it keeps my mind off things at least temporarily.

I just wish pain pills worked.:(

I have a HORSE for you!!
 

I have 6 horses, one of which is a sweet precious 10 month old fillie. I'm gonna put an ad to find her an owner, so she can have a chance at being a 'real' horse. Otherwise, she will just be a pasture pet cuz I'm not capable of working with them the way 'real' ranch people do :/

Anyway, she's got your name on her, if we can figger out how to cyber-send her to u!
And regarding the chickens.....(i called him "Landers" :rolleyes: i meant ANDERS) they actually are very 'therapeutic'.....when I was young, I'd just sit in our chicken coop watching the chickens. Something about them. Some people say having an aquarium and watching the fish is a good form of calming therapy. I have the same admiration for chickens you do.
Some people might think us 'kooks' but chickens truly are more intelligent than alot of folks may realize. The way the rooster looks out for his hens...the way a sitting hen 'knows' exactly when to turn and rotate her eggs while waiting for them to hatch.....
My favorite rooster of all time was like none other....he lived out his years on constant 'watch' for his ladies and was very friendly to humans......then, one day, he 'knew' his time was up.....he went off to be by himself and died in another little building 'away' from his ladies so they wouldn't have to see him die. Roosters have much pride.

Anyway, thanx 4 sharing your 'flock' with us :)
As for me, I better get the FLOCK outta here cuz i have an ant infestation eating up my front lawn !! :eek: the grass is disappearing from the roots up and the bare spot is getting closer to my HOUSE!! If you don't hear from me, just presume my house became ungulfed in a huge sink-hole, and if it makes the news, you will have been the first to catch wind of this!
AHHHHH!!! If i still had my chickens, this never would have happened!!
....:OuttaHere:

Oh Rrae....maybe you need chickens to eat the crud that is eating your lawn!

Oh my, I would LOVE a horse....I am slowly chipping away at hubby's objections, lol...give me a while. He is missing a few chunks already....especially when I say...oh, the 'little girls' would LOOOVVE a horsey from grandpa!:p

Give me a month or two.

I would need a small horsey....I have this thing going about Icelandic horses...they are really cool...I need a horse about 3/4ths the size of a 'real horse'. I am afraid of heights.:o

Hubby says I would be out in a tornado warning pulling my horse to the basement....yes, I DID think about gathering my chickens into the dog crate....but I didn't. He told me I stink as a farmer....he calls my animals, 'crops'...he tells me they are not my pets. I see no reason my layers can't be pets! If I raised meat birds, I would have the common sense not to attach.

Chickens are actually mesmerizing. The daughter that moved back in with us has been found on the little knoll looking at the flock too. She agreed it relieves stress. I have resorted to sitting in my little coop to destress.

I have 3 roosting poles, and the pole near the door is full, then the next pole is half full....the last pole, the deepest one into the coop is still empty. Apparently they like being near the exit, lol. The babies are still not roosting, neither am I.

I put the little ones in the 'dog' crate at nite since they are not old enough to hold their own against the older ones, who are a month older and 4 times as big....but they do share the coop ok....when 'mama' is watching. One of my hens, Brita seems to mother the babies. If they get out of the fence, she gets upset and goes to try to get them in, to no avail of course. She rounds them up sometimes. She will likely be my 'broody hen'.

ya know.....
 

....you could get top dollar for the 'deposits' your feathered friends leave beneath the roosting pole! :Rich:
Chicken manure is supposedly one of the 'richest' types there are..... ?

AND can you believe! As I was showing the pasture to a potential hay cutter/baler....they had the AUDACITY to ask me if i raised my horses for BUTCHERing!!!! :eek::eek:

....suffice it to say, our 'business deal' did NOT go through.......AND....there is one less pasture farmer in my county.........he is still cosidered 'missing'....:cool:

Butchering horses....oh my....what were they planning to do with the hay?!! I bet you had some idea where they could stick it!

I just had a customer who wanted to see my chickababies, lol. Of course, they put on a cute show for them.

My manure is 'ripening' under black plastic...I have heard chicken poo is pretty good. My granddaughter does not get the difference between chicken coop and chicken poop! They sound the same to her, lol.

Oh boy!!!
 

Cy FINALLY got an AVATAR!!! LOVE IT!!!!

This calls for a party !! http://dl6.glitter-graphics.net/pub/...v1rjk3ydwc.gif <<--- i had to use my 'party frog' because i couldn't find the 'party hamsters'.....(i think MrsD still has them........) :rolleyes: man, i hate it when people borrow stuff and don't return it!!

Oh Dear! Let's not talk about 'killer horses' and such?
 

I say this because I've been witness to horse & cattle auctions where the 'killer animals' are sent. It's a sad in pitiful stop on their road to ?
Enuf of that... Cy? Get yourself a large pony from an adoption rescue place IF you've got the fencing and pasture? Defininition is 12.2 Hands to 14.2 hands for most of them [a 'hand if 4"] so they aren't big and ya don't need a forklift to get on them! From a rescue place? They've been checked out, wormed, rescued, and maybe have some soundness or 'training problems' - I think you all know what I mean. Depending on the kid's ages? The smaller the better? Easier to hold on to kid when doing the initial 'walkies' and steering things. Larger beasts make it harder to 'reach'.
Since I used to be very 'into' horses? They too have peculiar pecking orders! But they ARE social? And would prefer another of their kind to boss or be bossed by.... thing to consider Many older quarter horses and older ponies mite fill your bill and be easy keepers. I do truly know of horses that made close friends with the barn cats tho.... Some race & show horses need their goat companions etc. I'm not that familiar with chickens? But I'm not surprised, because each set of creatures has their heirarchy and work hard to maintain them in their mini-pheifdoms.
I'm just gonna enjoy what nice weather we get, when we get it! AND all the sunlight that is available with free D that I can get!
Luv the party frog Rae!
Hugs to all and then some? :hug::hug:'s!!! - j

Funny thing, I remember how I used to oscillate from riding my garden tractor....that is gone now. Either that is good or bad, but, I am glad it is gone.

Oh, I would love that filly....but breaking a horse would require some one with know how. I have land I can either rent or buy next to mine. I have only 2 acres....I could get 2 more easily, which should support any animal habit I have....an old sway back is likely a better horse for me and my sway back....but a cute little filly sure is appealing....hmmmm.....another hmmmm.

Looks like I will be in the basement again tonite....same with you Mrsd....(unless we pass out and sleep thru it all)

Old, hairy sofa is what you want and need...
 

These beasts are ever so grateful for every crumb of food and care they get.... provided they've not been abused beyond the point of human contact.
Here on the East Coast? Horses up for adoption should rise soon and fast. WHY? Lack of land for pasture, lack of water so far this year to grow good 'hay'. and then on and on. Horses in ANY area should be on the rise. Between the economy and feed supplies? You should be able to take your pick. Sad but true fact.
Older is better for us all beast and person? Who have been around the blocks more than once. These creatures KNOW that they have been rescued from borrowed time. IF they don't? Well, then, question their validity.
Hugs and more! - j :hug:'s

Dear Cy,

Today I drove past a house and saw what looked to be a New Hampshire red come around to the front of the house from their back yard. She was a beauty and looked, oh, so proud...:laugh:

Cy, I immediately thought of you and all of your girlfriends and the roosters.

Rae, i just love the video you interjected... perfect for the Cyclelops.

Hope you are all surviving the heat!

Mere

My chickens have been the entertainment highlight of the summer....that and the Dells! Can't miss the Dells every summer.....and some one always has to puke at the Dells....as did my granddaugther. LOL. I am glad it was not me.:p