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I ran away from teaching to the country to grow veggies. There are also some chooks and a pair of troublesome goats who were so much trouble they had to go! My simple green life isn't always as simple or as green as I'd like...but I keep trying!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Jailbirds, the villain and the hero.

Rocky the Rooster and his girls are in confinement.
I am trying to make their life interesting by
varying their feed.
They gobbled down their porridge this morning
which had been cooked in some left over soup.


I gave them some fresh hay to scratch through 
and raked them up some leaves.

It still makes me sad that they can't
free range at the moment.
But it is for their own good.




 It took me a few goes to get a satisfactory picture
of The Villian...the reason for their incarceration.



She is Daisy...a rather rambunctious adolescent of mixed parentage.  She belongs to my Great Nephew, who is between houses.  
Daisy is a rescue dog that he couldn't pass up
and she needed somewhere to live for a few weeks 
till he moves into his own house. 

She loves to chase things, especially flappy, squawky creatures.
I had to remove both Heckle and Hortense from
her jaws when they ventured over the fence.

Poor Hortense...survivor of maternal abuse,
a fox attack and now a dog mauling...
I think she must be running out of lives.

Heckle was bruised 
and missing enough feathers to stuff a small pillow
but has made a good recovery.


The resident dog has been bullied into submission and is perfecting her, 'I'm not really here', look. 
But the hero, the surprise hero, is Mickey the fourteen year old tabby
He is the most docile and neurotic of felines,
frightened of his own shadow and
at the very bottom of the cat pecking
(scratching?) order here.


In the first few days, when there was a rather fearsome dog fight...


Mickey leapt into the fray with claws bared.  
He threw himself onto Daisy again and again till she desisted.

So things have quietened down
and there is a feline enforced cease fire in place.

Anytime there is a rumble of trouble,
Super Mickey appears out of nowhere to referee.

Progress is being made...
Daisy now sleeps in her OWN bed
(this is a VERY big deal),
and is learning that the world does not end if you are 
outside on your own, for short periods.  
She can now wait, 
with a treat held under her nose,
for me to say OK before she takes it.

Even The Cook is finding her commanding voice.  
For a while I was worried I may have to place her in
protective custody with the hens for her own safety.

10 comments:

  1. Glad things are settling down a bit. It can be a little crazy when a new animal enters the mix.

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  2. Hazel I love your descriptive writing, I chuckled the whole way through with vivid images of the sequence of events. I hope your great nephew appreciates what you are doing for him!(mitx)

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  3. She must be a clever thing to pick up manners so quickly! Poor H & H though, it must be so traumatic for them. I don't think Julia ever recovered from being chased by a bull arab puppy. She is very flighty now.
    I loved hearing about Mickey. he sounds like he is relishing his new role.

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  4. Love the photo of your super hero! Your poor chookees have seen enough violence but their time at Hazels Chookees Retreat will calm them down.
    Fantastic wormy header photo!

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  5. What is it with dogs called ¨Daisy¨? Our neighbours dog is called that and she has treated our chickens as her own personal takeaway...until we hit her with electric fencing, That fixed her little red wagon.

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  6. Go Mikey the Supercat!
    Love your painting of the superhero!

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  7. Good on you - your chookies will be fine, much better safe than sorry! And all power to Mickey the wonder cat! :)

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  8. Many interesting characters over your place. You won't have a boring day!

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  9. I hope your animals recognise how well off they are! Do you serve them breakfast in bed??

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  10. Only just had a chance to catch up on your post - think we must be in a parallel universe.
    Maybe Nita and Daisy are related somehow. They do sound like they have the same traits.

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