Sunday, October 26, 2008

guinea hen wrangling....

These silly guinea hens!!!!! this afternoon, Ed and I had an errand to run down in Dover. I had a feeling that we wouldn't be home before dark, and decided to bring the guinea hens in before we left. Well.... nothing doing, the afternoon was bright, sunny and warm, and those little birdies said "no way are you closing us in now".... I chased them around the barnyard and gave up when they went into the woods!!! Hoping for the best that Mr. Fox, Hawk or whom ever he was.. wouldn't show up again tonite before we got back.

Well, as thought it was pretty dark when we returned to the barn. I first checked their stall and no birdies... great..... I have this funny sound I make which they often call back to, and was very happy to hear them when I "called"... there they were, in the paddock with Mocha... all..... FIVE of them!!!! One was missing, "oh no".. and not only was one missing.... it was MaMa bird who was missing!!! The babies seemed a bit lost without her, and I had a pretty hard time herding them into the stall. Usually they just follow MaMa bird, so if you herd her in the right direction...they follow. Any ways, I got the babies in and Ed came out to the barn and said..how ya doing... I told him the Mama bird was missing... just then, we could hear her... somewhere out in the woods. I was worried that maybe something had started to get her and she was hurt out there. But listening carefully, we found her... in the top of a small pine tree... she had roosted for the night, and left the "kids" to themselves!!!!!

Ed got a long pole and we more or less knocked her out of the tree, I thought she would run right into the barn.... but...NO..... she decided to take a walk out thru the pasture, over the manure pile, into the woods... anywhere but into the barn. Here is Ed and I ..in the dark, with flashlights... rakes, etc.. trying to herd this silly bird in!!!! Because of the rain we had last night, there were puddles and mud all over the place and we gave up trying to get around them and head Mama bird in the right direction!!!! Finally... she co-operated and calling to her kids, went inside!!!!

Ed and I looked at each other... covered in mud (our shoes are a mess).. running around for who knows how long... all after a silly bird who would have been perfectly happy sleeping out in a pine tree.... but, it's just my thing... I need to know that when the night falls, all my animals are tucked into their beds safe and sound (it drives me nuts that the barn kitty doesn't stay in all night and I can only assume she is ok because her food is gone each night!!!!) I don't know, a "real" farmer would have said "good night, good luck Miss guinea hen"... so I have my doubts about ever being a "real" farmer..... and for tonite anyways.. Mr. "whoever ate the other baby". won't have a free meal. I will be able to sleep and good thing, as I report for jury duty tomorrow....

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