Friday, February 6, 2009

Birds Sold, Coco and Kuckoo, New Outfits

Some love guineas. I tried to love guineas. Year before last I got guinea keets from Collinsville Trade Day Flea Market in Alabama. I raised them up, and once they were mature, they began to pick on my chickens. At the time, there were only three, so it wasnt too bad. A feather pulled here, a feather pulled there. Then the female guinea matured and layed twenty three eggs last June. In July, 22 of the 23 eggs hatched. Some of the babies disappeared, later to be found caught up in something or trampled on, dead either way. That left sixteen babies that grew up big and strong and healthy...and LOUD. Counting the parents (two males and the female) that made 19 guineas. In the summer guineas are happy and content to roam and eat grass and bugs. When winter is here they are a very unhappy bunch and do their rendition of whining and complaining..which is 'HA HONK' from the girls all day long, and the chattering noise from the boys...all day long. After a while, this grates on ones nerves. The country is a place that is supposed to have peace and quiet with the occasional farm animal sounds. This was not the case with the guineas. I traded 8 of them to a neighbor for three of his buff orpington hens, a deal in my eyes. Still, that left 11. Eleven can sound like a hundred after a full day of chattering and ha honking. I gave Dwain three. The remaining ones were caught and put in a holding pen. I put a sign out by the road without much success, GUINEAS FOR SALE. Then it dawned on me...to use Craigslist. So I did, and along with the guinea ad I put in the ad I had put in the Market Bulletin (with no success)for the white crested polish and the golden phoenix roosters. I got a call from a woman in Cartersville, but she said I was a long way from her...(not REALLY)and wanted to know if I would bring them to her. I told her I would meet her half way...then, well, to be perfectly honest, a better offer came along, so I lied through my teeth and told a story to the lady, the end result being they werent for sale any longer. The offer came from a man that wanted ALL the birds. The guineas and the roosters. AND he would come and get them. That was just much easier for me. I was not looking forward to transporting those guineas to a parking lot and having to put them in another cage, HOPING they didnt slip through my fingers and get away in the process. I look at it this way, if she wanted them that bad, she should have come to get them here at the house.

So this morning the guy showed up right on time at 9 am. I had the birds all ready for him. We put them in his cages, he gave me my money and he was on his way in no time at all. I was happy, he was happy...all went smoothly.

Now it is so peaceful and quiet again here. All I hear is an occasional rooster crowing (which I never get tired of hearing). The emus do the job keeping anything out of the fence that isnt supposed to be here, so I dont really need the guinea troop alarm anymore. One time out of a hundred there might be something actually out here. Crying wolf is a guineas specialty..I think anyway.

Yesterday was spent giving Coco and Kuckoo a bath and a blow dry session. They are all clean and ready for show now. They have been so good. I want you to see just what they are in, and you can see they could easily jump out, but they haven't not even once. Here are some pictures of them that I took this morning.



Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

A few close ups of Kuckoo's head...


Photobucket
Photobucket

I bought some new material to make more chicken diaper outfits for Phoenix. I got some small print John Deere material and some small print bumble bees on yellow material. The John Deere outfit will be to match my John Deere shirt when I take him to tote around at the Newnan show. Jerry and Mike want to see this chicken diaper contraption, so he is going with me. The bumble bee material will be for a spring outfit. Spring is right around the corner...I hope!


Photobucket
Photobucket

I will now close this Friday entry with a picture I just took a couple of hours ago of those four adorable GROWING white crested blue polish babies. :) They are so precious.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. The weather here is going to be sunny, dry, and in the sixties for days on end. I am going to thoroughly enjoy it! I will be back Sunday morning to make an entry on Saturdays show. Until then...XOXOXOXOX



Photobucket

14 comments:

Hollie said...

I bet you are glad to get rid of the guineas...peace & quiet at last. Good luck on the show. It's amazing that Kuckoo & Coco haven't tried to get out. They are good birds indeed. Maybe you need to put a patent on those chicken diapers....

Linda's World said...

They are so cute. The family that lives behind me on the next street had chickens for awhile and I loved hearing the rooster crow. But I'm guessing some of the other neighbors weren't in the same frame of mind. The chickens have disappeared and now all I hear is a very large dog barking non-stop. Not enjoyable! I wish I could come & visit your "Chicken Ranch."

Helen said...

I bet it is quite with all racket gone. Those are really good chickens to stay in that box like that. Those outfits will be cute made out of that material. Good luck this weekend. Helen

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I've never known much about chickens other than the ones my grandmother had when I was a child. We were always sent to gather eggs and she sold them too. It was her 'pin' money for extras she always said. Having chickens to show and giving them a bath is a lot of work it seems, but something you must enjoy. Good luck with your show and I bet those little diapers are a hit!
'On Ya'-ma

Paula said...

I like that John Deere material. Good luck at your show. I think your's will win hands down.

Sage Ravenwood said...

Sounds like you got the better deal for the birds. Love the material for the diapers hon! (Hugs)Indigo

Tina of Moon Shine said...

way to go on selling the guineas!!!

MammawsDecorativeArt said...

I am so happy for you that you a guinea free! What a noisy ruckus they make constantly. That transaction was smooth and easy. Kuckoo and Coco are gorgeous. I hope you win all types of awards for your beauties. I'm going to look through my fabric and see if there's some cute stuff I can share with you. If you have a pattern, I don't mind to help you make some. If you get attention for the ones you made for him when you're at the show and need any help in production, let me know, I'm close by. I'll help.

Those diapers are so darned cute I think.

Nelishia

Lisa said...

I bet it sounds strange not hearing all the chattering from the guinnies. Your pictures are great, they are such beautiful birds. I love the babies, they are just tooooo cute! I like the John Deere fabric, how stylish!
xxx

Unknown said...

congratulations Kelly on your big win. They are beautiful birds and they look so happy.
Vicki and Skip

Skip and Vicki said...

Sorry Kelly I had my Gmail account up when I left the comment for you.

Vicki

Christy said...

I want to see this chicken diaper!

phd theses online said...

I think the Helmeted and Vulturine Guineafowl generally occur in open or semiopen habitats such as savanna or semideserts, while the remaining species of guineafowl mainly occur in forests.

custom paper essays said...

But I just thought that it's another trolling post!! anyway, these pictures just killed me, really