The five roosters and six guineas are the guardians of the chicken yard:
Aren't those guineas hideously loud? I took this video on Sunday, after an eagle flew over the chicken yard. The head rooster was safely in the hen house while the other four roosters were outside calling, "Take cover!" I've read that guineas can herd a coyote right off the premises, just with their numbers and noise. They certainly make a fuss anytime M is working with power tools or the county inspector shows up. One time I tried to have a conversation with the construction company and the guineas surrounded us and made such a racket, I couldn't hear a thing! I think two guineas are female; the only way to tell them apart is by their call. They are laying in the hens' nest boxes, so I guess it is possible for us to hatch out some more. I don't know why I would though!
Sunday afternoon, we brought home dinner in the form of 20 Cornish Cross chicks. And ten new layers. They all got to come inside while the power was out this morning. I felt like Auntie Em at the beginning of The Wizard of Oz movie-counting and moving my chicks in a hurry before they got too cold!
Our total number of birds is.... 83! The Cornish will be ready for the freezer in 8 weeks. At the end of the summer we will eliminate all the chickens from our very first batch of egg layers from two years ago. I can't wait to see how motivated I am to pluck and gut chickens while 8 months pregnant!
