Babies, Babies, Everywhere; Babies, Babies, In My Hair!

Well, we had the little peeps here for one idyllic week, and then things took a rapid turn south.  Does anyone know where that expression come from, does anyone know?  One of my most beloved friends in the world, a fellow Parrot and Silkie Chicken person, is named William and lives in Georgia.  He and I tease each other endlessly about accents - he for my Canadian-bent one, I for his soft and delightful Georgian/Southern one.

So, if I can get some "dirt" on that Southern expression, that would be fun!  (That is my diabolical side, expressing itself).

I drove down to help William move two years ago when he lost his 47-acre farm to foreclosure.  I brought back his three Heritage turkeys and many of his chickens (Seramas, Silkies, Cochins and their crosses). I kept a small flock of four clutchmates - Boo-boo-roo, Goldie, Cuckoo, and (wait for it!) - Dorene.  Yes, she was named after me, they were all refugees from a mother who tried to kill them all, so William hand-raised them, and when I went to help him, I kept the four.

As you may remember, William's Silkie hen, Sumo-san, and Bleu Belle, my other Heritage turkey, brooded and hatched some of my local friend's rare breed Penedesencas and some other rare breeds.  I gave them all back for his restoration programme, and when Goldie, Moppit-Stoppit (my rescue mutt Silkie from St. Charles Animal Control) and Dorene and Cuckoo all went broody, we got some new eggs to brood.

The short version of the story is that (this is a LONG soap opera) - the chicks hatched, in the meantime Cricket and Bleu Belle (both my Heritage turkeys) went broody. 

The babies' peeps must have caused a surge of some maternal hormonal aggression in EVERYBODY!!!!  Dorene's clutch failed when I moved her, since I did not realize that she would be so upset that I would move her and she stood off the nest long enough that the eggies died in shell.

Goldie and Moppit-Stoppit co-brooded a nest together, but somehow Goldie got the two chicks that hatched and Moppit kept brooding 4 duds.  Cuckoo, across the coop in her own little brooder, successfully hatched four of her six.

Suddenly, after a week of Peaceful Peeps and cotton-ball antics, all chaos and pandemonium broke loose.

Cuckoo decided that Goldie Must Die.  That made Dorene jump into the fray, which caused Boo-boo-roo to try to quell the hen riots by attempting to kill Luna-Tuna-Fish, originally "Lunatic", now re-visiting her original name.  This led to Bleu Belle, the Spanish Black Turkey, to come off her (imaginary) nest and try to kill - I could not tell - either the babies or the fighting moms, so re-enter Boo-boo-roo, who thankfully would run for cover himself when I came out to break up the mayhem.

I took one day of this (anyone want to guess at how many new grey hairs I grew?) and then decided that the babies must go back to their original breeder/restoration programme, as I just cannot financially or emotionally afford to have to build separate accommodations for the turkeys and the miniature chickens, and I DON'T want my bantam flock to have be subdivided due to internal dispute.

So, we are still re-working out our "pecking order" (see my last post about barnyard sayings taking on whole new meanings for me) and I have my claws crossed and am hoping for the best.

Rest assured, I'll keep you posted!

Dorene

www.doreneolson.com