Brrr... the temperature is plummeting. Winter has arrived. The thermometer fell at 5:24 pm this evening. Throughout the day it was a balmy 26-28 degrees. At 5:24 the wind came rushing in with a roar. The coldest evening is upon us. -3 degrees Fahrenheit is cold no matter where you call home. Our poor black kitten "Blackie" seemed unaware of where his toasty warm home was. It was covered in snow. So in the snowy blizzard my husband and I ventured out into the drifting and blowing snow. I carried Blackie and walked him over to the igloo covered in mulch and snow. He was very happy to run in and meet his fellow kittens. He should stay warm now.
But that is not why I write tonight. Celibacy by compulsion has little to do with placing Blackie into his home. But it does have everything to do with our roosters. Due to their socially inappropriate behavior (attacking and breeding every hen they can get their beaks on) they have been placed in confinement.
Yesterday I went to the coop to find a poor hen pecked, de-feathered and dead in a nesting box. Those reproductive driven guys killed her. My heart sunk. I can not stand by and watch animals suffer. That was it. Something had to change. The roosters are too young to butcher but too old to hang out with the hens.
So we placed some chicken wire between some on the roosts. Now the roosters plaintively lust through the wire. Do I feel for them? Not really. In three weeks they are off to the poultry processor to fill our freezer. Strange how the thought of the rooster's demise doesn't seem to bother me... well, with the exception of one of them. Mr. Rooster will be replaced this culling. He's still less than a year old and should be still good for the stew pot. But he was our first rooster and we have many fond and not so fond memories of him. But alas, the boys will have to be content looking through the wire. They have been placed in solitary confinement pending their "sentence". Meanwhile, the hens are at peace. There is no more screeching for help from the defenseless hen. And hopefully there will be no more suffering deaths.
Tonight we are pleased that the chickens are safe, the kittens are in their igloo, the dogs... well they're still running around outside... eventually they will snuggle up into their igloo and keep warm as well. We are warm, fed and content. It's time to cuddle together read a good book and drink some hot chocolate.
Today's Journey Joy - separated chickens
