Guarding the flock

It is fox breeding season and we can hear them calling quite a lot at night at the moment.  The hawks are also quite active with their hunting right now and we have seen the eagles quite a lot of late as well. As a result the dogs have been busy, particularly in the early evening, patrolling and barking a warning for the predators to stay away. During the day they are more relaxed but still vigilant, particularly for predators on the wing. Grace in particular is great with the chickens. She is calm when moving around them and they trust her.  They respect her too. The photos are of Grace hanging out in the Faverolles cockerel pen.  The cockerels are like a bunch of young louts at times and can get a bit rowdy, seemingly forming gangs and looking to rumble. In the bottom picture you can see Grace walking purposely through the middle of them to break things up and calm them down. She does a good job keeping them in line. A bit of trivia:  Pyrenean Mountain Dogs and Faverolles chickens are both French breeds, and both have extra toes.

Roosters roosters everywhere

One thing to keep in mind about breeding chickens is you will always end up with a surplus of roosters. And you always seem to end up with more roosters hatched than there are hens! We have separated this seasons pullets and cockerels now and are in the process of deciding who stays and who goes.  I will only keep the few best to continue on with the breeding program. I am slowly working to improve my lines each year.  Today we put leg rings on the birds who are 'under observation' as keepers (the photo is of one of those contenders). I have spent hours so far just sitting or standing and watching them, chatting and interacting with them and looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the different birds as they develop. Some can change a lot and some can surprise you with changes for better and for worse. In addition to the ones that will stay, some will be sold. There are some though - all those excess roosters - that require another solution.  No one buys roosters unless they are good ones and even then there is often a surplus. Truthfully you can't give them away either for the most part. Particularly in the numbers I have here. So the boys who are left will be culled and will go in our freezer to be eaten. Their life therefore has good purpose even if it is a fairly short one.  Though it is a life far better than most if not all of those chickens found in a supermarket.