Hello from Chicken Paradise Hawaii — it’s me and Natsu, under blue skies again.
Grasshopper snacks
Our trail mix has dried grasshoppers in it, too big for the weaker chickens, so today they go to the healthier ones. Udon crunched right in — but he only eats the heads! Why, Udon? Curry got some too, a little nervously at first. And would you believe it, Natsu wanted some as well, grabbing my hand with all her claws out. Ouch! In the end, Natsu enjoyed them more than anyone.
A fire ant mound
This ordinary-looking pile of dirt is an ant mound, and the ants swarming at the entrance are fire ants. They’re incredibly aggressive — one or two bites give me a slight fever the next day. Working together, they can even attack large animals.
So I scattered ant bait all over it. When you disturb the mound, the ants rush out thinking they’re under attack, find “food,” and carry it home. Someone I know recommended it, and I’ve been using it for about a year. Goodbye, ants.
Our new water plant pond
We’ve set up a new pond, bought on sale! To get the water going, I added a few rabbit droppings so bacteria and tiny creatures could grow, then plants, and now fish. Along the way the dog tried to get in and a cat fell in — sadly, not filmed.
Today the guppies go in: pretty red ones, two males and four females, picked at a friend’s pet shop. I used to breed fish and keep aquariums, so I do have some experience. Their main job is eating mosquito eggs and larvae (those black specks are mosquito eggs) — and they’re already darting forward to catch them. Their droppings will feed the plants, too.
The plants: floating frogbit, a mini water lettuce with fluffy leaves, tiny duckweed that goldfish like to eat, one stem of anacharis, and some jungle val that will be planted properly later. Last time the pig knocked our pond over, so let’s hope this one survives.
Mash and the nest boxes
At mash time everyone acts as if they’ve never been fed, even with dry food right there. Kombu has gotten gentler… ouch, no she hasn’t. And here we have the first broody hen of the year, sitting on eggs. I also found a wrinkled egg — the shell probably got too much calcium in one spot. That happens a lot with very old or very young hens.
Mii-chan was once wild and was going to be eaten before I rescued her. For four years she wouldn’t let me touch her, but this year, as an old lady, she suddenly lets me pet her. Grumbling, but she seems to like it.
Thanks for watching Chicken Paradise Hawaii! See you next time.