Kirin is moving house today!
Kirin’s big move
For a long time Kirin couldn’t figure out how to use a perch. I put a cage in with him and encouraged him to climb up on it, and now he can use the perch bar too.
Catching him was the hard part (he grabbed my pants with his feet!), but in the end I held his head steady and carried him over.
His wounds have healed, and so have the wounds in his heart. He has mastered the basics: eating, drinking water, using a perch and taking dust baths. So, as a trial, I’ve set up his cage where the whole flock can see him, to see whether he can live alongside everyone.
The problem: roosters fight through the cage, and it started within seconds. He’s a fighting-breed rooster, so maybe this is too much to ask? His leg wasn’t quite right before, but it has mostly healed. If the fights don’t cause injuries I’ll let them go, but a rooster can break his own leg with his own force, so I’m watching closely. Jack, this is Kirin. He lives here now, so no clashing every day!
If his fighting blood turns out to be too strong for life here, I’ll try a spot with more wall so he can’t see the other roosters, or put his cage outside. Step one was intense, but things have calmed down a bit.
Egg songs and garden news
Ichigo (right) and Chobi (left) are singing their very loud egg songs, pecking angrily at the same time. Meanwhile Kannazuki laid an egg and needed a rest.
The lettuce in my little lettuce patch has flowered. It’s purple lettuce, but the flowers are the usual yellow. And a pumpkin I never even planted has bloomed: one big flower, probably a male one.
Meet Oreo
I introduced her last time, but here she is again: big sister Oreo, a hen of the American version of the Okazaki Ohan breed.
The name comes from a hen of the same kind that someone I knew used to keep. That Oreo was killed by a dog in an accident when she was about two, which was a terrible shock. So I gave this unrelated hen the same name, hoping she would live longer and be happy for both of them.
In October 2022 she turned four! Just as I’d hoped, she’s living a long life. Some say laying lots of eggs can shorten a hen’s life, but she’s still laying and still scolding people with plenty of energy. Stay well, Oreo.
Thank you for watching Chicken Paradise Hawaii! See you next time.