Good morning from Chicken Paradise Hawaii! The farm is in full bloom. Would the tortoises eat this leaf? (I can’t help thinking about food.) A rather rare two-shot with Aurora, and the gentlemanly Shizuku.
Rooster news
This is Red. He lost a fight the other day and is taking refuge up high. Tamamushi’s usual spot is right here. Ishiko is back in the play area, mixing with the young ones in Ryu’s group.
Yesterday’s heavy rain turned the ground to mud, but the chickens are dust-bathing in their cozy room as if nothing happened. And Iruka, long on the outside team, has for some reason moved back into the room. The hens are angry with him, but he’s doing his job, breaking up their squabbles. That’s what that spot is for!
The senior team — Kin-chan, the oldest of the four, with Purin and Glico — has suddenly started laying again. You don’t need to, you’re four, five, six years old! Purin is trying so hard her eyes are half closed, and Glico peeked in, worried. Older hens are prone to egg-related trouble, so we watch them closely. Go easy on the nesting!
The pond surprise
Our pond is green with duckweed, a tiny floating plant with roots about 20 centimeters long. Dragonfly nymphs multiplied here, and I thought they had eaten every red guppy I added. But here’s the moment we found them — my voice went high with excitement: lots of tiny babies, around 50! The green water hid them, but for fish and plants it’s the water of life.
Pond snails came along on the plants, too. In my ideal underwater world, fish eat plants and algae, snails bind their droppings into a kind of underwater soil, and plants feed on that. Dragonfly nymphs were not in the plan!
Wishes for everyone
Rain, shine or storm, I want everyone to stay well — seniors and newcomers alike — eating lots of tasty things, following the rules and getting along. Curry, Udon and friends will soon graduate from their cage. Life with chickens is full of surprises, and they teach me so much. The bananas are turning yellow and the papayas are fruiting, though Shimako doesn’t eat fruit.
Meet Iruka
Iruka is about four and a half and is Pen-chan’s nephew. His mother, Pen-chan’s sister, fell ill while raising her chicks, so I caught her. She passed away, but I raised her two chicks, Iruka and Shachi; Shachi has since wandered off. Iruka became Heart’s apprentice, though he doesn’t seem to have learned much. A bit of a daydreamer, but he’s doing his best.
Thanks for watching Chicken Paradise! See you in the next episode.