Our two oldest sons each raised a female pup a few years back, resulting in at least one litter of pups every summer since the girls were old enough to breed. Those pups were a lot of fun until they got big enough to find trouble.
That trouble was usually my wife's back flower bed.
The trouble usually happened when two growth events coincided - the pups were at the stage where everything was fair game to chew, and the flowers were just coming into their prime.
Well last year was the last pup summer since both females got spayed.
You can imagine my wife's delight at the prospect of FINALLY having a nice flower bed by the back door this summer. Man, she was glad to see the last of those pup days. It didn't help that the sons were at work more than at home and most of the pup chores fell to mom and dad. So we don't miss the pups.
Well this spring when we got our usual 200 meat bird chicks, I decided to surprise my wife and picked up 8 laying type chicks as well. 2 each of 4 different kinds. They included a couple of black and white striped ones, a couple of reds with white fringed tail feathers, a couple of reds with black fringed tail feathers and a couple of black ones with a spray of red feathers throughout. Nice replacements for the hens she lost in the barn fire last winter.
I haven't a clue what kind they are, but wifey was delighted at the prospect of having our own eggs come fall. Man she took care of those little birds and they reciprocated her attention by becoming pets. She just really likes her henny pennies, as she calls them.
When she takes food out to them, they come running and follow her across the yard. One is so friendly that it jumps onto her hand and goes along for the ride. They kinda had free run of the place, but always went "home to roost" at night. Much less trouble than pups.
Well come late summer, the back flower bed was starting to burst out in full colour and volume. Just a mass of purple and white flowers - I haven't a clue what they are named but that didn't stop them from showing up really nicely.
Until one lovely summer day a few weeks ago.
I came in to the house (likely to get a drink and check Ranchers :roll: ) and found that flower bed in absolute shambles. Dirt and uprooted flower plants all over. The dirt that had been banked up against the garage wall was leveled.
I went in kinda slow, not knowing how to tell her what I'd found. Didn't take long to identify the culprits - her darling little hens. They had scratched the livin daylights and all the flowers right outta her prize flower bed.
Wow. Talk about needing to bite one's tongue. Both of us actually!! I figured it was just smartest and safest to silently help shovel and replant.
The hens survived without any real threat to their well-being, the plants recovered enough to make a brave attempt at blooming behind a chicken-wire fence and the eggs taste just fine.
So who needs pups to keep a summer interesting?
That trouble was usually my wife's back flower bed.
The trouble usually happened when two growth events coincided - the pups were at the stage where everything was fair game to chew, and the flowers were just coming into their prime.
Well last year was the last pup summer since both females got spayed.
You can imagine my wife's delight at the prospect of FINALLY having a nice flower bed by the back door this summer. Man, she was glad to see the last of those pup days. It didn't help that the sons were at work more than at home and most of the pup chores fell to mom and dad. So we don't miss the pups.
Well this spring when we got our usual 200 meat bird chicks, I decided to surprise my wife and picked up 8 laying type chicks as well. 2 each of 4 different kinds. They included a couple of black and white striped ones, a couple of reds with white fringed tail feathers, a couple of reds with black fringed tail feathers and a couple of black ones with a spray of red feathers throughout. Nice replacements for the hens she lost in the barn fire last winter.
I haven't a clue what kind they are, but wifey was delighted at the prospect of having our own eggs come fall. Man she took care of those little birds and they reciprocated her attention by becoming pets. She just really likes her henny pennies, as she calls them.
When she takes food out to them, they come running and follow her across the yard. One is so friendly that it jumps onto her hand and goes along for the ride. They kinda had free run of the place, but always went "home to roost" at night. Much less trouble than pups.
Well come late summer, the back flower bed was starting to burst out in full colour and volume. Just a mass of purple and white flowers - I haven't a clue what they are named but that didn't stop them from showing up really nicely.
Until one lovely summer day a few weeks ago.
I came in to the house (likely to get a drink and check Ranchers :roll: ) and found that flower bed in absolute shambles. Dirt and uprooted flower plants all over. The dirt that had been banked up against the garage wall was leveled.
I went in kinda slow, not knowing how to tell her what I'd found. Didn't take long to identify the culprits - her darling little hens. They had scratched the livin daylights and all the flowers right outta her prize flower bed.
Wow. Talk about needing to bite one's tongue. Both of us actually!! I figured it was just smartest and safest to silently help shovel and replant.
The hens survived without any real threat to their well-being, the plants recovered enough to make a brave attempt at blooming behind a chicken-wire fence and the eggs taste just fine.
So who needs pups to keep a summer interesting?