We Bought Nazguls in the Tractor Supply Parking Lot

Did you know you could buy Nazguls?  We didn't, until a couple weeks ago.  I thought they could only be found in Middle Earth or in grandiose and somewhat erroneous Hollywood flicks; never did I imagine they could be bought and sold.

But you can, indeed, buy Nazguls.  As it so happens, we bought some last fall.  We thought we were buying guineas, but the past couple weeks have proven otherwise.  For the longest time, they were roosting with the Barred Rocks, but ever since we began rotating the chickens onto fresh pasture again, they have become confused and have returned to roosting in the oak tree at the back corner of the house.  And you know what they do when they roost?  They screech, just like (you guessed it) Nazguls.

They screech when we turn the lights on.  They screech when we turn the lights off.  The screech as I'm doing the dishes.  They screech when Byron and I try to talk.  They screech at 2 a.m.  They screech at 3 a.m.  They screech at...well, you get the idea.

And during the day?  They knock on the door.  Imagine me, home with my kids, hearing a knock at the door and thinking a friend has stopped by.  But instead, I see this:

Go back to Middle Earth.  Please.

Tolkien never wrote about Nazguls possibly being the antidote to squash bugs, but they did expertly slay some termites the other day when Byron dug up an old stump.  So for the interim, I will endure being the not-so-proud owner of Nazguls, and hope they break bad on some garden pests this summer.

If they don't, I may have to call in Eowyn.  Unless you have any advice as to how to quiet a guinea Nazgul.

I'm linking up to Rural Thursdays at Two Bears Farm and A Rural Journal!

The Guineas' Reign of Terror

We recently tried combining our small flock of wandering Barred Rock hens, and the three guineas that think these geriatric chickens are their mommies, with our younger brood of Rhode Island Reds.  We had tried this once before, because we'd heard that when the chickens were all the same size, the older ones would be less likely to murder their juniors and the pecking order would kind of work itself out.  Well, that time it didn't go so well for the Reds.  No blood was shed, but the older hens used the old divide-and-conquer technique to dominate the two feeders we had out.

So what possessed us to try it again?  Poop on the front porch.  Poop on the back porch.  When you have wandering chickens, they wander (and poop) wherever they please.  And since we feel ghetto enough as we live through a renovation, a little less poop to squish through our Crocs as we walk out the door would be heavenly.

The results?  We put the Barred Rocks and guineas in the hoop house with the Rhode Island Reds, and the Barred Rocks were awful, as usual.  Pecking any Rhode Island Red who came near the feeder.  Forcing them out of their nest boxes.  But the real villains were the guineas, whose Reign of Terror kept the Rhode Island Red populace heading for higher ground (the roost bars) most of the day.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll shut up for a minute...

The guineas plot their next move while one of their Barred Rock mommies keeps watch for any errant Rhode Island Reds.

Several (probably hungry) Rhode Island Reds brave flying down from the roost bar and huddle in a corner of the hoop house, waiting for an opportune time to snag some food.

A guinea takes notice and issues a loud series of commands...

The Rhode Island Reds briefly consider a revolt... 

...but swiftly begin to acquiesce to the three dictators by heading for the roost bar.  And the rooster?  Worthless. Granted, he did come down several times, but the guineas (who are half his size) descended on him almost instantly, sending him flying back to safety.

In the end, the flocks are separate again and we are dancing around the droppings on our front porch.  Has anyone out there had success combing flocks?  If so, do tell!

A Rural Journal and my friend, Lisa, at Three Bears Farm are beginning Rural Thursdays, and I'm linking up!  Click here to check out the blog hop at Three Bears Farm, and here to check out A Rural Journal!

Also linking up to Farmgirl Friday at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House!

A Motley Crew

About a year ago, we "rescued" five Barred Rock chickens from becoming stewing hens at our friend Jeff's farm.  Since then, they've survived several mishaps and have generously given us eggs.  Though they've slowed down recently in egg production, we've decided to keep them around and have also added to their flock a Partridge Rock rooster.

The quintessential barnyard rooster...

...who poses for the camera by fluffing his feathers...

...and crowing.  Repeatedly.

Then we got three guinea fowl a couple months ago.  At first, we kept them separate from the rest of the chickens, but they refused to "stay put" and ended up mingling with the Barred Rocks and their man.  You can read about their antics here.

It was almost impossible to get a photo of the whole flock because every time I squatted down to take a picture, they came dashing toward me, hoping for goodies!  Anyway, the three guineas are right behind the Barred Rock in the front.

I mentioned in an earlier post that the guineas had taken to roosting on the chimney.  They actually moved to a nearby tree shortly after I wrote that, until one night a couple weeks ago.  I was awakened in the wee morning hours by some seriously loud guinea squawking, and thought I detected some whimpering.  Dashing out of bed (okay, I didn't dash, but it sounds more heroic), I went outside and found two of them under a bush.  The third, I was convinced, had become an owl's midnight snack.

We were saddened at the fate of the guinea, but then lo and behold - all three were waiting for us when we woke up later in the morning!  And you know what?  They have ditched the tree and have been safely roosting with the Barred Rocks ever since!

So there you have it - our motley crew of poultry.  We may soon be mixing them again with the 20 Rhode Island Reds so they can all spend the winter in the hoop house (updates coming soon - we're almost done).  Any fiascoes that will ensue remain to be seen.

Click the icon to check out Homestead Revival's Barn Hop!

You Might Be a Guinea If...

A few weeks ago we found a good deal on three guineas, and as they've been growing, it even appears that we managed to pick out one male and two females...just what we wanted.  However, these fowl, which originate from Africa, have proven quirky, to say the least.  So from our novice experience as guinea owners, we've found that you might be a guinea if...

1. You're so ugly that you're cute.
2. The size of your head is directly proportional to your I.Q. (Seriously. I think they might be the dumbest creatures on God's green earth.)
3. You successfully ingest the stink bug the neighbor brings over, then proceed to fertilize the front porch with it.
4.  You knock on the front and back doors with your beak.
5. You insist on roosting on the garden fence and must be caught and physically placed into the hen house every single night.
6. You chase my mom to her car.
7. You eventually get tired of being caught every single night and take matters into your own hands by roosting on the chimney.
8. You decorate said chimney to make it look like it's been TP'd.
9. You randomly make either cute chirping noises or loud death squawks.
10. You eat the Barred Rocks' food because they think you're their baby.

Do you have any experience raising guinea fowl?  Do yours act as bizarre as ours do?

I'm linking up to the Barn Hop!  Click below to read some fabulous blogs!