Getting their wings clipped

The chooks are growing, slowly (I want eggs nooow), but surely.

They are about 9 weeks old and they are starting to look like chooks. Their voices are breaking in a very 13-year old boy kinda way, and J has declared that they are all roosters because they are growing red crops.

A few times lately we have discovered the chickens perched up high on the tall bars that used to hold pot plants when the chookhouse was a shadehouse. Seeing as we also let them free range in the yard from time to time, yesterday P decided that it was time to clip their wings.

My Dad had given P a short lesson on how to do this, and looking now at lessons on the Internet, his method looks a little excessive. The chickens didn’t seem to mind though, so I guess it was OK. He clipped one wing on each chicken only. The idea is that you unbalance them so they can’t fly properly.

I imagined as he was doing this that he was going to turn to me and say something along the lines of “stop taking photos and help me, you twerp!”, but he didn’t – he clipped all 5 chicken’s wings on his own while I watched, completely uselessly.

After he finished each chook, the kids pounced on the feathers, collecting them in their specially-constructed “feather-catcher”.

Tonight was the street Christmas party. Normally this is held in the park across the street, but this year it was rained out. The whole neighbourhood then piled into our place, with the majority of people in the carport, under my hanging garlic. It was really lovely to see everyone and show them the chooks and the rest of our crazy food-growing yard which is normally hidden from view. We managed to get most of the place somewhat respectable, and I’m feeling much more enthused about the garden as a result.

I have big plans for the coming week!