Another One Bites the Dust...

It is with much sadness that I have to report that Thunder has gone on to meet his maker.  Apparently, the other day, he tangled with the dog...they need to either stay far away from Avery, run faster, or get the flying thing down.  In any case, I came home after school Friday, and he looked a bit "down".  He was hanging out near their little trough...tail feathers looking dismal.  Ran some errands, came home, and well...he was no more.  I haven't told husband yet...he is away in San Diego playing in the National Sweet 16s...Thunder was their mascot and I'm a little concerned that his demise might be bad for morale.  The awesome news is that the Thundercocks (hence the name, Thunder) won their games this weekend and earned themselves a spot in the Final Four in Colorado!  Thunder would have been so proud.

Here he is at a Fresno Rugby game.  

The Halfway House continues to have it's fair share of drama.  The babies have been left in there now for the past week.  Enough of the bullying, however, the teenagers have not been listening.  We had a stern talk...seemed like they were listening, but the babies finally took matters into their own hands...wings (??).  I came out the other morning and the scene I witnesses was hilarious.  The babies had staged a coup!  Apparently they've gotten tired of all the harassment...I had put their feed dish up on top of the boxes since they were too scared to ever go down on the floor.  They stayed either on top of the boxes or behind them.  The feed dish was now lying on the floor across the coop and the teenagers were standing in the far corner of the coop looking very surprised.  The babies were on top of the boxes flapping their wings.  I'm convinced that in a fit of exasperation with being treated like lower class citizens, the babies flung the feeder across the coop and said "enough is enough".  This was the scene:

Since that day...Thursday, I think, things have been pretty calm in the halfway house.  I wouldn't go so far as to say "harmonious", but better.  I put fresh water in and the babies ponied up to get a drink.  So proud of them.  Only two and a half more months and then they can all join the remaining hens.  I think that one of my teenagers might be a rooster though.  One of the smaller ones...some sort of bantam, has quite the comb already.  I won't be too disappointed...I miss the daily rooster crowing...