I put the laundry out on the line and it was nearly horizontal, and dry in a remarkably short time. I got the old tarp out of the barn and hosed off so we can use it while bringing bunnies to various meetings in the near future.
The first of the meetings is tomorrow. One of the June colony babies is heading home. He's such a cutie too. He's the white one with black spots and the lionhead tuft between his ears. They said they were naming him Jon Snow. I love it! Our albino bristle nose pleco (whom we've since identified as female) is named Jon Snow.
Then we have a meeting we're still working on for Wednesday to send three more babies off to a new home to a lady who bought Ulrich (Ulysses' brother) a few months ago.
More meetings to follow next week to meet two more people and move five more bunnies to new homes.
Tony doesn't have a single day off this week or next. We're squeezing meetings in during other appointments that he's worked into his schedule. We will be running - constantly - for the next two weeks. He is scheduled for 70 hours this week, and 70 hours next week. At least the paychecks will be nice. He has promised to use a few of his vacation days coming up to have some down time with the family after this crazy work month. Maybe he can help us get caught up on homesteading stuff too since he'll be home.
Today I found one of our French Cuckoo Marans (FCM) roosters down in the barn. He didn't look good and wasn't moving. I picked him up off the floor so the other birds wouldn't trample him, and gave him a handful of food just to himself. When I came back the other birds had eaten all his food and our two older roosters (Big Red the Rhode Island Red and Phil the Bantam Cochin) were taking turns mounting him. So I took him outside and set him in the shade of the bee tree. A favorite resting place for the birds. A few minutes later I caught Phil and Big Red attacking him again. I moved him up near the door, figuring since he isn't moving around, and the roosters might be discouraged from coming up to the house, he might be safe. Nope. Caught them bothering him again. This poor bird is bedraggled. I don't know what's wrong with him. He won't eat, he only drank one beak dip, and he won't walk more than a few steps before he lays down again. This will be the second FCM rooster this week to exhibit these symptoms and then die. The other one I didn't realize may have been harassed by the older roosters. Aside from the fact that they are the same color and of similar size to our old hen (Henrietta, Barred Rock), I'm not sure why the roosters would take a sudden sexual interest in these boys. They're not crowing, they aren't attempting to steal any ladies from the older roosters, and they're not aggressive at all. Why is this happening?? At this rate we won't have any roosters to butcher because Big Red and Phil will harrass them to death. Keeping in mind these roosters are as big as Big Red, and bigger than Phil. Might be time for Big Red to hit the crock pot.
So, long story short, the FCM rooster is now in the house in a storage tote with some grass for bedding. If he's going to die, he should have at least the dignity not to be raped to death by our jerk roosters. And you know what? Husband didn't even bat an eye at the box in the kitchen. He asked if Mazikeen had bothered him, and I said no, I don't think she even realizes there's a bird in there. Better that way I think. I full anticipate having to take a dead bird out tomorrow morning. Poor guy.