Letting Your Bird Spread it's Wings with The Aviator Harness and Leash #ChewyInfluencer

Until recently I did not that harnesses designed to allow pet birds to fly and explore the outdoors existed. The Aviator bird harness and leash does just that.

The Aviator is available in 8 sizes, designed to fit birds as small as parakeets, and up to as large as chickens, macaws, ducks, and geese, and every size bird in between, including parrots.

Our friends at Chewy.com sent us a harness for chickens, sized XXL.

My birds typically free range most of the time, but recently they have not. I am temporarily housing some pigs for my neighbors, and I am not sure how the pigs would react to a chicken in their pen, so my girls have been confined to their "run" area most of the time. They definitely miss the grass, bugs, and weeds.

Bacon and eggs. 🥓 🍳 . #chickensofinstagram #backyardchickens #pigsofinstagram #pigstagram #hobbyfarm

A post shared by Rebekah (@rebekah_lw) on May 20, 2018 at 10:49am PDT

I'm not going to lie, I am getting attached to the 4 pigs staying with us. The dogs are even getting used to them!

The aviator comes with the harness and leash as a one piece system, with the harness being 10 feet long, and extensions are available.

It includes a 45 minute instructional DVD, with information on fitting the harness, and safety tips. If sized and fitted appropriately, it is escape-proof.

After watching the DVD, I decided to try it out first on my adult Rhode Island Red, as she is a champion free ranger.

It took her several minutes to get used to it at first. Have you ever seen a cat in a harness? They sometimes flop over and are completely motionless and helpless. That was her initial reaction. It was honestly quite funny.

After a few minutes, she decided she was fine with it, and took to scratching, pecking, and eating vegetation and bugs, happier than a pig in ...

I had to keep up with her! Any sort of tension on the harness caused her to fall over and become helpless, so I ensured we kept a loose leash. My dogs love to pull, my chickens not so much.

Now your chicken can safely cross the road!!

(Sorry, I couldn't resist)

This is actually a brilliant product. I have put it to good use during this time when I am not allowing my birds to free range, and it is a fun way to take a chicken on a walk, although the chicken gets to lead the way.

It is perfect for those with indoor pet birds who wish to allow their pets to experience the outdoors, and potentially flight, in a safe manner.

It is very important to watch the included DVD, and make sure the harness is fitted properly prior to use.

We are having quite a bit of fun with it here at my house, and I am certain my neighbors are laughing at me, but I'm ok with that.

Leashes and harnesses aren't just for dogs.

My Rotten Dogs is a Chewy Influencer. All opinions are strictly my own. 

Update

Hi all! We are still here, still alive. I figure 2.5 months is a long blogging hiatus to take for the time being. I have been active on Facebook and Instagram if you want to follow us there for more updates.

I figure it's time for an update on how things are around here.

Spring is here at the farm. Even though it is has snowed at least once a week since the official beginning of Spring last month.

Squinty faces and a drool bubble during a late season snow. 

Though none of them really act like it, I feel as if I run a senior pet retirement home. Both Juice and Noelle (my cats) are 12.

She really is 12 years old.

Bruce is 8.5, Neeko is 8, and Faolan is the young one at 6.5.

While Winter has seemed to last a while, there are some signs of Spring around. We have had some nice mild days, in which to enjoy hikes, mud, and the creek.

One sure sign of Spring (at least to a northern breed owner) is the annual blowing of the coat. As usual, Faolan is the first to start here, and so far the only one.

Over the course of two long brushing sessions, I completely brushed out his undercoat. I made another dog in the process, and he appears to have lost 10 lbs. I only wish Neeko were that easy.

The chickens are enjoying the new vegetation, bugs, and longer days.

One thing they are less thrilled about is the addition of 12 new chicks.

I got these babies about 7 weeks ago, and kept them inside with their Brinsea EcoGlow Warmer for the first 5 weeks here. I moved them outside into a small, enclosed coop setup near the regular coop. They can see the big girls, and the big girls can see them, but no mingling yet. I am hoping this acclimation system will work.

I am 99% certain one of these babies is a cockerel, so we will see how he turns out.

So that's what is going on with us. Nothing earth shattering, simple day to day life. But it's fun, and I like it.

Chicken Chores

Last weekend was devoted to chicken chores.

I have a wonderful (and now completely predator proof) coop. But it was dull and boring. I decided it needed spruced up a bit.

What better way to spruce it up than to paint it barn red?

The coop before.

I know the big door is huge. There is hardware cloth covering the windows, and the glass panes slide over to close them. There is also hardware cloth along the top of the back wall and sides for ventilation, as well as the eaves in the front. The smaller door opens and closes via a light sensor, and now has a hinge on it and a catch to stop it if anything attempts to push the door up once it is closed.

The coop after

Isn't it adorable?!? The side walls of this bay are also being painted white, and it has really brightened it up. We learned the hard way that milk crates aren't meant to be stood on.

In addition to painting the coop, I put my handy extra dog crate to use again. I wrapped the bottom of it in chicken wire.

I purchased some four week old chicks earlier this year, and had sworn I wasn't going to go through the hassle of raising day old chicks this year.

I lied.

These babies are now about 6 weeks old, and were ready to be moved outside.

They will spend a week or two in the crate inside the chicken coop, so the big girls can get used to them, before being fully integrated into the flock.

I know the big girls will still pick on them, but I am hoping to lessen the severity of it with a slow introduction. I'll let you know how it goes. Chickens can be brutal.

Wordless Wednesday - Priority Mail

Click HERE to view/join the hop!

Live Releasing the Raccoon that Killed My Chickens

One morning last week I noticed that my chickens weren't outside when looking out one of my back windows.

I have a secure, well-ventilated coop. Hardware cloth is your friend when keeping chickens. I put a lot of thought and effort into the design and construction of my coop. In three years, nothing has gotten in.

I have an automatic chicken door opener. It works great. It is based off of a light sensor, and opens at sunrise, closes at sunset. Chickens intuitively know to go to safety as darkness approaches, and most predators are nocturnal. They have a run area to keep them confined when I don't want them to free range, but it is not secure, just a barn bay with a livestock gate covered by field fencing. It keeps them in.

Raccoons are smart. And one figured out how to slide my chicken door up along the tracks.

On an Easter Egg Hunt

I currently have two hens that are laying. I have some Buff Orpington teenagers who should start laying any day now.

Esther and Polly. Esther is the boss of everyone.

Esther and Polly are both considered Easter Eggers. Easter Eggers are not a breed of chicken, but a "mutt" chicken which carries the gene to lay blue, green or pink colored eggs. Both of these girls lay beautiful baby blue eggs.

I have nest boxes. Three of them, in fact, which should be plenty. Until recently, there was no issue with laying eggs in the nest boxes. These girls both give me about 4 eggs a week. Esther lays a slightly larger egg than Polly.

Those are fake eggs in the nest boxes, to remind them of where they are supposed to lay. 

I recently went several days in a row without a single egg. I had various thoughts. Maybe they were going to start molting soon was my first thought.

Finally, I began to look for the eggs. I went on an Easter Egg hunt.

I have a large chicken coop. It is in one of my barn bays. It probably measures 12x6, and is quite tall counting the eaves and ventilation areas.

I did a thorough inspection of the coop, hunting for Easter Eggs.

I found them, and they weren't in a nest box...

This cell phone photo doesn't do the color of the eggs justice.

These ladies had made themselves a nest, decorated with guinea feathers, at the back of the coop, behind the roosts.

It then dawned on me why they weren't laying in the nest boxes...

Because babies!

I have some young girls (5-6 weeks old) who only recently moved into the coop. I put new baby additions in a dog crate in the coop for the first couple of weeks. I do this to "coop train" them, and to allow the bigger girls to get used to their presence. This time around, I apparently placed the babies too close to the nest boxes, which is why Esther and Polly took it upon themselves to make their own nest.

I have had the crate door open the last few days. Last night when I did the final check on the chickens, all of the babies were up on the roosts with the big girls, so the crate will be coming out today or tomorrow.

Hopefully Esther and Polly (and soon the Buff Orpington gals) resume laying in the nest boxes. Hopefully this will end my Easter Egg Hunts.

Black & White Sunday

Photobombing chicken.

Eight Photos of Happiness

I was challenged by Dachshund Nola to share eight photos of happiness in my life.  Here they are, in no particular order.

Faolan.  This turd brings so much joy to my life, in so many

ways.  He has changed my life, both directly and indirectly,

in ways that I cannot even begin to describe.

Swimming with my girl.  This picture makes me smile just

looking at it.

A photo posted by Rebekah (@rebekah_lw) on Aug 4, 2015 at 2:00pm PDT

I love the flower, the light. Happiness.

Bruce brings me happiness, in his own way.  Christmas is 

exceptionally happy for me.

My sleek black kitty, Noelle.  Her personality, though shy, is

fantastic.

Breakfast. It's a gorgeous, cool morning here. I'll eat some actual food in a bit. #augustbreak2015

A photo posted by Rebekah (@rebekah_lw) on Aug 1, 2015 at 4:22am PDT

Coffee. And Neeko. Enough said.

Snow.  I live for Winter.

Three forms of happiness here.  My girl, Fall, and my free-

range chickens.

There are many, many more things that make me happy, but these best fit with the theme of my site.  This was fun, and thought-provoking at the same time.

What makes you happy?

There Aren't too Many Things Funnier than Running Chickens

Except Guinea fowl running.  I need to get a video.

The Rest of the Story

Last week, for Wordless Wednesday, I posted a photo of a peacock.

This beautiful bird showed up at my house Tuesday evening, and hung around until Friday evening.  I don't know where he came from, or where he went, but I enjoyed my time with him.

He was incredibly fascinated with the chickens and guinea fowl.  He seemed to have a crush on one particular guinea.

He did not demonstrate any sort of aggression towards my poultry.  Just curiosity.  He was fairly skittish of me, and definitely fearful of the dogs.

He enjoyed eating the blueberries, raisins, peanuts and sunflower seeds I offered him.  He was quite a bit larger than any of my birds, and oh so beautiful.

I wish he would have stuck around, but I hope he found his way home.

I now kind of want one of my own.

Black & White Sunday

I'll just leave this here.

Wordless Wednesday-A Visitor

Wordless Wednesday-Skeptical Small Pet

Rhode Island Red

Wordless Wednesday-Monogram?

Wordless Wednesday-Chicken Whisperer

Chicken Photobomb

I'm not sure why this cracks me up so much...

Neeko being somewhat photobombed by a Rhode Island Red.

Wolfdogs, Prey Drive, and a Suicidal Guinea Fowl

Prey drive is inherent to many breeds of dogs.  Sometimes it can be "fixed" and typically it can be managed.  I am a member of the camp who manages it.

Bruce and Faolan both have a strong prey drive.  Bruce more so than Faolan.  Bruce cannot be trusted around smaller dogs, while weirdo Faolan tends to be afraid of smaller dogs, and ok with cats when supervised.  Faolan is excellent with children.

A couple of months ago, I let the dogs out into the play yard to run around one beautiful morning before work.  Neeko and Faolan immediately ran to a back corner, but I didn't pay much attention.  Next thing I knew, I heard this awful noise, and saw them playing tug with something.

They were playing tug with a rabbit, and the awful noise was it screaming.  I quickly corralled Bruce, because he is an asshole who wants anything that could be remotely considered food, and did not want to deal with a fight.

Neeko was quickly bored, so I ushered her inside as well.  By the time I returned outside to Faolan, he had eaten half the rabbit, and buried the other half, caching it for later...

He's too sweet to be a cold-blooded killer.

Earlier this week, I watched, helpless, as a guinea fowl flew into the play yard.  While the dogs were in it.  And could not figure out how to fly back out.  Needless to say, I am short one guinea fowl now, courtesy of Bruce and Faolan.  The day before, I had just commented on how they are not very smart birds...

I have read stories in chicken groups about what people do to their own dogs if the dog happens to kill a bird.  Some of them are disturbing.  Some will simply shoot the dog, some tie the dead chicken around their neck, some use aversion training to make the dog fearful of chickens, and some rehome the dog.

I feel it is the responsibility of the chicken keeper/dog guardian to protect their birds from their dogs, and vice versa.   Fences are your friend.  Not every dog is rock-solid good around all other animals.  To punish, rehome, or do worse to a dog for being a dog is just wrong.

Fortunately, my dogs are not livestock guardian dogs, nor do I expect them to be.   However, it is my responsibility to protect my chickens and cats from them.

Due to their lack of recall, my dogs are always leashed, or contained by a fence when outside.  This works well for chickens, who cannot get the necessary height while flying to clear the fence.  Guinea fowl are a different story. 

I was upset over the guinea fowl incident, but not angy.  You cannot be mad at a dog for being a dog.

I have written before of the precautions necessary to keep my cats safe.  It is a matter of supervision, and closing appropriate doors when not at home.  Easy, peasy.  

I have yet to figure out how the rabbit got into the dog yard, but was unable to escape.  Again, I was upset, but not angry. 

The most unfortunate thing about these two situations is that I fear Bruce and Faolan now view anything small and fluffy that is not a dog as food. 

I only hope that the other guinea fowl learned a lesson...

Wordless Wednesday-My First Guinea Hen Egg

Wordless Wednesday-Cocky

Wordless Wednesday: Guess What??