Introducing Toby

Having had a week of gorgeous summery weather, I was expecting Saturday to be decent for the Great Washing of the Fleeces (all those lovely samples from Rare Breeds Canada). So far from it, that it was overcast and windy and rainy all day, and the rain even turned to something like ice pellets. But the fleece had to get washed, so outside I went with my tubs. Began before breakfast, and all day it seems I was up and down stairs and in and out of water, as I was doing the laundry as well. Thankfully none of my clothes were anywhere near as dirty as fleece often is.

I borrowed the door to the old chicken coop to drain the fleeces on. It would have worked much better on a sunny day, but with the rain...well, everything came in before supper, and draped the upstairs bannisters, and clothes-drying racks beside the stove. I'm sure the door will come in handy another time. The chickens won't need it. Dad is converting the old barn/coop to a garage for his car, and there will be a new coop built a little ways off.

Right now, however, they are still in the barn at night, and getting let out during the day to pick around in the yard. Saturday they also had a little excitement. Since we lost Leroy to the dogs that came around, Mom's been inquiring around for another rooster. Turns out one of my cousins had a rooster to spare, and he was looking for a door for some project. Mom had three old doors in storage in the shed loft. And voila, the good old-fashioned barter system strikes again. Saturday morning saw my cousin and the family and the rooster driving up the lane. Rooster duly introduced to hens, a door selected in exchange, and everyone was happy. Especially the rooster - he was crowing very happily, and when Mom went to check a bit later how he was getting on, she found him on the roost snuggled up with four or five hens. I tried to get a picture of him later, but he's a bit camera-shy.

Still, if you can't tell from the photo, he's a lovely rooster. White and cinnamon and black, glossy and plump. It took very little time for him to be christened Toby, after the singer, Toby Keith. He's got the right figure, and a black mark under his chin that looks like a beard - and exactly the same swagger around the chicks as his namesake in his music videos.