Wednesday, November 18, 2009

naming our babies...

I'm so glad people asked about names for our guinea fowl. I was going to mention straight up that blog visitors may like to help us with names, but I wasn't sure if you'd be shy...
Anyway, before we talk names, I have some sad news.
Last night we had a very cold night and
a) we didn't realise how cold it was. I was shocked to get up and read the thermometer and see it was 11 degrees
b) we didn't realise that guinea fowl really don't like the cold
c) we didn't realise that our mother guinea fowl wasn't interested in sitting on her babies and keeping them warm.
You know where this is going, don't you?
Yes, dear reader, I'm sad to report that when Elliot checked the pen this morning, the babies were in a terrible state -- at death's door. In fact, one of them has since died, which is just awful. Two are quite fit but another isn't well. As you can imagine, they are all inside with us tonight, tucked up in a woolly sweater. Fingers crossed all will be well from now on.
And so to naming...
We have to call one of the adult females Matera... because when we were at the Women's fiction festival in Matera a few years ago, there was a guinea fowl in one of the ancient stone houses near us. It used to sit in the window and call out and we've never forgotten.
Elliot wants to call the baby that almost died but seems to have revived Lazarus.
And he's chosen Icarus for an adult male that keeps flying high and hitting the roof.
But there are four other birds as yet un-named and we're very open to suggestions. There's a female and a male and two babies of as yet uncertain gender. Anyone like to toss a name in the ring?

6 comments:

Jill said...

I vote for Gloria for one. As in Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive." :-)

2paw said...

Oh dear, those poor little chicks. I think maybe Matilda, or Matty, after the song. That's a nice Australian name!! I hope all the birds will be well now. Oh the keeping of animals is fraught with danger.

Barbara Hannay said...

Ooh, thanks Jill and 2paw. I love both those suggestions.

2paw, you're so right about "fraught with danger". I'm afraid we lost Lazarus last night, despite our best efforts, but the other two babies (one of whom must be Gloria) seem strong and well.

Anne said...

Barbara, I'm so sorry to hear of your struggles with the chicks. It must have been very distressing to see some die. I cannot believe it is so cold in Nth Queensland when we are roasting down south.

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