Sunday, November 30, 2014

Arizona Coops

We left the chickens to the chicken-sitter over Thanksgiving and made our way down to Flagstaff, Arizona, to visit friends for the holiday.  Their mountain community is home to many chicken coops and luckily our friends were chicken-sitting for a neighbor.  Occasionally we remembered to bring the camera on neighborhood walks and got a few pictures.

The neighbor's house was the first stop.  We were interested to see that the nesting boxes were filled with wood pellets rather than pine shavings. 
 
The coop was pretty big, with nine chickens, and we noticed that they used similar roofing materials to Red Door Coop. 
 Here are some of the chickens.
 Papa Hen noticed the latches and is thinking we might change ours at some point.


Up a steep hill, we spied a huge yard full of chickens, maybe 15-20 birds total.  They had lots of room to roam.
 On the other side of the yard was a smaller coop with food and water dishes.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Peaking Out

The gnome is peaking out at those passing by Red Door Coop.





Mr. Gnome is protecting you from:
1.  the chicken lice
2.  the dead mouse
3.  indecent amounts of Diatomaceous earth
4.  chicken electrolytes

Yes.  There is much news from Red Door Coop.  But we are too tired to write about.

Soon.


Thursday, November 20, 2014

Pink

We had a pink sky this morning.

The girls are pretending to admire the painted sky, but they are really looking for handouts.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Sunny Afternoon

We had a sunny afternoon today so we let the chickens of Red door Coop out in the yard to stretch their legs.  Fitz became particularly enamored with a spot by the shed. 

We lured the chickens back onto the coop with spinach and other treats, but we really had to coax Fitz to leave the hole she had dug.  Once all the birds were inside, they enjoyed being hand fed pieces of spinach by Papa Hen.

Blur

When the solar powered coop door opens the chickens are out in a jiffy.  If you blink, you miss it.


Saturday, November 15, 2014

The Humans Get Smarter

We bought three compressed bales of hay today and made a 3-sided fortress (shelter) for the chickens.  The birds like it!





Thursday, November 13, 2014

Below Zero

Chicken chores were accomplished at -6 degrees this morning.  Brr.  The girls made it through another night out in the coop--not in the garage.  Yay!  They popped out the door this morning eager to eat.  After some snacks, they all became very still with their feathers puffed out to keep the warmth in. 

Here's what the coop looks like today.
Here's what the chickens look like.


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Bitter

Bitter cold.  Autumn in Colorado ended on Sunday just after we went for a nice bikeride up in Boulder--wearing shorts! 

And today, Wednesday, the high temperature was 5 degrees.

The chickens are bundled up in a coop that is wrapped and fortified from the elements.  It's also full of straw as shown in the photos.  Excuse the white and wiggly blur.

Papa Hen and I debated about putting them in the garage last night with a low of 2 degrees, but decided against it, knowing that the transition back to Red Door Coop in the morning would be difficult.  I tossed and turned all night worrying about their little combs and wattles getting frost bitten.  This morning they popped out of the coop door looking well, but more excited than normal for morning snacks.  I was prepared with a hot breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, and scratch.  This gives them lots of protein and helps them to stay warm.

Here are a few similar shots of the chickens exploring their straw filled coop.




Monday, November 10, 2014

First Snow

Here is a shot of our first snow last week.  Our second snow is starting tonight.  I believe that this light snow is just a taste of what's to come this winter. 


Chickens and Dirt Baths

While Papa Hen and I made sure that every nook and cranny of the coop was insulated against the coming cold spell, the girls enjoyed a warm Saturday afternoon.  They flopped around and tossed fresh dirt about, cleaning under all of their feathers, with not one thought spent on the upcoming cold.  Ignorance is bliss!

I'll never get over their dirt bath rituals with the twisting and turning of their bodies, pecking the dirt with their beaks, and getting as close to one another as possible.  It is quite a sight, every time!

You can see what I mean here.


BB was in the coop laying her egg.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Lights

Our clocks have fallen back and the coop lights are on for a short time in the morning and evening.  In this photo it is getting to be chicken bedtime.  The birds are eating their night time snacks and periodically looking at the coop door towards the roost. 

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Winterized

As the nights get colder, we've been feeling the pressure to get Red Door Coop ready for winter.  Over the last few weeks we've taken some steps in that direction, but today we went "full on" with it.  Now the hay bales are stacked and the run is wrapped.
The new waterer sparkles and shines in the dusty coop (on the left).  But not for long. 
We added dirt to the bath and they immediately dove in.



Saturday Morning Chores

Papa Hen was busy with morning chicken chores today.
 Lou supervised his work and then flew up to the loft.  Weezy immediately flew down.

Red Door Coop Jack-O-Lanterns

Halloween was festive.