Monday, March 30, 2015

Back to Red Door Coop

Papa Hen and I have been on a little spring break vacation in sunny southern California.  Following are just a few are bird sightings from our trip.

Seagull.


 Little Italy
Little feet on the beach.





We are home in Colorado now and spent our first afternoon home (yesterday) starting on some spring yard work and coop cleaning. 

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Sneaky Bill

I was filling the feed bins in the shed today when Papa Hen discovered a sneaky Bill snacking on scratch that missed the bin.


Not so sneaky, Bill.  We caught you!

Sand

Over the last two years the birds have done a lot of digging in Red Door Coop.  Papa Hen and I have done a lot of scooping of you-know-what.  These two things resulted in the level of the coop floor being much lower than we like.  As a fairly easy and quick early spring project, we decided to add many pounds of play sand to the coop to build up the floor.  It is a little damp but drying quickly on this warm Sunday.  The chickens were most excited about the dirt we added to their bath.


 While the sand dried out a bit, the chickens strutted their stuff right by the back door.  We think they think that if they look cute enough that we will let them into the house.  Because Papa Hen and I know how much they poop, it will only ever happen if there is an emergency (think bleeding toenail) and they need treatment.  


Drip-Drop

Earlier this week we woke to a nice rainstorm.  It slowed down by midday and then ended in late afternoon.  I always miss the sun, but rain was a nice change.




Friday, March 20, 2015

Chickens Being Chickens

This is as close to flying as Fitz can get. 

Lou is molting.  Look at her wings closely and you can see the pin feathers.
BB likes the shadows.  Have I ever mentioned that she is very slow to catch on to things?  Really.  The other four birds see the scratch jar in my hand and come running or "flying" like Fitz in the photo above.  BB won't even notice it until I walk over to her, physically pick her up, and carry her to the scratch on the ground.  Even then she will often peck at the clear plastic scratch container for the scratch it contains.  Oh well, I guess she does have her good looks and a pleasant temperament. 
Bill was hungrier than normal the other day and attempted to feast on Papa Hen's chicken shoe.  At least it kept her quiet for a few minutes.
 Here's Weezy.  The Loner.


Sunday, March 15, 2015

Goats

The most exciting news I have to share is not my news at all.  My friend at The Farmy got LaMancha Goats!


March Summer Day

It was nearly 80 degrees today.  After hiking with some friends, I returned home to Red Door Coop and opened the door.  The girls bounced out of there in a jiffy. 



And then Lou bounced back in.
Fitz was off doing her own thing.

The coop is still insulated for winter and we hesitate to remove the plastic and hay bales because it is bound to get cold again.  In Colorado there is a saying about the weather, "just wait fifteen minutes" and it will change.  Last year we had a snowstorm on Mother's Day!  For now and to give the chickens a bit more air circulation, I opened the window in the coop and loosened up plastic where I could. 

Fitz

After a year of molting, Fitz is really looking good.  Her tail is gorgeous!

Here she is heading into the coop after some free time in the yard.

It was a warm day today and Fitz likes to keep cool under the coop.

Pretty chicken, huh!

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Nail Trimming

Hello. 

The Red Door Coop chickens got a salon treatment in our laundry room today.  After BB had a torn and bloody claw this week, after Lou's bloody disaster, we decided to take action.  Mama Hen held the birds.  Papa Hen cut the nails with trimmers we purchased at the ranch store.  He was very careful about the quick.  That's the vein that runs through the nail.  The quick bleeds a lot!  We kept disinfectant and cornstarch nearby and barely had to use any, proof of how careful Papa Hen was with the trimming.

Weezy went first since she is perhaps the world's most skittish chicken.

 Then Fitz.
 Lou was next.  She is accustomed to the laundry room after her accident last week.

 BB was calm and cool.

 Bill was quiet.  Unusual.


Warm Sun

Daylight saving.  Warm sun.  The chickens are perky.







Thursday, March 5, 2015

Fair Weather

The sun was shining.  
The snow was melting.  
We celebrated!