Sunday, October 30, 2016

Chickens at Night (and a dog)

The new girls and the old girls have made it into the coop at chicken bedtime for two nights in a row. Woohoo!  We were able to get these photos during a commercial break in the 5th Inning.
GO SPORTS!

(If you are counting chickens you may notice only six hens, not seven.  Jim sleeps in a nesting box.  We fought her bad habit for awhile and gave up.  Jim won.)




And here is the puppy napping this afternoon.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Seven

After the baseball game last night we tiptoed out to the chicken yard and made some changes.  We put food and water up on the loft.  We added some overturned flowerpots for jumping on and hiding in.  Then we made the big change.  We carried Brian and David into the coop and put them up on the roost.  There were a few squawks and then all was quiet.  Seven chickens quiet.

This morning the birds are squawking.  Seven chickens squawking.  A new pecking order must be established and it takes some negotiating.  The old girls are fighting for higher spots.  The new girls have to introduce themselves to the old girls.  It is a power struggle.

Anyway, here's what it looks like with seven hens in the coop.






Papa Hen is doing some work in the coop while supervising the negotiations.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Close Up

I sent the big girls to roam the chicken yard and brought the new girls into Red Door Coop for their first visit.  We will do this every afternoon for the next several days.

David.  This chicken gave us an egg today!


Brian.


The big girls stay as far away from the new girls as they can, not even peeking in at them.



Welcome to Red Door Coop

Two new hens are joining the Red Door Coop flock this week.

They are named David and Brian.  David for Mama's Hen's older brother and Brian for Papa Hen's younger brother.
David, on the right, is the older of the two new hens.  She is a Cinnamon Queen and will lay nice brown eggs.  Brian is younger.  Notice how her comb is not yet developed?  She is a Golden Laced Wyandotte.  They will both lay brown eggs.

For the time being, the two hens will live in Red Door Coop pen, near the main coop.  Over the course of the next two weeks we will slowly introduce and eventually integrate the two new girls with the five old girls.



These photos were taken in the still dark morning light.  We will have some better ones soon.


Sunday, October 9, 2016

Fall Chores

While Papa Hen closed up the swamp cooler, installed two new motion sensor lights (after a midnight visit from four huge raccoon in our yard last weekend), and installed a new screen door with a doggie door, Mama Hen took care of the gardens.  It was fall clean up time!  The marigolds will remain for a little while. 
We had some volunteer squash in the gardens this year.  We have no idea of their variety.  Do you?
 These are the neglected squash that I decided to leave for now.  I'm curious about how big they will grow.
Some of the last veggies from our garden.  And one egg that I accidentally dropped after taking the picture.  Doh! 
The chickens' cleaning lady (Mama Hen) stopped in and left them with fresh dirt in the dirt bath.  Squawk!

And then Mr. Honk Honk, still recovering from his important surgery.  His spirits are good even wearing the darn cone.