Chickens are so funny to watch. They spend almost all day eating, but toss a worm into the pen - one will grab it and the others chase after, hoping not to miss out.
Here is a picture of the henhouse... it's built onto the back of the barn.
Here is their pen.
Sadly, a raccoon got in and took one of the hens. The Man added barbed wire around the top of the pen and hopefully that will deter any further coon attacks. He also put out a couple of traps, but thus far... nothing.
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| Mr. Rooster in mid-crow |
Time to expand the flock. A quick look on Craig's List resulted in finding a farm in Sams Valley where they raise all kinds of poultry, incubating eggs and hatching the chicks. We bought six pullets which were about seven weeks old. We brought them home, put them in the hen house with some chick feed and water, and sat back to watch. After several days, they found their way to the outside where they promptly hid under the house. They ventured out once in a while, and then ran back under. That evening, we had to sweep them out with a tahiti paddle, catch each one, and pop them through the little door. It was quite the adventure!
Here are the pullets... we don't know what the breed is, but the lady who sold them called the brown ones "Easter Eggers" since they lay light blue eggs. I think they look rather like hawks. The black one is interesting, it has feathers on its legs!
Three nights later, in the pouring rain, we were over it. After we finally caught the last one and got the little door closed, the Man got out a roll of wire mesh fencing and a staple gun, and we got the bottom of the house blocked off. We had been holding off since he had noticed a couple of the babes hop up on the little ramp and make their way into the house during the day. "Hey," we thought, "they'll go to bed by themselves tonight!" Didn't happen...
The next morning when the chicks came outside, they headed around the corner to scurry under the house and were stopped short by the fencing. Huh, well they weren't quite sure about that. "We have to spend our time out here eating grass and chick scratch?" Again, one or two would hop up on the ramp and make its way inside on occasion and we thought for sure they would go to bed on their own.
When it was dusk out, we went to check on them. Mr. Rooster and Henny-Penny had already put themselves to bed... and there the others were, a huddle of chicks outside, piled in the corner. We got the stick and tried to shoo them inside, but they ran around like... chickens... and wouldn't go in. That's it, I decided, they really are about as dumb as a box of rocks. :)
Three days later they figured out how to get themselves in when it was getting dark. Yay, our babies are growing up!
Saph is quite interested in watching the chickens.
Spring is such a beautiful time of year!
