Friday, July 27, 2012

Moving Day!

The coop is finished enough for the chicks to move in now! I still have some exterior finishing touches, but it is all predator proof and functional! The only issue is I made a coop big enough for 8 hens because I thought I had 7... but now I only have 4! (I lost Zella and Edith and Betsy will be leaving shortly because they are roosters)

Hopefully in the future I will put trim around the window to hide the washers and the extra hardware cloth.


This will someday lift open to reveal three bins with (hopefully) eggs inside!

 June's cheek tufts are growing in! She looks so silly and she is definitely calming down towards people. She is probably the second most easily handled now.

 Dot's chest feathers aren't looking that bad, but her wings and her back and her head and her tail and her neck are still looking a little sparse. She is growing, but ever so slowly.
 I think Shirley is a very pretty bird - and she is terribly entertaining. Shirley is the best forager of the flock and is constantly searching for goodies in wood chips (even though there aren't any). She is not very fond of being held, but she is okay with being petted. Shirley is far more interested in perching on your arm than snuggling.

 Nellie is my only snuggler. She is probably only interested in me because I give her the favorite treatment (snuggling and petting and cornbread). But Nellie is extremely curious and is not afraid to come peck at me if I have sparkly nail polish on. She is past her nervous Nellie days!

 For a while, I was really hoping Edith was a girl. Simply a hen with a serious attitude issue. But alas, no. I am convinced due to Edith's gargantuan size and her rooster tail feathers and her large, red crest that she is a he. Betsy is a rooster too! She (he) leaves me with no doubt though. Betsy attacks my fingers, struts around like a little prince, is growing a huge red crest and wattles and has rooster tail feathers. Betsy exudes a manly aura. I am starting to look for homes for these two because I have a feeling it won't be long until I hear some crowing!
My brother and his favorite hen! Too cute! (I told him to smile but I think he was a little scared of June pooping on him)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Chicken Coop Update

Thanks to a few busy days I wasn't able to do anything to the chicken coop until today. Today I put the framing for the side walls and the roof up as well as the left wall! Lots of progress! The roof spacers are a little bit crooked but functional nonetheless!

 


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wood and nails and chickens... Oh my!

Today was the first day of actual coop construction and I am already blistered. The coop is coming along very nicely though! I have the floor done and the front and back walls are framed.

 The plywood pile! It was difficult carrying all this in to the backyard, but the frustrating part is I know that I have to bring some of it back out again so that I can cut doors and windows into them.
 The 2x4 pile...
 Here is a close-up of the extraordinarily heavy concrete pier blocks we used to raise the coop. Be careful not to throw out your back or smash your fingers with these things!
The chicks are still oblivious to their new home's semi-existence. But they still enjoy the yard! 



Look at that absurd tail feather! I don't know if that is the start of rooster feathers or some strange anomaly that will be disappearing soon, but Betsy looks silly with that lone feather waving around. 




Nellie had a rather adorable camera-caught grooming session today.


Fuzzy butts! Edith looks monstrous next to Shirley and Shirley isn't even small.


I thought maybe if I took a photo that hid all of Dots feathers (or lack there of) she might look pretty! Actually, this photo was a complete accident. I was trying to catch June I took this shot. Not bad for a blind photo!


I think Dot might turn out alright in the end... but she is sure going through an awkward phase. Here chest, which is supposed to be lightly speckled white, is pretty much white with a few brown speckles. She has a rather pitiful appearance as of now. I always put up her most glamorous shots though!


Look at how tall Edith can be!!




It's Bath Time!

The chicks went out today and surprisingly I remembered to take the camera out with them. That's two days in a row! The highlight of today's adventure was digging a new hole in the dirt to bathe in.


The flock (minus Dot and Betsy) was extremely enthusiastic about their hole - lots of rolling and scratching and flopping on top of each other. It was very entertaining. I am concerned that they might dig the whole yard up, but they are so adorable I couldn't stop them.












 ROOSTER!! Just look at that tell-tale red comb and that silly tail!! Not to mention her (his) attitude.