What we have been up to...

It was about time for an update! We have been making new, larger pens and moving chickens. For this week, we made a larger pen for the majority of the flock. There is still no roof, so they can get in and out when they like. The core reason for a pen at all stems from the need to have a place where the chickens can eat without the goats trying to steal their food. Since Hopper Spark has also developed an affinity for the taste of eggs, we would like to train the chickens to lay thier eggs in a place where it is easier to collect them, and the dogs cannot have them for a snack.
For those of you who followed the Name the Chicken contest, you might remember Empire. She has grown and changed into the chicken at the top left. Escapee, who spent almost a week on the run in the house, is above and to the right. He is growing into a silly, opinionated little roo.

On the left is one of the little white leghorns who came at around the same time. She is standing in a tree that is almost in the middle of the new poultry area. The pen itself is about 28x100. The shed which had blown away is being anchored with rail road ties, and takes up one corner of the space. Behind her, you can see one of the maternity areas, where a mama hen has eight little babies, born last week.

On the right and left are the two new Cochins, a Rhode Island Red and a Black Star. The new additions seem to be adapting quite well. When we moved the chickens into this pen, we combined the new young chichens from the Spring into the remainder of the flock. The young ones mostly keep to themselves at this point, but we haven't seen any problems.

The photo on the right is the view from the middle of the chicken enclosure facing NE. That is little Fly on the nesting box on the far right.

On the left is the newer mama hen of the two. She has eight babies. Two are the lighter color. The others are dark. They are about a week old.

On the right, Miss Jayda is letting us know what she thinks of our thwarting her plans to steal the chicken feed. Chicken feed is not good for goaties, but she finds that to be unimportant. So she is standing in the roof to one of the houses.

Glory is being quite tolerant of Princess Gala Buttercup, one of the hens who finds the new pen to be an unnecessary extravagance. She feels that she should be allowed to go where she pleases, and we should feed her there.

The hen to the right is showing what she find lacking in the new space- there is no mud puddle. If Wyatt would make her one, she might consider remaining in the new area, but as it stands, she wants to play in muddy water, not that clean stuff in the water buckets.

And this is the Mama hen with three little babies. She is a fierce one! Her babies are coming along nicely.

I also managed to get a photo of a little horned toad today, who was hiding out in the maternity ward. He is very luck to have not gotten himself caught in the mesh which is there to protect the babies.

Vegas is on duty! At 14, he can still defend the animals- and the fort, and chase bunnies with the best of them.

Hopper shows of her silly sneeze...

Remington saw me and came running.

Well, tomorrow morning, we have a yard sale to attend to at Grandma and Papa's, then in the afternoon we will finish off the bantam area. Watch for more to come!