Day 524 Chicken Life

 

Eliza has been welcomed into the fold after a week of sizing up and hazing. She's still a bit skittish of a few of the more dominant hens but has been enjoying exploring all areas of the coop. The little coop seen in the photo is inside the larger coop and makes the perfect isolation pen for slow introductions. Once everyone is welcomed into the fold, the mini coop is opened up for everyone's enjoyment. The little coop was an excellent investment, especially in the spring when new chicks are introduced. Our coop in its entirety looks like something out of rural West Virginia, with old milk crates, and ladders inside and a tarp roof, an eye sore for non-chicken folks but for my girls its splendid. I care less about what the coop looks like as I do it's level of security. Every predator loves chicken so protecting my girls is my number one priority, my piecemeal coop has been impenetrable and has keep my birds safe from countless prey. With all the rain we've had it's been a challenge to keep the coop dry. Mud, mud and more mud covering the ground in their favorite areas of the run. I'll be outside once the rain stops, racking leaves into the run to give them added ground cover. This coming week the temperatures are going to fall drastically so the leaves will be a welcome addition for warmth. There's no rest in the life of a chicken mom. People often ask me what I do for my girls in the freezing temperatures. The answer is, I don't worry a bit, after all, they are birds! The only difficultly in the cold is keeping their water from freezing. Solution, I purchased a heated dog bowl so they have fresh water in the coldest weather. Most birds build nests and weather storms out in the elements, my birds have a coop with a dry roof, perches and pine bedding! They have an outdoor run that is completely covered as well as a large run partially covered if they want to survey the elements. This outdoor area has tall ladders with beams for high flying adventures as well as lower crates and boxes to fly onto and investigate. Then there's the annex as Tim and I call it, as seen in the photo, another area for our spoiled girls with a wind barrier fence on north side to block the cold winds and a mini coop inside to climb on or rest inside. Ahh the life of a chicken! Fortunately my flock has no issues with fighting as some flocks do, maybe due to their extended areas of play, having enough room matters! This spring I'll be introducing a dozen new girls, eager to bring Easter Eggers into my fold. The Easter Eggers lay beautiful blue eggs and with my brown and green egg layers the blue eggs will be a fantastic addition.  Ok, ok, just in case Tim is reading this, I'll say I might only get six chicks and split the dozen with a chicken loving friend.  It's a law here in RI that you must buy a minimum of 12 chicks at a time, so knowing other chicken moms comes in handy. Chickens are social creatures after all, not meant to be alone, the law also prevents people from giving one cute little chick as a gift. Fortunately, the dozen don't all have to be the same breed so mix and match is acceptable and makes for a beautiful flock. I suppose we'll have to wait until the spring to see what breeds I find and how many I bring home. Thank goodness Tim is a good sport and although cringes when I announce new arrivals he pretends to be amused. He might even enjoy our girls as much as I do!! Bet you never thought you'd know so much about the life of a chicken!!