So pitiful

Molt

This picture really does not show how pitiful Dixie was while she was molting. Now that the big girls are about a year and 1/2 old, they are beginning to molt. Dixie had a hard molt - and over night lost most of her feathers. The run looked like someone had had a pillow fight! Hers are now growing back in and she looks beautiful again. Her feathers had been looking pretty dingy, even after a bath, so she was due some fresh ones!!! Now Penny is in full hard molt. 

When they are in molt they do not lay eggs - which means I have a bunch of free-loaders back there!!! I think this winter I am going to put lights in the coop so they will keep laying more regularly through the winter.

FINALLY

It has been a long road getting the little girls adjusted with the big girls. They have been fine during the day - but at night the little girls would not go into the coop to sleep. For several nights I physically put them in the coop when I would go out after dark to lock up - and then when they started to regularly roost on a bar IN the run, I decided it wasn't worth making them go in the coop. They were locked up and safe inside the run at night, so I let them stay outside. TONIGHT was the first night I went to lock them up and EVERYONE was inside the coop!!! Fall has finally arrived, and I wonder if they decided they were cold and it was silly to sleep outside when they could be cozy in the coop! Either way, I am glad everyone is now sleeping happily in the coop.

Green!!!

This morning I went out and found this beautiful green egg!! We have been waiting on the ameraucana girls to lay - and here is the first!!!

Update

Lots of updates about the chicks!! First - turns out, Sunny, JR is a HE. About 2 weeks ago I was letting the big girls free range in the backyard to give them more space to get adjusted to the little girls, and I was watching the little girls, and began thinking that Sunny JR was really looking different from Daisy. I did A LOT of reading, sent a lot of pictures to my chicken experts, and everything pointed toward Sunny being a HE. HE had to be re-homed. I could not have a rooster in my backyard!! Too small a space, they are too loud for my neighborhood, and I have no interest in raising chicks!!! After lots of phone calls, I found Sunny JR a new home in olive branch among 15 chicks his age. The kids and I delivered him to his new home last week, and his new owner has reported he is happy and doing well.

adjustment continues

The introduction of the new girls to the coop is not going well. Last Thursday during some supervised play time the big girls ran the little girls out of the coop and I found them huddled in the bushes in the back yard - safe from the big chickens and the dog. It took me hours to get them back in the coop. Today I opened the little girls coop and let them out and the big girls immediately started pecking them and cornered Sunny Jr - then pinned her between a 2x4 and the ground. I pretty much thought they had killed her. I was able to shoo them away and pull her out - she is fine. BUT back in the little coop the little girls went. Sigh. I will get some more chicken wire today to reinforce the bigger area so the little girls cant escape again. This weekend I will add a roost bar in the coop so the little girls have a spot of their own - if they ever can co-exist the the big girls!!

Backyard adventures

Introductions

Outside time

They are getting really big!!!

Chick love

Ryan came to visit this weekend and she loved the chicks! She wanted to sit right by their cage and wave at them, and M patiently sat with her! You can see their new digs. Sunny Jr figured out how to fly, so they needed some more room - and room with a top!! Daisy is still behind - not flying yet. Sunny jr wants her to catch up - flies up to the roost bar and talks to Daisy, but so far whatever she is saying is not getting the job done!

Teenagers

Getting big!!

Morning!!

Bath time!!

It has been so rainy this winter that the big girls outside are quite dirty. Dixie in particular was filthy. She is a light Brahama, and has feathers on her feet. Her feet were super dirty (and all the tromping around in the egg box was making the eggs muddy!) and around her vent was terribly matted. After doing some research (meaning I watched like 20 videos on you tube of people bathing their chickens), I decided that Dixie needed a bath, and that it was an easy task for a Monday afternoon.
She was amazingly patient with the bath...
I did skip the "dry your chicken with the blow dryer" step so many people on you tube favor - I figured it was warm enough outside and enough sunshine left in the day that she would be fine. I guess we will see how she looks in the morning!!

outside time

It was nice on Sunday so we took the little girls outside for some exploration!

living quarters

Right now the chicks are too small to be outside in the coop with the big girls. They are in a rubbermaid container in my kitchen! They have a heat lamp on them still, but we move the heat lamp further away from them as they get bigger. We will add a screen on top once they figure out how to fly.

Hello!!

Meet Daisy and Sunny.jr!

welcome to the world, baby chicks!

We added 2 Ameraucana chicks to our flock this week!! They were born Wednesday, March 18th. We will keep up with them here....
When we started this chicken adventure last May, I spent my energy keeping up with chickens and not documenting - so this time around we will share our adventure with you.