NIGHTY NIGHT CHICK CHICK

The chickens have a new home!

10 Likes, 0 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "The chickens have a new home!"

This sounds like a children’s bedtime story. It could very well be a children’s bedtime story. It is about four little chickens and their new big chicken bed. I imagine the book version to be filled with beautiful illustrations of the chickens and the people who chased them around. You see, we made a tiny little mistake with the chickens. Turns out, when introducing chickens to a new coop, you have to lock them in it with some food and water for a couple of days. Then you introduce them to the new run. We didn’t do that. We did the opposite of that. We let them into their new enclosure to peck and scratch around. When evening came, we just expected that the chickens would walk up the ramp to roost inside the new coop. Instead, what we saw when we looked out into the backyard was four chickens frantically pacing back and forth in front of the enclosure door.

Michael and I spent half an hour chasing chickens and putting them into the new coop. Once we had them all locked up inside the coop, we stood there listening to them cry. Michael stood there and then said “Maybe we should just put them back inside the old coop.” I almost agreed with him, but then I said “I think this is a crying baby situation.” He replied “I hate the crying baby situation.” I patted him on the shoulder and nodded my head in agreement “Crying babies are the worst.” The chickens quickly calmed down and settled in for the night and the next morning, I went and let them out of the coop. Throughout the day I would see a chicken hop up onto the ramp and go inside. They were laying their eggs in the nesting box. It seemed that maybe they had figured it out and were getting comfortable with their new coop. But that evening, Michael and I were once again chasing chickens and shoving them into their coop. I can only image that parents go through something similar when introducing their toddlers to a big kid bed.

We have to put the chickens to bed. Once we get them inside the coop Michael reads them a bedtime story and I turn on their nightlight. Then we say “Goodnight Chickens!” Not really. Actually we shake our heads and grumble about how stupid chickens seem to be. The third night of this routine, I drunkenly chased a chicken around the enclosure when Margarette just walked right up the ramp and into the coop all on her own. Foghorn followed her. We still had to catch Matilda and Dorothy, but two of the chickens seem to have figured it out. The next night, all but one chicken had already gone inside the coop. Foghorn was still wandering around outside. Michael managed to talk her into going into the coop on her own without having to chase her down. The night after this, he went out to check on them and all of the chickens were inside the coop, ready for bed. The chickens are now, finally, completely putting themselves to bed.

Without chasing or coaxing or bedtime stories.

CHICKEN MANSION

Mostly done. We need to stake it down and Michael needs to build a new ramp for the coop.

14 Likes, 2 Comments - Cindy Maddera (@elephant_soap) on Instagram: "Mostly done. We need to stake it down and Michael needs to build a new ramp for the coop."

The chickens are still living in their old coop. There are still a few little adjustments that need to be made to their new space before they can move in officially. Their new space all started with the coop that JP gave us. The small run attached to the coop was way too small for our four chickens. We put them in it when we got the coop home and they barely had room to move around. That evening, Michael went to an open mic and I was alone at the house. I realized that the chickens had knocked the ramp from the coop and could not get inside for the night. It was already dark and I pondered how I was going to lift the run side of the old coop and herd chickens back into it at the same time. When I opened the new coop, they just stood there. So I picked them up one by one and placed them gently into the old coop. Except for Matilda, who decided to walk out of the new coop on her own, but then refused to go back into the old coop. I was the crazy lady in the backyard, talking to a chicken and a dog, because Josephine was out there “helping”.

We bought a 9 x 12 foot chicken enclosure and Micael removed the run from the new coop. We had hoped, maybe even expected, that the enclosure would come partially assembled in panels. The new enclosure came in a long box filled with poles and a roll of heavy duty chicken wire. Putting the poles together was the easy part. Wrapping the whole thing with the chicken wire was not so easy. One of us (me) had to be on the inside to help thread a zip-tie or a piece of wire through so that the chicken wire would be secured to the frame. When we got to the last section, the one with the door, I was trapped inside the coop until Michael could cut the chicken wire around the door. One of us found this situation to be pretty funny. On the days we have worked on the new coop, we have always let the chickens out of the old coop to roam around the yard. They have been very curious about the new space and there were times when I would turn around inside the coop and all four of them would be inside with me, pecking and scratching the ground. The day we worked on the last two sections of the enclosure, the chickens explored the yard, but they always ended up circling around us while we worked. At one point, Marguerite pecked at the chicken wire desperately trying to get inside. She needed to lay an egg. Michael lifted the old coop and she went right in and up to the nesting box. Her first instinct though was to go to the new coop. Their new space is going to be so nice. The new coop is easier to clean. There is a large door for easy access. No more lifting up a heavy coop to let the chickens out or get them back in. Michael always had to be the one to refill their water feeder because I can not lift the coop and slide the water feeder in at the same time.

Before we decided to replace the chicken coop, we talked about what would happen when the chickens die. We thought that maybe we would not replace them. Whenever we took a break from working on the enclosure, we would watch the chickens as they pecked and scratched around the yard. At one point, Dorothy snagged a fat slug and then there was a mad chase across the yard as the other chickens tried to steal it away. Michael said that we would wait until at least two chickens died and then replace them with one. Instead of having four chickens, we’d have three. That is what we had originally intended when the first coop was built. Three chickens are probably a better fit for our space. Though I have to admit, I enjoy watching our four chickens and how they interact with each other. I enjoy their individual personalities. We might just end up with another one of those situations where Michael tells me to pick one and then I look at him with big eyes and say “maybe we should get two in case one of them doesn’t make it.”

We’ll see.

FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE

Hanging out on the chicken coop

"Hanging out on the chicken coop"

Saturday evening late, I was out back with Josephine when all of a sudden I heard a loud thunk from the chicken coop. The next thing I saw was Foghorn, rolling down the ramp like she'd been shot out of a cannon and then landing with a flop at the bottom of the ramp. Then she just laid there all limp. I ran over to the coop while yelling "Foghorn! Foghorn! Are you OK?" because I think my chickens can talk. When I got to the coop, Foghorn popped her head up so I knew she was still alive. I opened the nesting box door to check on the others, but all the commotion had them making their way outside to see what was going on. The whole time, I'm talking to the chickens and asking them if they're all OK. Meanwhile, Josephine is barking her head off at something in the back corner of the yard. 

The chickens never did answer me, but they all looked OK. Even Foghorn was now up and walking around. I grabbed the three eggs that where in the nesting box and closed the lid being sure to secure the latch. I got inside and told Michael everything. Josephine was still barking in the backyard. Michael grabbed the flashlight and went to investigate. He ended up moving the chicken coop so now it faces the opposite way and there are zero gaps under the frame. He found evidence that something had been digging, trying to get under the coop. It could very well be Josephine, but I want to think it is not her. We never saw what it was that had Josephine so riled up. It could have been a possum or a raccoon. We've seen those around. I've seen a few stray cats too. Yesterday I noticed that Albus is sporting a scratch across the top of his nose, but I don't suspect him of trying to dig under the coop. 

I am sure that Josephine desperately wants to play with the chickens. She is usually hanging out in the shade of their nesting box or sitting on top of their run. I don't think she's the one trying to get to them though because her stance and demeanor when she's around the coop are more protective than predatory. I think Josephine really is trying to protect those birds. But something is trying to get them. I told Katrina this story and she said we might have to put an electric fence around the coop and then remember to turn it off when we went out to feed and collect eggs. I replied "or not and let the Cabbage feed them." (I would never) Katrina laughed and said that sounded like something J would do. It is totally something J would have done. I can see him now, holding a beer and standing next to Spencer. He would nudge Spencer with his elbow and say "hey, watch this." Then he'd tell Jr to go check for eggs and he and Spencer would laugh and laugh. 

I miss that. 

EGG HUNT

Eggs!

"Eggs!"

The most common question that we  have been asked in the last two months has been "Are the chickens laying eggs yet?" and every time we shake our heads with a frown and reply "no." Michael goes out there almost every day and tells the chickens to lay some damn eggs. The girls just look at him and move to the other end of the coop. We figured that we'd start seeing eggs in late July or early August. When July ended and there was zero sign of eggs, I started to think that they needed a better nesting area. The whole reason they were not laying eggs is because they didn't have a sleep number mattress and Egyptian cotton sheets to lay them on. This was my way of thinking. Of course, I am thinking all of this right in the middle of me travelling and Michael starting school, right when we are at our busiest. I might also add that ever since Josephine brought me a piece of our kitchen floor, we've been discussing a kitchen remodel and we bought a bunch of picture frames that need to be hung. 

Michael suggested that maybe Randy would have some idea on how to modify the coop with proper nesting boxes. So Randy and Katrina loaded up their little two-seater convertible and the small trailer they pull behind it and came up here over the weekend to help us do all of that. They were bribed with visits to the Farmers' Market and IKEA. Well...Katrina was bribed with those things to drag Randy up here. Also, Katrina and I made the most delicious pesto that was used to make pizzas and those pizzas were the yummiest pizzas. Randy and Michael went out to work on the coop while Katrina and I harvested basil for pesto. Then Michael decided we should clean the coop before doing anything. He turned the whole thing over so that it was partially on it's side and the chickens could get out. Then he walked into the run area to get the water jugs and there was an egg. Then we noticed another egg right behind Michael's foot and we all started screaming "DON'T MOVE!" Two eggs were discovered in the chicken run that day. 

The next morning, I went out to put a golf ball in the nesting boxes and check for any eggs. There was one egg sitting at the bottom of their ramp into the coop. I checked the coop and nesting box about five more times through out the day, but there were no more eggs. This leads me to believe that only one of the chickens is laying eggs so far. We have an idea of who is doing the egg laying, but for the most part, the chickens are pulling a page from Danielle Steel's Lace. The eggs are brown, so it's either Matilda or Dorothy. My money's on Dorothy. She's very interested in the new nesting area. This morning I found her scratching around in the nesting box. Dorothy has also gotten a little bit more docile. She's let me pet her twice now. The only time I get to hug and pet the chickens is when we've let them out in the yard and we have to catch them to put them back in the coop. But twice now, Dorothy has not moved away from my hand reaching into the coop or pecked me. I don't know why, but I just think that maybe the act of laying eggs makes a chicken more relaxed and loving. 

So far (we think) we have one chicken laying one egg a day. No eggs had been laid this morning before I left for work, though one of the chickens did make a very loud buhcawk sound that I thought for sure was chicken speak for "I HAVE LAID AN EGG!" It was not. I checked. I checked the coop twice before leaving for work and I'm sure I would have checked the coop four or five times by now if I were at home. I'm really hoping that when I get home today, I will find an egg in the actual nesting box area and not laying around in some random spot in the chicken run. 

It's all very exciting. I washed and placed our three eggs into a half empty carton of eggs purchased from the store in the fridge. They are small compared to the store bought eggs, but they are ours. They came from our backyard. Those eggs came from our chickens. 

MEET THE CHICKENS

I talked him into four. #365

"I talked him into four. #365"

Michael called a few places on Friday about chickens and when we headed out Saturday morning we were not really sure we'd be coming home with any chickens. Apparently egg layers sell out fast. I suggested we try the Family Farm Center in Harrisonville first. Michael had forgotten about that place and hadn't called there. So we were really excited when we walked into the store and could hear chirping. We followed the sound of chirps and peeps to several water troughs converted into chick corals near the middle of the store.

Right away I noticed they were out of Rhode Island Reds and Buff Orpingtons, both breeds that I had been thinking about because I'd read good things about them. Both of these breeds also happen to be very popular for urban backyard chickens. It sounds a little negative to say that we picked from the breeds they had left, but that's what we ended up doing. I couldn't be more pleased with the breeds that we ended up with though. All of them are going to grow into beautiful birds with wonderful colorful eggs. In fact a couple of our chicks were breeds that I had read about and loved, but didn't think I'd have access to locally. I thought these were special order birds and I was really happy to see them at the Family Farm Center. 

This is Matilda. Matilda is a Gold Laced Wyandotte and will lay brown eggs.  I saw an adult Gold Laced when we took the Cabbage to the pumpkin patch in October last year and was entranced by the beautiful pattern of her feathers. I can't wait for Matilda to grow into a mature chicken. She is going to be dazzling. 

Next up is Foghorn. Michael named her. He considered several names, but in the end said that Foghorn is the best name. She's an Austra White and will lay whitish colored eggs.  The description for the Austra White, which is a cross between a White Leghorn and Black Australorp, is said to be docile and less flighty than the Leghorn. Foghorn is pretty laid back and very sweet.

Marguerite is our Araucana. This breed is also called Easter Eggers because they lay green or blue eggs. I know I'm not supposed to have a favorite, but Marguerite is my favorite. I love her puffy little cheeks and her squinty eyes. She is so calm and reserved. I think she looks sophisticated, like she should be wearing a fancy hat or scarf or just knows very wise things about how to put on lipstick and eyeliner. 

Last  but not least, we have Dorothy (like the Wizard of Oz). Dorothy was no name for a few days because we thought we'd save this one for the Cabbage to name. Dorothy is a Black Sex Link and will lay brown eggs. She's a cross between a Rhode Island Red and Barred Rock. This cross makes them sexable by color. All black chicks are hens so that makes it a sure thing you're not getting a rooster. She's really very funny and lively. She's the only one in the bunch that I've seen flap her wings in distress. She did that when I picked her up to take her picture. She stands up tall and I think she may be thinking she's head chicken. We'll see how that plays out.

Several weeks ago Chad posted this picture on Instagram of a basket full of different colored eggs. Naturally colored, not died with Easter egg dyes. It was such a beautiful display of diversity. I am so excited that I am going to have egg cartons filled with a very similar selection of colors. We are all, with maybe the exception of Josephine, in love with the chickens. Josephine has seen them and know they exist. She has not had enough time with them to form an opinion. Right now she's a little leery. I'm sure they'll all be best friends by summer. 

Holy Goats you guys. There are chickens in our basement right now. Real live little baby chickens that go "chirp chirp chirp" and "peep peep peep". Michael and I go down and check on them and talk to them. I found out recently that if you sing gently to them, they all get quiet and when I hold Marguerite and sing to her, she sings back. At bedtime we go down and say goodnight to the chickens. I tell them how pretty they are and Michael tells them to hurry up and grow big and strong and lay some eggs.