Now that our backyard is bigger Jim approved me getting a few new friends.
(double click on photos to enlarge)
No need to tell me twice! I grabbed an empty wine box (Carlo Rossi) and headed over to a friends house and came home with a surprise.
Carla & Rosey
After being boxed up for the ride home (thank goodness they stayed in the box - could you imagine driving with loose chickens flapping around in the car!), they were a little reluctant to come out.
Technically, my coop wasn't quite finished at that point. So, we set up a temporary fence around the compost and let the girls snack while we feverishly finished the coop. They came from a barren dirt yard with lots of other chickens and were intrigued by the compost pile. It didn't take long for them to figure out that if you scratched around enough you could find tasty worms. They were hilarious to watch (very distracting & hard to get work done) because when they would find a worm they would shake their heads like a dogs with a toy. Too funny!
TaDa!
Just in time for night the coop was finished and the girls were put to bed. I designed and built the coop myself. Thanks to Jim for some help with the saw (I'm not comfortable using the circular saw) and attaching the metal roofing we have a chicken tractor! There are handles on both ends to pick it up and move it. The bottom is fenced but open to the ground. This way I can move them around my garden to help turn the soil, eat the bugs and finish off the plants after harvest. I am proud to say that we salvaged most everything we needed to build this. I only ended up spending $35 on the entire construction!!
Rise and Shine, Girls!!
Peeking through the nesting box access door (for eggs), you can see them hiding inside.
At first, they weren't real sure about their second story living accommodations. The ramp was a challenge. What a better way to lure them out than with worms on the rungs. Later I would realize the rungs were too far apart and have installed a second set in between the first set. Thus, putting the steps closer and their feet don't slide on the wood. They did not like the sound of sliding!! It took a couple days for them to get the hang of things but now we just open the door and they let themselves out and go up at night waiting for us to close them in.
.Yesterday we finalized their winter arrangements. We used the temporary fencing and moved the compost pile closer. We also stacked straw bales on two sides (back not visible) of the coop to create an extra layer of insulation for the winter.
Carla must have remembered those yummy worms because when we let them out into their new yard she went straight for the compost. Rosey, however, was being adventurous in trying out some local green chili. Neither seems to bothered by the dusting of snow, but once the wind picked up they both took shelter under the coop.
Carla - She's the slightly bigger of the two and has a fuller longer tail.
They are Black Star chickens and were born this spring. They are a cold hardy breed with small combs, less likely to freeze. They have a beautiful green iridescence to their feathers, much like that of a mallard duck. It was overcast when this picture was taken so it's hard to see well. They might have been laying already, hard to tell there were so many in the flock we got them from. However, we have not see an egg yet. I am sure the stress of the move didn't help. Also, we have chose not to "light" them artificially to force laying. Chickens naturally take a break from laying and rest in the winter, so we've decided to follow natures path and let them live naturally.
For now the dogs and us are adjusting to our latest additions.
Happy Clucking!
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