fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[fuzzi]

Look at that little one hop up there!

I'd leave that hen under that wire basket for 2 or 3 days or until she's changed her mind about nesting.

I put her back under it after dusk. She was not amused.

It's really hot here, stifling, even when I checked on the flock about 10pm.

Oh, Rahab was trying to get her chicks up on the roost last night. I helped.

Abigail pecked at the chick next to her and Rahab leaned towards her in a "don't do that again" manner.

Tamar spent the night in the nest box with her two chicks. Naomi spent the night on the A-frame roost, as Martha was being rude, pecked her every time she got on the main roost. Tsk, tsk.

 

[fuzzi]

This morning. Purple on right appears to be a girl. Lime on the left still looks "girlish"

If Lime is a pullet, that hopefully would make three from this hatch (Blue, Purple, Lime). That would be fine, my replacement crew.

 

[fuzzi]

Lime

 

[fuzzi]

After we got home from church I brought some cut up grapes and cold slices of watermelon to the flock. While they were initially hesitant last night today they went gaga over the fruit, gobbled it up quickly.

I took a shovel and dug holes in the run as the soil was dry and hard under the loose litter, and about 3" down I hit damp, dark humus. Ooh! The hens got busy digging, eating (?), and a couple started dust bathing. I poured a little water over some of the drier areas, which appealed to the hens as well.

I managed to break the only egg I found, will cook that up with another one and feed them back to the flock, later. It's brutal with the humidity right now.

 

[fuzzi]

The chicks were doing test flights all over the run this afternoon. I'm thinking they might be up on the roost this evening, but OH! The DRAMA it will initiate!

 

[fuzzi]

Yep. Drama.


It was getting dark. I heard unhappy noises as I approached the coop, and then observed over-the-top chicken drama. Martha was sitting on the left side of the roost, but towards the middle, while Rahab had her chicks on the right, also towards the middle, thus making it hard for others to join them. Two Dominiques were on the A-frame roost, wanting to hop over to the main roost but blocked by Rahab and Martha. A third Dominique was pacing beneath, trying to find a way to get up on the A-frame...and Zack was running around, upset, probably because his roost was blocked, occupied. He pulled on my skirt a couple times. I picked up the Dominiques one by one and placed them on the roost, which made the others shift slightly to make room.

Then I picked up Zack, held him until he calmed down, then placed him on the A-frame roost.

I wonder if pulling on my skirt was his way of communicating with me...Martha does that, too.

And Tamar? She'd avoided all the drama, was in a nest box with her two chicks.

 

[fuzzi]

Wait, what about Hannah, the broody one?

She was in a nest box, no eggs, no faux eggs either. It's still hot outside, and I decided to let her be, as I don't want to confine her.

9:30pm

 

[Winderdear]

Yep. Drama.


It was getting dark. I heard unhappy noises as I approached the coop, and then observed over-the-top chicken drama. Martha was sitting on the left side of the roost, but towards the middle, while Rahab had her chicks on the right, also towards the middle, thus making it hard for others to join them. Two Dominiques were on the A-frame roost, wanting to hop over to the main roost but blocked by Rahab and Martha. A third Dominique was pacing beneath, trying to find a way to get up on the A-frame...and Zack was running around, upset, probably because his roost was blocked, occupied. He pulled on my skirt a couple times. I picked up the Dominiques one by one and placed them on the roost, which made the others shift slightly to make room.
View attachment 3871000Then I picked up Zack, held him until he calmed down, then placed him on the A-frame roost.
View attachment 3871001
I wonder if pulling on my skirt was his way of communicating with me...Martha does that, too.

And Tamar? She'd avoided all the drama, was in a nest box with her two chicks.
View attachment 3870998

Zacchaeus is getting more handsome by the day!

 

[kcan2]

I picked up the Dominiques one by one and placed them on the roost, which made the others shift slightly to make room.

Thank goodness their Roost Manager stepped in to bring some order to the evening proceedings! Hope your temps and humidity will be more bearable this week.

 

[fuzzi]

Thank goodness their Roost Manager stepped in to bring some order to the evening proceedings! Hope your temps and humidity will be more bearable this week.

"Mom! Make her stop looking at MEEE!"