a chicken update...



it's been a while since i have done a chicken update. they are so big now! they really slowed down in egg production over the winter. up until january it wasn't too bad... but come february we were hardly getting any eggs at all. our two easter eggers haven't layed in a month! i miss my green eggs. hopefully by easter we will have our full color range and numbers again. they are already starting to pick up a bit. this past week has certainly felt like spring. the weather is so warm and everything is starting to bloom. the girls are enjoying more free ranging time too. here are some pics of a few of the girls....



goldie


rosalita

cutie

brownie (sometimes i think she believes she is a rooster)

we also aquired two new hens from someone in the neighborhood who could no longer keep them. they are about a year older than our flock. it has taken awhile for them all to adjust but they are starting to mingle more now.  we are up to nine hens all together.

meet lucy (a golden laced wyandotte)

and myrtle (a rhode island red)

when we got them myrtle immediately decided to molt and lost all her feathers. her feathers have grown back in but she hasn't started laying again yet.

also here is a little peek into their coop (which we still haven't finished completely)...


hen house and run (not painted all the way yet)

inside the run

coop box

still haven't built the egg boxes yet, so they lay in the corner of the coop




happy weekend!

5 comments:

SImple and Serene Living said...

Oh my gosh. They've gotten so big and beautiful. Your grass looks so green and pretty.

Elma said...

Soooo cool!! Ok My little ones are getting some chickens this year and we are soooo excited!! Tell me do you let them run all over during the day and lock up at night? Where did you get the plans for the chicken coop as we need to buy one or build one:)

Cary said...

Elma- we got our plans from here:

http://www.thegardencoop.com/

we got the plans for the bigger sized cooop, but then we actually altered it and made it even bigger because we knew we would end up with more than 8 chickens. it was $20 for the plan and they have tips for modifying it. we don't let the chickens out everyday... we did in the beginning but our new dog is learning not to chase:) he is almost ready to be left alone with them. we used to open it in the morning if we were going to be around. they have been attacked by hawks a few times during the day and if i'm here i can hear them and run out to help! that hasn't happened in awhile though. they will put themselves in as soon as it gets dark and then we just have to remember to close the door (the only time i forgot we lost one to a predator:( we are planning to build them a run that will enclose the coop, so they can have more freedom and not get in our garden! they do eat plants:) they are fine if the stay in the built in run though and don't seem to mind.

mom- the grass looks so nice because kyle plants rye grass in the winter and it grows in nice and green. we'll see how it looks in summer when that dies off!

koralee said...

My dream is to always have chickens..yours are lovely...so glad to have found your blog...off to take a peek around.

Cary said...

thanks koralee and welcome!