City Cousins!

Some of the cousins came to visit this weekend so their mom could run in the Music City Half Marathon.  Of course, the Ladies had to take a trip outside to enjoy the warm weather and stretch their wings.

Apparently, George was the lucky Lady to get passed around.

Total count in the house this weekend: Four adults, two children, four chickens, and one dog.

Before the Madness...

This weekend, the Mother Hen's brother and his whole family, dog included, are coming to Nashville for the Music City Marathon.  That means six people, two dogs, and four chickens in our house of 800 square feet.  I'm sure there will be a lot of pictures of young boys playing with the Ladies, but we wanted to get these pics up before the madness...

This picture shows all the women in my life... all six of them.

Are you my Mommy?

Here is a picture to demonstrate most of what we see each day.  This is Ringo and Big Sister going nose-to-nose through the front of the brooder.

What you don't hear is Big Sister trying to whine in response to the Ladies' cheeps.

Here's another shot of John in the coop.

Pecking Order

The pecking order among the ladies is quickly becoming apparent.  Ringo seems to be at the top, revenge for all those years hidden behind the drums (cf. Ed Sullivan Show; Shea Stadium).  At the bottom we have John, so we thought we'd put a few pictures of her in here.  She does like to cuddle.  Here's the Rooster looking decidedly farmer.

Here's Mother Hen taking care of the runt.  You may notice Big Sister's nose coming in from the right.

Visit to the Coop

With temperatures in the eighties, the Ladies took their first trip outside to the coop this afternoon. We all spent some time checking out the pad and picking in the dirt. Here's a picture of George and Paul lording over their new domain.

The trip gave Big Sister her first chance to really interact with all of them face-to-face.  We're pretty sure the Ladies have imprinted her as their mother. Here she is trying to herd them all into one area.

 

Here's something new we're going to try. It's supposed to be a video of Big Sister herding the ladies in the grass. Let us know if you're able to watch it...

Chateau des Poulets

New Listing! Move-in ready coop for one to four hens.  All pine construction with poultry fence interior.  Will build roosts and laying nests to suit.

The hens continue to lose their chick fluff with their adult feathers coming in at the tail and the wings.  In a few weeks they won't need the heat lamp to stay warm, but more on that later.

Getting Bigger!

The Mother Hen is out of town for a couple days, so it's just the Rooster and Big Sister home to look after the brood.  Big Sister spends most of her time looking after the sisters and trying to mimic their cheeps with a high-pitched whine.  If anyone strays close enough to the front she gets a lick.

Here's a picture of everyone eating with John poking up her head.  Work continues on the coop.  When it's complete, we'll be taking some day trips outside when the sun is warm enough.

First Visitors

The ladies had their first visitor, the daughter of one of the Mother Hen's co-workers.  As you can see, Big Sister is never far from the brood.  The Mother Hen included a small square of terra cotta that warms under the heat lamp and offers a place to cuddle up and sleep.

Progress on the coop also continues.  Just about all of the structure is complete, leaving the top and one side to be covered with chicken wire and the door to be hung.

Old Fashioned Coop Raising

Work began in earnest on the ladies' permanent home.  When complete, the hen house will sit in approximately sixty square feet of chicken-wired property.

The pouring of one post was required since the other three corners include the fence and garden shed.

Here's a picture of the site as you would see it walking from the back of the house.

Slumber Party

All the ladies survived the night, waking us periodically with little cheeps to let us know that they were warm and happy.  Hopefully we'll be able to sleep through that soon.

Here's a picture of the ladies hanging out between the food dispenser and the water bowl.

Here's a close up view.  That's George on the bottom eating.  John and Paul are looking to the left. Ringo's the one looking off to the right.

This should be the scene for the next several weeks.  In the mean time, The Rooster will be building a coop in the back yard in preparation for the ladies all moving to their permanent home.

The Homecoming!

Today was a day that will live in infamy for the four hens you see below.  John and Paul are Black Australorps while George and Ringo are Ameraucanas.  The ride home from Dorris Milling was a little chilly, but once the heat lamp was turned on, the four sisters set about exploring their new home.  Within a half-an-hour, they had found the food and water and began what has become a steady routine of eat, drink, and sleep.

Here's Big Sister checking them out. They're right on her eye level.  She also tried to give one a bit more loving than the Mother Hen was willing to allow...