Friday, September 4, 2009

The Chickens that Reside Here

The chicks that we received via that United States Postal Service in May, are now almost fourteen weeks old! Some days it seems like such a looong time since they were little peepers, and yet at the same time it seems like it was just yesterday that they were so very tiny. We've been fortunate in only loosing four chickens so far and at last 'head count' we have a grand total of forty-one chickens residing in our former dog pen! Oh yes, our flock is comprised of twenty-six hens and fifteen roosters! It appears the the hatchery sent us mostly barred rock roosters as we only have four hens from that batch!! :o)

When the gate opens....
Most every time someone walks into the pen this is what they will quickly encounter. The chickens have learned that a human beings entrance into the pen usually means that they come bearing treats or food! They love any and all scraps that we send their way, but watermelon is a definite favorite.

We prefer to drink out of the mud puddle...
The Barred Rock roosters are by far the most friendly of all the chickens. The roosters are usually the first to arrive at the gate and are always first in line during feeding time. There does seem to be one particular rooster that follows me around from time to time, but I have yet to confirm that it is the same one each and every time (they all look alike at first glance and I have investigated deeply enough)

Speckled Sussex
We have three or four really pretty Sussex roosters that are something else to watch strut around. The hens don't even begin to have the color contrast the the roosters do. One of these guys has been working on his crow a TON and is sounding quite good! I think he's most likely the top dog out there as no one really seems to mess with him.

We prefer to stay here for the night...
Every evening we have to get these Sussex hens out of a tree/tall bush and it can be quite the event! They are loathe to let go of the limb so some wing flapping and squawking always accompany this 'ritual'. They are having an influence on the rest of the flock as the numbers in the 'tree' have grown to five of late. It's only the Sussex hens, though.

Eating a tasty treat
I am really enjoying our chickens!! There is personality and antics that make tending to them so much fun! They are not very keen on being held but they sure do enjoy gathering around your ankles, pecking at shiny stuff (like camera's), investigating your feet, and if you stand still for long enough some of them will take a cat nap nearby! Tending to the 'chick-y-doos' is one of the highlights of my day!

4 comments:

Ashley said...

Howdy there, Ashley!

Well, we have one "Chick-y-doo", as you call it!!! We used to have two, but well, to make a long story short, Winston, our pug, had a little to much freedom one day, and he ended the chicken's, excuse me, "Chick-y-doo's" life. *wink*

Do you ever have trouble with the dogs and chickens? Our pug just waits for some careless person to leave or open the chicken, excuse me, "chck-y-doo"(*wink*) coop, to have some fun!

Thank you for another enjoyable post, "Chick-y-doo"!*wink* I'm sorry it's justsuch a cute name!!!


(Your never going to publish my comments anymore....If this one makes it, I'll be surprised!*smile*)

Have a great day, Ashley!!

Sarah said...

Chickens sure afford entertainment for their owners, don't they, Ashley?! And yours sound like they have been doing quite a bit of that lately! I can just picture you trying to get the roosting chickens out of the tree. :) What an adventure! I remember, when we had chickens many years ago, climbing up trees trying to get the chickens down so that they would go in their coop. They are not the most cooperative little animals, but they sure are fun!

It shouldn't be much longer before our chickens start laying, which means that yours would be laying soon, too! That will be exciting for you all. :)

Thank you for sharing all of the photos, Ashley, and the fun description of your chickens! :)

Have a wonderful rest of the day!!

Ashley said...

Ashley... your comment was hysterical!! Thank you for it!! :o)

Thankfully we haven't had any problems (yet) with the dogs. Jasper and Buck seem to enjoy walking up and down the fence whenever we're out there and will "jump" at the chickens to make the scatter, but they know to STAY OUT!! :o)
I know of several other dogs that may just try to get into the pen if they had the freedom and were determined enough to get in.
~Ashley


Sarah-I really enjoyed your comment! Our chickens are quite entertaining and it can be quite interesting at times to deal with them! I'm really looking forward to when they begin laying... that's going to be fun!
Thank you sooo much for your comment!
~Ashley

Ashley said...

Ashley,
your too kind....

I am glad you enjoyed it! I am surprised you posted it!!

Have a great day!