Redbud Roost Routines

21 weeks old tomorrow.

As you know the girls have started laying eggs. We are now getting about an extra egg a day and yesterday we had 10 for the day. They are getting there. I spent some time with them as they were laying yesterday. Usually I try to leave them to their work but I am glad I spent some time in the corner observing the ritual.

When I first went in the coop Fuzzy was in the bottom left nest, Zelda was in the top right and there was one of the almost solid black ones in the middle top. One of the hens went up and attacked Zelda and forced her out of the nest. This happened twice. I have not figured out why. In the meantime, there was a hen on the top of the boxes cackling orders to everyone below her. If someone wanted to enter a box, she had to tell them what she thought first. When she was done they would enter. Fuzzy was the first to lay her egg. She stood very still for a few minutes afterwards and then started trying to throw litter at it, I guess to cover it and keep it warm and safe. Then she left the nest as several of the other girls on the floor were cackling at her as if to say, way to go, good job.

By this time Zelda was back in her nest and they were leaving her alone this time. One of the black girls climbed up into the nest where Fuzzy had been. She started moving the egg to the side so she could sit down. Throughout her time in the box she would stop and make sure the egg was up under her breast. Once she was done she checked on her egg and then on Fuzzy's egg, threw some litter at them from the next box and went on her way. Again the cheering section was on the floor cackling at her to let her know how well she had done.

Finally Zelda was ready. She ruffled up and let her egg go. But she sat there afterward for the longest time. Almost like she just wanted to hatch it. When she did leave the nest she went to the nest next door and was throwing litter out over her shoulder. I think she was meaning to cover her egg but she was no where even close to it. No one cackled for her so she cackled for herself as she got down.

During the process of all of this you would see a pale faced hen sit in front of the nest of one of the layers. It was almost as if she was watching to learn for when her time comes along. I am not sure if that is the reason but it would make sense, they don't have a mama to teach them so maybe they learn from each other. Either way it was fun to watch all of this and how they relate to one another.

Here are some pics of how things have been going in the Redbud Roost....

This is our first weeks worth of eggs.

The kids bought this at a yard sale because they said we needed a rooster.

Here is Matilda.

Miss Zelda.

Of course, Dumplin.

Here is a partial load of clover for snack time. These girls are something else.

They do like the fresh greens every day though.

We probably should get some of them a bib, or at least a book on etiquette.

Nesting is good....

But apparently it is better when you have two of your sisters sitting on you while you lay your egg.

Yesterday we found a monster egg! There must be a goose among them.

Daniel was so excited to show it off.

It takes muscles to hold an egg that big. ; )

I built a grass box (it is in the top right hand corner of the picture) to plant wheat grass in. It is covered with wire so the grass can grow through but they can't scratch it up. It will be a nice treat to have around when I can't get the green stuff to them fast enough.

We are all having a great time with the girls. Next time I will tell you about how to confuse the daylights out of them, literally. Oh and about the girl that did not want to go to bed.

It Happened!

Tomorrow will be 19 weeks for the girls. Saturday we found our first egg. The incredible part is that it was actually in the nesting box. The kids were so excited because we had been telling them it would still be a couple of weeks before we would see an egg. There are apparently two girls laying because we got two eggs on Saturday, one yesterday and one so far this morning.

I think they are all a bit hormonal though because they all want to yell at us every time we get near them. Yesterday Dumplin was getting on my last nerve. That bird is nuts! First thing in the morning, I was still in my gown, she was jumping a foot off the ground to peck the flowers on my gown. Then later when I was getting ready to clean the coop I was bent over and she pecked my right on the tush. In the afternoon I went into the coop and they gathered around me and she kept pecking my pants. I picked her up and was loving on her, which she absolutely hates, and when I put her down she walked away. Then she got on top of the nesting boxes and came to the edge to stare me down. I guess she thought if she was as tall as me she would win. She always thinks she must be the center of attention and will get in your face as much as possible.

Here are some recent pics of the girls.....

Ladies and Humans

The girls are growing up, they are really settling in with unique personalities and are so much fun. They are 14 1/2 weeks old now. It seems like just yesterday they were these cute little balls of down and now they are almost full grown Hens! It is a full time job trying to be the dominant chicken when there is no rooster to take on the position.

While you do not need a rooster to get eggs, you do need a rooster to rule the roost. I am sure that in time we will get a rooster so that we can hatch more chickens. Flocks really do have a whole different way of life when there is a male around and the girls will be in for a rude awakening when that happens. Roosters often get a bad reputation and people seem to always just think of them as mean. Not always the case. If you are social with him and let him know you are the dominant male (yes, even if you are a female) he will learn respect. The wonderful thing about roosters is that they take care of the girls. You will often notice him letting them eat first, keeping peace between argumentative females, being the protector and man of the coop. Until the day comes that we decide to add a rooster to our flock, we will just continue to fill the position ourselves, the girls seem to respect the fact for now.

The nesting boxes are built and installed into the coop. The girls have been taking turns getting on the landing bars and being the tallest chicken of the land. We have not put any litter into the nests yet, we may do that tomorrow when we clean the coop. I don't want them to think it is a place to sleep and for now they have no idea what will be happening in those boxes in about six weeks or so.

The fan and the frozen bottles of water have been well received lately as the temps have climbed. The girls learned pretty quickly that nestling in next to the bottles brought lovely relief from the heat. Making sure that they are more comfortable also cuts down on the pecking of each other and general fighting and arguing that goes on when one is irritable. The kids also make it a daily routine to give the girls treats of some sort. Since they are not free ranged the kids try to bring clover and other greenery to the run. Sometimes they get fruit like grapes or watermelon. On occasion they get a stray worm or butterfly and that makes them happy too. We planted sunflowers in a row next to the run. We hope that it will bring some shade as they grow. The girls just see the pretty green stalks growing and want to eat them as is.

We ordered food grade Diatomaceous Earth and picked it up yesterday. We are excited to get started using this stuff. Tomorrow when we clean the coop we will sprinkle it down before putting in the new litter. We will add some in to the dirt and sand where the girls take a dust bath. We will sprinkle it around the run and add some to their food. It is a great dewormer, it will help keep the girls free from parasites like mites and lice, and it will cut down on the smell which helps eliminate flies. The fact that it is organic and works in a physical manner instead of chemical, it is safe for the chickens and for the kids. We will also be using it with the dogs. I may use it sparingly in the garden as well. It is an organic pesticide but the thing is that it is harmful to the good things like bees too so I will have to be very careful. Our hopes are to do as little chemical anything as possible, this is just safer for all the animals, kids and we would rather not ingest chemicals with our vegetables.

Here are a few pics of the girls of Daniel's Flock....