It's been a while since I've checked in and I apologize for that! We have been very busy this summer with the kids just about finished up with swim team season and getting ready for our vacation in afew weeks! About that vacation......we are facing having my mother come up to feed/water and collect eggs daily. My mother has seen and heard enough about Lila....I think it's stressing her out. So with that said, I have been trying to come up with solutions to the Lila problem. How mom can get where she needs to be with minimal interaction. The only solution I have come up with is to integrate the chicks with the big girls, remove Lila to the babies run/shelter and hope mom can fill a pan with water and add food to the trough without any issues. The issues will be cleaning related....like the pan gets filled with straw or chicken poop and need to be removed. How can she bend in there without him getting near her? If it rains and the trough fills with water it will need to be cleaned out and refilled. So problems are not solved....but in an ideal world they may be. Well, since we are around this weekend and will not be next, I figured we could start the process so we are here to supervise. Tonight before chicken bed, we had Grun and Flower in the big coop with the babies....the rest were in the small run. I was hoping that if they get to know 2 of the big girls, we can slowly add the rest over the next few days. I was HOPING that Grun would help protect them. Yeah right. She starting pecking at them and pulling feathers! Out she went.....with the rest of the gang. So as night fell, Flower was on the front roost bar and the babies were on the back bar and then had jumped down to eat and drink before settling down. It's still very hot and the birds have been panting alot. I hope this heatwave gets out of here soon! They all run around together in the yard when they are out, so it's not like they are not 'friends', but the babies still stick together and being in a confined space, all bets are off. I just hope tomorrow morning there are no incidents with Flower and the young ones. We will let them out tomorrow and try tomorrow by adding another gal to the coop. Prissy tried pecking them earlier and she was ousted before Grun. Social hierarchy of chickendom SUCKS! The babies seem terrified when the big girls start pecking them. And we can never get Phoenix out of our minds, but they are much older than he was then.
As far as sexes. I'm convinced we got 3 females. Although Brownie, who we now call SID VICIOUS or Sidney, has started developing waddles, they have not enlarged much since the start. The comb is still very wide but has stayed flat. She does not hold herself like Phoenix of Lila did and certainly is not as curious as the roosters we have had. She holds herself just like her sisters, so I'm hoping that I am correct. Lila's life may be spared for another year! Blackie has been renamed RAVEN since she reminds us of a black crow or raven. Her feathers have a beautiful green iridescent sheen. Mouse has been renamed MATILDA. Sid Vicious is quite a beauty with her light patterned head and brown patterned feathers. Her patterning reminds me of Prissy and Flower, but much different in color combinations. I did catch Raven clucking like a hen, but they still all revert to their peeping especially when they are upset or calling out to their baby gang. The baby days are almost history.....looking forward to being able to relax when they are all integrated!!!
Here's a look at the gang this week! They all have beautiful beards coming in! We love the pouff faces!
Matilda and Me
Raven and Genevieve
Trent and Sid Vicious
Think cool thoughts, cluckers!
Malissa
