Sue, soon we'll be checking out your updates! I can't believe how fast they grow!

Nice pics. My new brood of 9 chicks have grown fast also. They are getting along surprisingly well with the older group of 7. So I suspect that I don't have any roosters in the new group. I noticed you have a light brahma---those are my favorite. I have two of them. The pair of them are at the top of the pecking order, and they tend to eat all of the best treats given out.

They really really love watermelon rinds. They eat every bit of the white part.

I have noticed that with the watermelon - they really go for it. I think I may actually have two roosters - a Welsummer (pretty boy) and a Russian Orloff (not so pretty). The Orloff is developing a nice set of tail feathers but not so much of a wattle and I've never heard him crow, but noticeably big feet. I have two of those and am fairly certain one is a rooster judging by the differences between them. Who knows about the Polish Crested, not sure what that one is other than the bottom of the pecking order. So far, she (?) still has her topknot, and she's the most agile (I find her on the top board of the fence fairly often). As you noted, Stephanie, she is definitely a much smaller bird than the others. The brahma was my concession to a white chicken, my granddaughter really wanted a fluffy yellow chick, and I insisted if I had to have a white chicken it had to be something other than pure white. Her name is Karen, of all things, and she is huge.

The male Polish crested develop really spiky, punk rock head feathers. (Small narrow feathers). Some of female Polish crested develop really beautiful, smooth, rounded head feathers, almost globe like in their shape, spanning back from their head. The female Polish crested are much prettier than the males. I think yours was a golden laced Polish crested---the most beautiful of all. I had a gorgeous golden laced Polish crested female---'Goldie'. She was our favorite. Unfortunately, one night she got out and couldn't get back in, and was decapitated---probably from an owl. Our coop is much, much more secure now with the new fence. A few escapees every once in a while, still though. I need to clip the wings again on a few of them. (Easy to do---just use a good pair of scissors. They don't feel any pain from it at all). Clip the bottom 1/4 to 1/3 of their wings.

I snapped a quick pic of some of my older chickens. These 4 girls are 2 years old, and stay together always. These are the 2 light Brahmas, 'Pecky' and 'Cousin Pecky'. Plus 'Snowcone' and 'Brooklyn'


A view from inside their yard run of their coop. We no longer close the door at night. Keep that a secret from our local predators, please. Also, I guess they don't like eggplant.


One of our 9 babies. About 2-4 weeks younger than yours. Breed is a Sagitta. From the internet: "The Sagitta is a dual purpose bird that is a cross between a Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire Red and Cornish Cross. They are a heavy, docile breed that will provide large eggs as well as a nice size bird on the table."

Nice birds, Stephanie. I have also been experimenting with the door open/shut at night. I usually shut them in at night, but sometimes I forget. We've been gone for the weekend a couple times and just left the door open, to no harm. Their food and water containers are good for about a week, and they have a large yard to roam around in. I've thought about something along the lines of yours, with a smaller outside area fully enclosed, but so far haven't had a particular problem with predators so that thought it currently at the bottom of the long to-do list. It would be nice for them to get outside earlier, though, I usually let them out about 6:30 or so and they are all scrambling around inside the coop by that time.

You all are "trying" to inspire me to try chickens next Sadly I have no possible place for that! (when I do I will let you "experts" advise me!)

Chicken question which Stephanie may know the answer to: why do my birds all try to group together at night huddled up on a top shelf smushed together rather than roosting on their oh-so-cool twisty willow roosts? Three or four of them also huddle in the nesting box. I assumed when they were young and it was nippy out, this was all about sharing body heat, but now that it is stifling hot at times in the coop, I would think they'd use the roosts more often. I did add another, slightly higher roost, the other day, and am finding more roost-ers now. Perhaps they just need to mature a bit more...?? They are getting close to laying age - early to mid August I believe, and maybe that will bring some changes. Who knows.

I also have found I have two roosters, the Welsummer who colored up early, and a Russian Orloff, who is less dramatic but I think larger. He has just started developing his tail feathers and I caught him crowing the other day. So far, no rooster wars, although I will likely try to foist off the Orloff on either my sister (she experienced a major chicken massacre about a month ago) or one of my two neighbors who both have hens but no roosters. As long as I am adding a cock-a-doodle-doo to the morning mix, they may as well join me.

To keep this on track re gardening - they are sure good little compost machines, I toss just about all our food scraps and many of my garden trimmings into the chicken yard and they either eat them or scratch them into smithereens in search of bugs.

Deb interesting questions...I wonder if its just habit, and that they don't realize they'd be cooler in other places??
How do/will you manage chicken poop for compost?? Do you have to let it sit a certain amount of time? Its a great fertilizer, just
wondered if you planned on using any?
Have fun and I'd love to see updated photos whenever!!

I haven't worked out the logistics of composting their bedding. The main problem is Frankie (my dog) has developed a penchant for rolling in the fragrant mix and then of course lying around at my feet. Ugh. So, until I can establish a dog-proof compost area, we are currently either letting the chickens scatter it themselves in their yard (not my first choice as that will eventually build up its own unique d'essence), or hauling it out back. I think I'll need to build some wire pens of some sort. On the list...

Eggs! Starting to get 1-2 per day, not sure who is laying. So far they are little bitty ones, so it may be my little hens laying or perhaps the big girls are starting out small. We had them poached, and the yolks were pumpkin-orange, so yummy.

Hooray for you!!

Caught one of the 'blonde squad' huddled up in the nesting box, so she must be one of my layers. The problem is I have three of that particular breed and they are pretty hard to tell apart. I'm tentatively calling them Buffy, Blondie, and Goldie based on their coloring, but unless they stand side-by-side I don't know one from the other. No matter. Two eggs again today, so definitely two hens have started laying. Still tiny. Switching from baby feed to laying feed. Still have the two roosters, so far no turf wars.

Roto-Rooster & Woolly-Bully

beautiful roosters! Congrats on the eggs! I think some of my babies started laying also, b/c I am getting a tiny egg here and there.

My chickens do that also----sleep all huddled together in 2 or 3 groups. I think it is a friend thing. Those that hang out together during the day also roost next to each other at night.

One of my new ones might be a rooster, b/c he/she is much larger than the others. My kids want to see if we can hatch eggs the natural way, so we might keep one rooster if we have one.

Still only 3 hens laying, I think it is the blonde squad - buff orpingtons. Those are the ones I generally see in the nesting box. We had a rather interesting egg the other day, it was shaped rather like a torpedo with 3 yolks. Yowsie.

Crazy. Go blonde squad!!

Successfully re-homed Woolley-Bully last night. The neighbor below us has hens and gladly took my spare rooster. Not sure how receptive his wife will be, but I told him if it doesn't work out, we can throw him on the spit and have a neighborhood BBQ.

I think I have another hen laying. Here is today's gathering - a large white grocery store egg left over in the frig, a brown farm egg comparable to the grocery store egg, a smallish brown egg, and an itty bitty egg that I will likely crack into the dog's dish tonight - not sure what it will actually contain. I'm guessing the midget is a new hen's first offering. So far I'm getting various shades of brown. Enlarge the photo for the whole picture.