One of the guys where Matt works decided to get out of chickens and into bees instead. So we’re the lucky benefactors of this beautiful batch of pampered poultry and some nice chicken equipment, in exchange for some frozen chickens and some cartons of eggs.
The “blonde” chick at the back is Marilyn Monroe, and one of the two roosters is (I think) Elvis. Some of the others have names, too, but I can’t remember now who’s who.
The free-range chicken thing is getting a little out of hand. Not that they cause any problems, in fact they eat a lot of bugs out of the lawn and pretty the place up while they’re doing it. And it’s not that we’ve got a predator problem. Everyone’s very good at coming back into the corn crib to roost at night, except a few outdoor-types who insist on roosting in a tree right outside the corncrib.
It’s the fact that I’ve got 19 hens plus 20 pullets plus 14 new chicks (not sure if they’re hens or pullets) plus a silkie…and I’m only getting 13 eggs a day. We’ve either got to figure out where they’re laying, or round them all up and shut them in the coop for a couple of days so they figure out the nest boxes. That would require stringing poultry netting across the ceiling of the coop. The walls stop short of the corn crib roof and these girls can fly! They roost clear up in the rafters of the corn crib. One of these days we’ll get around to it.
Maybe the normal looking chickens are afraid of the silkie that looks like a dust mop that moves so they are laying their eggs in a safer place, tee,hee..
They are very beautiful!
Mine can fly but they really don’t like to. :)We’ve lost several more due to predators. Dagnabit! Jasmine is not being as effective as I’d hoped. Can’t wait til we have the money for fencing.
Gorgeous chickens! Marilyn looks like my Bess!