Broodiness in the spring

Spring brings on broodiness in chickens. Some of the girls find creative places to lay their eggs and brood. Blue hatched a variety of babies in a covered cat bed on the stair landing in the garage. Mouse chose a pot in the greenhouse that was just the right size to lay her own eggs in. Afterward I moved her little family to a larger space. Fun!

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Our chicks will be in next month! I can't wait!!

Um, well, I kind of... didn't.

This is what happened:

We go into the feed store to pick up a couple of items. Immediately we hear the sweet little peeps of none other than chicks! I couldn't wait. Especially since I discovered they were Bantams (the little "mini" chickens) and one of the batches were Cochins with potential of being frizzles. I love my Cochins and we love our two little roos sooo....

We now have 8 more little itty bittys!

And, yes, I will still get my chicks next month because I want regular sized eggs not just itsy bitsy teeny tiny ones.

Meet the crew ~

In the brooder

Penny all snuggled in

Penny showing off her new wing feathers

Cat being cute

Cat lookin' at 'cha!

Robyn wondering what's up

Robyn showing off her pretty markings

Penelope is all attitude...

Can't you tell?!

Danika posing

Danika standing tall!

Danika's backside

Daisy being her sweet self 

Daisy keeping an eye on everything

Mouse is getting lighter every day

Mouse's white wing tips

Pip's always looking up because she's the tiniest

Pip's white markings coming in

Tucker absolutely loves everything small!

Penny, Cat, and Robyn are the Cochins. Penny is by far the largest and Pip is so tiny compared to the others. I believe Pip is going to be barred, which is one of my favorite markings. I have guesses but absolutely no idea as to what they will look like when grown. You know I'll post more photos as they grow. It'll be fun to compare in a few months, even weeks. Oh, and, of course, there's always the possibility of a rooster but we're hoping they're only girls!

Growing pains

Coop activity is at a high these days with the guineas almost full grown and practicing their future guard duties. Frequent alarm calls are the norm these days and it's becoming more and more apparent we have a lot of girls. I'm hoping we have at least one boy! I thought we heard one a few weeks back but the girls are known to mimic the boys...  The male's call is a single syllable, "ki-ki-ki", and the female's a double syllable, "buck-wheat, buck-wheat". Over, and over, and over, and over again. When the males sense danger they start their call and the females will join in unison mimicking it and they proceed to provide a very loud alarm. You can't miss it. They'll likely be your initial welcome to the ranch because you "don't belong" ;) As for now they just like making noise. In January they'll be allowed to experience life beyond the coop. It'll be interesting to watch as they explore and learn their new surroundings.

When the keets were only a couple of days old.

One of them right after they moved to the coop at about 8 weeks of age.
(They were actually rather cute at this point but this one is just plain goofy looking in this photo.)

Guineas have really pretty feathers but their heads are bald - a reason I seriously hesitated to get them. Ours have lost their head feathers they had as keets and have started developing their 'helmets' - a rather stark contrast to their feathers. The neck feathers are a nice iridescent purple that I'll attempt to get a photo of one of these days when the light is just right.

I'm keeping an eye on you...

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Now for chicken updates...

Due to my paranoia the girls are allowed out on sunny days anytime we're outside. They're much happier free ranging around their yard in search of bugs, seeds, and whatever else they find. They'll be ecstatic to return to a normal routine once the guineas join them. And, I'll feel better because they will have added protection from the hawk. The itty bittys have joined the coop crowd, although they haven't figured out where to roost yet.... They get to join the girls most days as well. 

Not there first time out foraging but this was their first time to hang with the girls without wire to protect them from the inevitable establishment of their pecking order.

The itty bittys are about grown and developing beautiful fluffy curly frizzle feathers. 

Lucy, Carol, and Phyllis will not be providing us with adorable little bitty eggs... 

However, Lou, Carl, and Phil will be providing added security to the yard. Normally we'd have to re-home these guys but they have been raised together and there's not a hen (their size) in the equation to give them a reason to fight. Not that the boys don't dance around and spar once in a while. Hopes are they'll just do what roosters do ~ act as flock security and alarm clocks. 

Once upon a time the little bittys, Phyllis, Lucy, and Carol grew up to become...

Phil, Lou, and Carl!

Quietly discussing how they can escape back into the yard.

Phil pretending to sleep on his back.

Apparently this is Phil's best side...

Lou foraging in the grass.

A close up of little Lou's big eyes.

Carl is Rachel's favorite. He's got very bright alert eyes and is very sweet.

It was time to add more siding to the coop since the weather started cooling off and we had some rain. Here's the promised photo of the completed coop as well as a close up of the sign.

I'm looking forward to early February because we'll be adding to the flock and raising chicks is fun!!

Sadly, before I got this posted we lost Carl and this sweet handsome boy will be missed.... 

Needless to say, I'm very leery of letting them out before the guineas are ready now. I'm hoping they're good at their jobs...

Moving day for the guineas

Today was exciting for the itty bitties. The guineas are 6 weeks old and growing faster than weeds! They're already larger than the Bantams that are just over 7 weeks old. They've been in the run from our old coop since we moved here. It was getting a teeny bit crowded in there so it was time to move the guineas on up to their permanent living quarters. There was lots of carrying on during that process! I guess that means they'll make good security birds :)

The three chicks, Lucy, Carol, and Phyllis (think comediennes) will stay in the run until they are close to fully grown, somewhere around 5 - 6 months of age. Bantams are a smaller breed of chicken so it is necessary for them to be fully grown when introduced to the flock. The initial establishing of pecking order can be rather rough. Another reason I like my docile breeds ;) As for now, they are either feeling a little lonely, or relishing the extra wing room! My money is on wing room. 

We converted the old dog kennel to a coop for our girls. It is divided down the middle with a rather large pass through. One side is for night time roosting and the other is for eating, drinking, and nest boxes for laying eggs. I'm sure there will be changes made along the way as we observe and learn what works best for our flock. It's been secured from large critters. Next step is to add removable siding that will provide warmth and protection from the winter weather. We can then remove them to allow good ventilation during the hot summer months.

Guinea fowl roost up high while chickens roost on lower branches. I've arranged various branches found around the yard at different heights to accommodate everybody and keep the bottom girls poop free. The guineas will be confined to the roosting side of the coop until they are about 6 months old. This will help reinforce the coop as their home so they will return every night after foraging in the yard. I placed the guineas on the top branches and they were maneuvering up and down on them in no time. All my girls are brought up on water bottles because it prevents messy water bowls that can also cause health issues. You get a glimpse of our new Chicken Fountain toward the bottom right. It automatically fills and I'll be able to add apple cider vinegar to it also!

Currently the pass through is closed off because my older girls need access to their next boxes during the day so I keep that side open. We then let them in the roost at dusk. 

There are 6 pearl and 2 lavender guineas. They've just been put in their new home and aren't quite sure what to think. They're keeping an eye on the lower one who has decided to check out the food and water I've shown them. They'll all follow her once they figure out what she's found. BTW, she seems to be top guinea. The lavenders also seem to be the smartest. It'll be interesting to see which ones are girls and which are boys as they mature.

And, here's one last silly shot of a guinea :)

Guineas and Chickens oh my!

For any who didn't know, we have had chickens for the past two years. I never posted anything about them because the HOA wouldn't be too happy about it. All the neighbors knew of them and a few got eggs when the girls were being productive. We originally started with 3 Cochins ~ Dolly, Reba, and Lillie Mae. Later Wynonna (spotted Sussex) and Loretta (barred rock) joined them. Well, to my dismay, Loretta (the barred rock) started to crow and he went to live in the country with a much larger harem. Dolly, our big, buxom, beautiful, black girl quietly died her second summer. That was a very sad loss as she was absolutely gorgeous and so very sweet!

Today: We still have Reba, Lillie Mae, and Henrietta (previously know as the too difficult to say Wynonna). A week before we moved the flock was enlarged to included 3  Frizzle Bantam Cochins and 8 Guinea keets. Frizzle refers to the feather type ~ think of what a chicken might look like if one stuck it's beak in a light socket! Bantam is a small breed of chicken that are just for fun, make great pets, and lay tiny eggs. Cochin is the breed and they have feathered feet. As for the Guineas...

Keet refers to day old Guineas. Reasons for having Guinea fowl are alerting the flock of danger, decimating the tick population, ridding the area of snakes, eggs, and entertainment. Well, that's a bit of what I've read and heard. We'll find out as we go! I don't plan to name them as they are much more wild than domestic so they will not be friendly like my girls and I'll have to work at keeping them close by. We're handling them several times a day and hoping they stay healthy and grow up to be good at what they do!