Getting Used To The New Girl

Well, Amelia is not giving Rosie much relief.  We had to move the bar that the water hangs on because Rosie was making it a mess.  Amelia spent much of the past two days making sure Rosie stays up in the top part of the coop.  It is so interesting to watch... Amelia chases Rosie; Martha makes sure Amelia knows that she is boss; Donna lets Rosie know that she is the big sister, but does not get mean about it.  I think on occasion Donna will get Amelia to let up on Rosie.  While we have been putting small amounts of food and water in the top part of the pen for Rosie, she will come down the ramp after the others have gone up to roost, and eat and drink at the bottom part of the coop.

This evening, our friend, Roy, put up some new perches for Rosie to hang out on, and we relocated the water.

Thanks to Roy... two new perches for Rosie and hanging water again!

We are grateful that it seems like the girls have permitted Rosie to roost in the upper part of the coop... especially glad since it is getting colder at night.

Settling in for the night (Inside the coop at dusk)...
you can't see her but Rosie is in the nesting box behind Martha (speckled).

Peaking in the door at Donna and Amelia

Peaking through the nesting box door... you can just make out Rosie in the lower left of this picture.
Amelia is facing us at the upper left, Donna has her back to us, and, well, Martha makes sure everyone knows how significant she is in this group.

Rosie's First Day

OK, so I know that they need to establish a pecking order... but can I just say I don't like it!
The one draw back to having a smaller coop, rather than an open yard, is that there are limited places for the lower in the pecking order to go.

Rosie, you are so pretty!

Rosie has established that the rebar which holds the water off the ground is her 'safe place.'

Rosie hanging on to the thin bar.

You can see Rosie in the background.  Of course,now she is pooping in the water,
which was the reason to hang it... to prevent that from happening so much.

Two top girls!  Though you can just make out Donna in the background.

I have been hoping that Donna lets her 'mothering' instincts set in with Rosie, and she 'takes her under her wing.'  That is why this morning I let Donna in the coop with Rosie and the other two are in the pen just outside.  I know later today, I will need to let everyone share space again...

Good-bye Rory, Hello Rosie!!

Rory in the dog crate in the back of the car.  Good-bye, Rory, you handsome bird!

Well, today, we loaded up Rory to take him back to Stacks Chicken Farm.  They were very nice about trading out the rooster for a hen, although they did not have another Buff Orpington hen.

Todd Stacks said that he was hoping to use Rory for breeding, not eating.

Patty holding our new addition!  Welcome Rosie!!
She is a Cherry Egger, a little smaller and darker than Amelia at the moment.

 The other birds did pretty well with the slow introduction of a new bird.  We kept her in the crate and put the crate in the outside pen so the other birds could walk around her.  Once they went in to roost for the night, Rosie was allowed to move from the dog crate to the coop.  She had a bit of tough time finding a place to roost as first, but then she settled down.  I think she will do just fine.

My, What a Big Comb You Have!

So, Patty was looking at the birds while talking on the phone.
She noted, "one of our chicken's comb and waddle is so much larger than the others."

The friend on the other end, who has chickens, said, "are you sure she is not a he?"

Well, we were not sure.

So we sent the following photo to the place where we had gotten our pullets.

Great pic of everyone looking at the camera!

Unfortunately, they identified that, yes indeed, Rose, our Buff Orpington, is a rooster!
So, we changed his name to Rory, and set up a time to take him back to the farm where we got him.
We are not able to keep a rooster... we don't need fertile eggs or crowing at 4am!

Bring on the Bugs!

We've read that chickens do not like stinkbugs.  Well, ours do as this video attests:

Growing Girls!!

Growing Girls!!!  Enjoy all kinds of things thrown in their pen.

Where are you running off to Rose?  What are you looking at Martha?

Scratch and peck the ground.  The ramp to the top part of the coop was a bit of challenge for them to navigate and understand at first.  But now they are pros!

Happy and Healthy

All the birds enjoy time out of the coop.

Martha and Amelia

While they all enjoy time out of the coop, it has been interesting to notice that they pair off sometimes.  Amelia and Martha often hang out together, while Donna and Rose stick together.

Rose and Donna

Donna and Rose (front)

Amelia and Martha (front)