Coop Project: Maken the Plunge & Getting Chickens

[Rock Home Isle]

Lawn mowing day today...the chickens kept putting themselves up ahead of me while I mowed the lawn. I'm sure that they thought that I was chasing them with the mower. I put half the clipping under in where the run will be located. The rest of the clippings are filling in around the trampoline where the pullets have dug out all my mulch.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

My cockerel is very curious whenever I come out into the backyard. He is always on hand to see if I have something for him to eat. I really have grown fond of him, I'll be very sorry to see him go.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

When I go out into the yard and I stop for a moment or take a seat anywhere for very long, he just settles right in and makes himself at home. He klucks at me a lot when I'm in the yard...

I have had so many different types of poultry over the years...but this is my 1st time with the Buff Orpington. As a poultry breed I'm finding that Buffs are a very calm and trusting animal. The Buff Orpington is not flighty, but neither do they like lots of change in their daily routine. And there is a definate dislke for change in their immediate habitat. Course I'm sure some of this behavior is heavily influenced by the ducks...these ducks do not like change at all.

I have noticed that the Buffs seem to be able to recognise individual people. For instance: When I go out in the yard, they have a very distinct behavior pattern; when my wife is in the yard the behavior is noticably different; and should a stranger enter the yard...the entire flock is on high alert; clucking to eachother, and moving in a stiff legged manner until the stranger leaves.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

When the pullets notice that the cockerel is near me they will come over and investigate to see if there is food. And if not, they will go about looking for bugs or grubs in the grass.





The cherries on the cherry trees are getting bigger...still green, but they are putting on size. The robins and sparrows have already started their assualt, and the cherries that are hitting the ground have been discovered by the pullets. The pullets now scouer the ground under the trees and they have been watching the trees each day. I think they are noticing that those green berry-things that they have been eating are in the trees. Wait till they get a taste for ripe cherries...

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I think that I need to add a few struts to the ramp...I let the pullets out this morning, and I noticed that the Ducks have to sort of slide down the ramp. They're having trouble getting their footing as they go down the ramp, and I'm thinking that they may not be able to get back up the ramp in the evenings.

Not a big deal....I'll work on it after work this week.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Here is a post that I made to another thread, and I wanted it included here, point of the thread was, "At what point does a chick become known as a Chicken."

I believe that they are chicks until they feather out...then the females become Pullets and the males graduate to Cockerels. The Cockerels elevate to Rooster or Cock once they are a year to a year and half old; and the Pullets become Hens once they have begun laying. But even when the Hens are first laying; their first couple months of eggs are still known as Pullet Eggs.

I also have a non-standard term for them as they grow-out. Once they are in that awkward inbetween phase...when they are not fully feathered out....when they are all fuzzy and also have itty bitty feathers...I call them "Ragamuffins".

Here's one of my Ragamuffins from a few weeks ago.

 

[STM060929]

looks great! i'm currently gathering ideas for my husband to build our coop. is there anything that you are very happy to did or anything that you'd change? link in my signiture to my design thread.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I was expecting a special delivery package yesterday...So my dad came over to wait for the package. While he was waiting, he walked about teh back yard...He commented to me later that the chicksn are starting to look like chickens...not like fuzzy little birds anymore.

I think we're beyond the Ragamuffin stage.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

My neighbor stopped me the other day to talk with me about my chickens. At first I was a little concerned that there was a problem with the birds and that there were going to be issues. Well they are wanting to get chickens, they have been watching our little flock for the past few weeks and he wanted a little advice.

It was a nice conversation.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I put my flock in early last night...6:30pm. We had a great rain and lots of much needed moisture. Thank goodness for the rain. The Ducks were in Hog Heaven investigating each and every down-spout, billing in the wet grass and splashing in the puddle that formed under the spout. They were like a couple of little kids playing in mud puddles.

Chickens were not as enthused as the Ducks...they mostly huddled in under the deck and watched the Ducks.