villa-gallina-residents

All started few months ago when i think loud in front of my coworker and friend that I might get myself a few chickens ... with those words I started an adventure of the making of the coop "Villa Gallina", but way before I even start the construction another coworker offer to sell me some of his chickens which on that time were just starting to lay...so many that he didn't know what to do with all the eggs. I told him not yet, not until I have an appropriate housing for them. In my mind I was playing with the idea of buying 2 or 3 day old chicks of assorted breeds and colors. By the time I finished designing & buying the construction materials needed to build the tiny coop I envisioned it was almost winter, and the hatcheries started to close the season. I dedicate my Christmas vacation to the actual construction of the coop and every single free time I had and it comes to the point that I just want to finish it and get some chickens in. Hatcheries were still closed and I wasn't sure if I want to make a brooder and wait for the baby chicks to arrive . Taking care of them seems to be a little complicated as we work out of town and the idea of leaving Guailí (our cat ) babysitting them don't seem to be the best option. So I talked to my coworker and ask him if he still want to sell me some of his chickens. I wanted a boy and 3 girls.

The great day come when with my husbands help we did the last finishing touches to "Villa Gallina" and off we went to Rincón, a nearby town to get our chickens. Unfortunately one of the girls can't handle the stress of traveling inside a bag... it was a very sad moment when we find out, and I still feel kind of guilty.... So we end up with a very big & beautiful rooster and 2 hens. and here they are !

THE ROO
The title name "cheb" means "the young" and is a tradition of Moroccan & Algerian rai singers to adopt this title as part of their artistic name, to make a distinction between them and the older generations of rai singers. "Coco" is just a short of the onomatopoetic sound of his almost constant crowing. He is a singer, and a good one, great voice, presence & style; so Cheb Cocó is it! Named after some of our favorite rai singers such as Cheb Khaled, Cheb Mami & Cheb Reda Taliani

Cheb Cocó is a very handsome roo, gentle and protective with his ladies. He is a sweet natured rooster, even when he is twice the size of the girls, and very passionate, he wont hurt them at all. He always make sure they eat first, save for them the nicest treats & celebrate all their eggs. (Cheb Cocó died august 27, 2012... RIP my gentleman... you 'll be very missed.)

THE GIRLS

They are very nice hens, bold & beautiful. They have very different personalities & get along very well. They lay 11 precious eggs by week, Gina lays darker rounder eggs, Ginger lay bigger, oval, lighter eggs.

The name Gina was chose just because it rime with gallina (hen in Spanish) She is shiny black, with a serious expression on her face. Gina is Cheb Cocó's soul mate, and his favorite. She is by his side when he is in stress cuddling even inside the nest (to my amusement). Very smart, she was the first one who learn how to get in the coop using the ladder/ramp, leading the roo to do so, followed by Ginger, she leads them to escape the run by pushing trough its door, and once she made me follow her down the sidewalk, and back and then in circles for more than an hour around the neighbor's backyard in order to catch her. In a recent occasion when they escape out, she was the first one to get in the run as i opened the door in order to go to sleep, Cheb Cocó still outside circling around the run and she was already in the roost at the coop and get down and step in a coops door "saying" something, I guess she instructed him how to get inside as he did right away ; perhaps she is the alpha of the trio.



The name was chose because she have beautiful reddish highlights in her chest feathers. Ginger is the hedonist of the group she loves to eat, and so is the last to get inside the coop to sleep (for not loosing any eating time). She doesn't seems to have a care in the world beside eating and being pretty... But she is the best layer, giving us 6 big & beautiful eggs by week. If necessary, while Gina is cuddling and taking care of Cheb Cocó, she will be on guard in the run (and in the mean time eating of course). She is very curious, kind of friendlier but not as much as to let me pet her. She also can be quite hysterical as the diva she is.My beautiful Ginger died on September 16/17, 2012... the days before she looked perfectly fine, except that she stop laying the last few days before... apparently she become egg bounded...find her dead in the coop early the next morning...rest in peace my beautiful Ginger... :'o(Ginger







Fast forward to November , 2018
I buy 2 cute chicks from the Agro where I buy my chickens food. A Red Star and aBarred Rock.
Both grow up to be gorgeous hens, but I lost the Red one due to the heat this summer. Since then Matilda, the Barred Rock, became our backyard Princess with the privilege of free range all day and only get to the coop in the evenings in order to protect her from being bullied for the rest of the flock.

Currently the Roo of Villa Gallina is Tontin, he is a mix of a white silky rooster and a white Sultan hen, he was hatch in Villa Gallina from an assortment of fertile eggs from different hens that Yamina hatched. He grow up to be a very handsome guy with characteristic of both his parents breeds.