Growing my little flock

[DonyaQuick]

The glorious shape that is Miss Meep...pretty much exactly what I was hoping I would get by hatching a couple of eggs from my hen named Chungus lol.

(And that is Goober again on the left, my other Chungus child, whose pose here is somewhat hiding the fact that he's built like an unfortunate Tetris stack)

And as a bonus, here's crazy Raven and her wonderful beard.

 

[fuzzi]

The glorious shape that is Miss Meep...pretty much exactly what I was hoping I would get by hatching a couple of eggs from my hen named Chungus lol.
View attachment 3654125
(And that is Goober again on the left, my other Chungus child, whose pose here is somewhat hiding the fact that he's built like an unfortunate Tetris stack)

And as a bonus, here's crazy Raven and her wonderful beard.
View attachment 3654132

What pretty chicks you have!

 

[DonyaQuick]

Two happy little cockerels and a....and a Goober. Yep. Fine form, Mr. Goob, fine form.

Mr. Tengu though...starting to look like a proper little roo!

 

[DonyaQuick]

So...I have been encouraging Mr. Monster to follow me into the house for snack time for the last two weeks. Part of me knew this wasn't a good idea because he sometimes uses his over abundance of smarts in ways that cause complete chaos, but I did it anyway. He's so gentle I was getting worried the cockerels were stealing all of his treats, and he's so cute when he waddles down the path to the house with me.

And so then this is what I got today for letting the main flock out, going inside quickly to grab something I forgot to being out, and not closing the door properly behind me: Monster opening the door and the whole main flock storming the house - with Monster then guiding them to the kitchen where the good snacks are. And oh yes, he brought his significantly less-chilled-out brother Junior in too, because of course he would do that. I had to throw handfulls of grapes out the front door to get them all back outside without them trying to force back in every time I opened the door to try to mvoe some out.

Please excuse the mess; random bits of 2x4 are from my husband building new doors for the coop-to-shed conversion that these guys will move into.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Vanilla Bean and new cockerel friends Goober, Squeak, and Tengu. Mr Vanilla Bean isn't with them 24/7 yet, but soon.

 

[fuzzi]

Vanilla Bean and new cockerel friends Goober, Squeak, and Tengu. Mr Vanilla Bean isn't with them 24/7 yet, but soon.
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They look like statues!

 

[DonyaQuick]

Molting Miss Chungus says yuck to wind! Better to stay in the coop.

I have four pretty hard-molting ladies currently. Chungus up there is hiding most of her pinfeather mess.

Oh that reminds me - I forgot to share that October is No-Butt-Dingus month again this year. She's fine of course even though she looks a mess - she did this last year, getting pretty scratty revving up the molt and then just one night dumping her entire tail. Both times now I've not found a single one of her tail feathers when she sheds it. It's a mystery; the tail feather fairy must come and collect it. So anyway, this annual event brings the obligatory jokes of me telling miss no-butt-Dingus that I warned her about laughing too hard and asking if she's going as an Araucana for Halloween.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Vanilla Bean doing his Marilyn Monroe impression in the fall breeze today:

He's actually molting and full of pin feathers right now, but you can't tell unless you stick a hand in the floof.

 

[fuzzi]

Vanilla Bean doing his Marilyn Monroe impression in the fall breeze today:
View attachment 3668970
He's actually molting and full of pin feathers right now, but you can't tell unless you stick a hand in the floof.

So handsome!

 

[DonyaQuick]

Big day for the main flock - they are in their new setup for good now! They are doing so well with it too despite the wierd ramp connection. Sometimes it's the olive eggers out, sometimes the adults, sometimes a mix, and in and out they go. The shed stays much warmer than the outside (a small waterer in there doesn't get even a single ice crystal even when it's 20F outside), so my molting hens have been going out to sun bathe or scratch about for a bit and then they go back in to warm up. That's exactly what I was hoping they would do. There may be some grumbly hens as they adapt to laying eggs in a new location, but hopefully they'll get used to that pretty fast too.

The original goal was to have the shed coop be white like the run, but completing that paint job may have to wait until next year due to temperatures (the livestock safe paint I have often has drying issues below 50F in this soggy climate). The current paint will be ok until over the winter and getting it all white would just an aesthetic thing. I also have some more work to do adding things to the inside of the shed coop - more nest boxes, better perches etc. since the stuff in there right now is just temprary, zip-tied-together sorts of things while I watch out they use the space.

In a couple days I'll try Coco Bean in the main flock so Vanilla Bean can finally go hang out with the three cockerels - which he really, really wants to do. That silly bean boy runs off to go find them pretty much every opportunity he gets these days.