MJ's little flock

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks

 

[Lexicon]

Summer feels so long ago I am not sure I can remember exactly what they did then.
I know they always eat and drink like crazy after they wake up, and then they congregate to preen and catch up on gossip. I can't remember in the summer if they used the perches in the coop or were outside but I am sure they had the gathering and chatting after breakfast habit because I find it all very charming so I notice that is part of their routine.

My hens gather every morning roosted all along the top of the compost bin after breakfast in the summer.
I was telling my husband the other day about how they are spending the day in the uncovered larger run, but before bed they all traipse over to the smaller covered run like clockwork for extra digging and resting and he started singing the "Tradition" song from Fiddler on the Roof.
Just like us, they have their habits that work for them!

 

[MaryJanet]

Summer feels so long ago I am not sure I can remember exactly what they did then.
I know they always eat and drink like crazy after they wake up, and then they congregate to preen and catch up on gossip. I can't remember in the summer if they used the perches in the coop or were outside but I am sure they had the gathering and chatting after breakfast habit because I find it all very charming so I notice that is part of their routine.

My hens gather every morning roosted all along the top of the compost bin after breakfast in the summer.
I was telling my husband the other day about how they are spending the day in the uncovered larger run, but before bed they all traipse over to the smaller covered run like clockwork for extra digging and resting and he started singing the "Tradition" song from Fiddler on the Roof.
Just like us, they have their habits that work for them!

The hens here keep to similar routines, with a morning march from the big coop into the Funrun, then a snack before a chat, preening party and cuddle puddle in the shade of the jacaranda before folks lay their eggs. Then it's a matter of relaxing through the day until it's time to forage and take dust baths mid-late afternoon. Thats when the napping station moves from under the jacaranda to the back porch, where they can feel the breeze from the aircon on their faces. An hour before sunset is dinner time when they have their mash with dietary supplements and cheese. That's when I do my chicken chores and check the feeders and refresh all the waters. I water the garden too. Then I sit by their big coop and watch them as they do their perimeter checks and last bug hunt before turning in. It's a good lifestyle for all of us

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

We have had break from the rain for a few days, but this afternoon the heavens opened again.

When I went out to check the chooks after the downpour I couldn't see them.

Eventually they saw me and came to see if I had treats. They kept under cover of the eaves the whole way though.

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks

 

[Grammy60]

Good morning/evening MJ and everyone

 

[BY Bob]

Gorgeous Mary

View attachment 3021792

And I can hear Peggy chittering away as she lays her egg in the laundry basket.

View attachment 3021794

Idyllic.

 

[BY Bob]

Roadrunners on the right side, Maggie and Diana on the left, all facing into the middle so they can hear all the news. It is where they head right after breakfast.
Never varies!
Creatures of habit my Princesses.

That sounds wonderful.

 

[MaryJanet]

We have had break from the rain for a few days, but this afternoon the heavens opened again.

When I went out to check the chooks after the downpour I couldn't see them.

Eventually they saw me and came to see if I had treats. They kept under cover of the eaves the whole way though.
View attachment 3024348

Clever chookies!

I know the rain has been intense and infrastructure that copes with intensity is the important thing, but I'm curious whether you've had more than average for February-March?

 

[MaryJanet]

Idyllic.

I love how the hens connect me to dusk and the seasons, like 1000s of years of my forebears who lived before modernity.

In a way, I'll be sad when the new roost is finished and I'll no longer be obliged to close the door after the hens have roosted.