Sunny - I love the Wheaton-y ones! So pretty!
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I am now chickenless. The last of my hatching project went off to their new home this weekend.
I took the remaining Black Star month-old henletts to my sister's house (which trip co-incided with a surprise 50th birthday party). Her soon-to-be 16 y.o. son's spare time project has been to learn from Dad how to use power tools and his desire was to build a chicken coop. So they retrofitted an empty hot-water heater closet in the yard against the shed with nest boxes and roosts and built a run to accompany it making sure to dog/cat/coon/possum proof it.
The chicks were a BIG hit. Sister's son, daughter, and two of 13 y.o. daughter's playmates were absent ALL afternoon during the b-day party... They spent the entire time inside the run playing with the chickens, handfeeding them, naming them, etc. The next day soon as the family got up, they went back out to the coop to check on their new residents. The 16 y.o.'s comment to me was "Aunt Dee Dee, you give rockin' gifts. I've ALWAYS wanted chickens!" My sister was amazed as this was the first weekend she could ever remember where the kids not once spent their time glued to the TV or playing video games. Who knew???
The chickens, having spent their first month in a wire-floor brooder box, feel like they've gone to Disneyland as they've got room to hop, fly, scratch in the dirt and take dust baths....in other words, be proper chickens . They're some pretty well-traveled birds having been layed in New Jersey, hatched in Las Vegas and now beachin' it in Santa Cruz, CA. They were funny travelmates in the backseat in the dog crate whistling and peeping away, pretty laid back....and even enjoyed some road food hamburger and fries on their northbound trip.
I bet I get fresh eggs for Christmas!
