W4W, that's such good news about your wheezy gal! what a relief!
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JCH, winter gets on my nerves after a while, but that's because we can have almost 6 months of winter weather. for the most part, it's really quite tolerable. it takes a very long time for all the snow to melt. I've had several May snow storms over the years, those are such heavy snows... they break trees.
the wee gang seems to be fitting in fine. first thing this morning, they were pretty well divided, old gang in the back, wee gang in the front. by the time I got home, someone was singing the egg song, Si was singing along, doing a perfect imitation of the hen... and as I approached, I couldn't see any of the wee gang, the front was empty. they were all crowded around the entry of the apple coop, watching the egg laying and celebrating. it was cute. when I entered, I sprinkled BOSS and peanut hearts all over the ground. they were all mingled together eating, very little pecking going on. Blu and Cockeyed Carl (who is perfectly straight, and very handsome now) were sparring, flaring hackles...chest bumping... Violet (RIR) and Betty (BR) were giving a peck here and there to the young'ins. but, yes, strength in numbers... there are 8 old gang members, and 14 wee gang'ers... they've got more roost space than they actually need, so it should be smooth. Peach is still in the house with her baby, who is even more adorable today... I have to get more pictures, the battery is charging now. I have pictures of the dome occupants from this morning, will post some later! time to bring out fresh bedding and collect eggs!