Stories of our flock...first time chicken owners

[Mya05]

We had some visitors today! A neighbor, about 5 houses down from us, has a few hens. They are beautiful, and tend to go wherever they please. After I let my chickens out this morning, I heard my boys crowing, and a bit of a ruckus. I went outside to check, and my neighbors' girls were hanging out in the yard Romeo didn't know what to think, and the rest of my flock was in the opposite corner, digging through leaves. They flew over the fence when they saw me, but it makes me wonder how many times they have visited when I'm not home? Although, I don't mind them visiting, I will have to speak to my neighbor about it. I don't want any disease transmission, if they have any, and I don't want them to fight with my birds. Also, it's not safe for them to roam. We have feral dogs, and people who let their dogs roam around the neighborhood. I don't even feel safe with my kids walking down our street alone. I have been circled by two dogs that live on the corner of our street, and although they were not overtly aggressive, they were circling me like they were thinking about it.

 

[Mya05]

Spoke too soon about the cockerels not fighting! We have a retaining wall in our yard, and Romeo decided to try and use it to his advantage. Romeo was standing on the retaining wall, with Omen on the ground below him, and Romeo tried to fly down and attack Omen from above. Well, Omen foiled his plans! Omen used his beak to grab Romeo by the leg feathers, and pulled him to the ground. Then, Omen grabbed Romeo by his chest feathers, put him in a corner, and started pecking him repeatedly!
Hopefully, Romeo learned his lesson, and won't try again....at least for a while! I may have to re-home Romeo if not. Once these guys get their spurs, blood will be shed.

 

[Mya05]

We had our first winter storm move in last night, and although I have read about what to do for the winter, and prepared, I didn't sleep well at all last night! I was so worried about our flock, especially the two smaller pullets we have. I was very happy to find them all safe and cozy in their coop this morning!! The only other worry I have for them right now is tree branches falling on them I am keeping an eye on them, and they look just fine, acting like there isn't ice on every tree, and surface above ground Here is a picture of one of my trees in the back yard that is partially broken, and I am waiting to hear a loud crack when it finally falls to the ground; although all of the trees back there are touching the ground thanks to the ice... You can see part of the old coop in this picture, and thankfully neither of the coops are in danger from the trees.

 

[TwoCrows]

We had our first winter storm move in last night, and although I have read about what to do for the winter, and prepared, I didn't sleep well at all last night! I was so worried about our flock, especially the two smaller pullets we have. I was very happy to find them all safe and cozy in their coop this morning!! The only other worry I have for them right now is tree branches falling on them I am keeping an eye on them, and they look just fine, acting like there isn't ice on every tree, and surface above ground Here is a picture of one of my trees in the back yard that is partially broken, and I am waiting to hear a loud crack when it finally falls to the ground; although all of the trees back there are touching the ground thanks to the ice... You can see part of the old coop in this picture, and thankfully neither of the coops are in danger from the trees.

Stay warm out there, winter is coming!!

 

[Mya05]

We had some tree limbs come down! Runa, one of our hens, got an egg scared outta her She was minding her own business, when a branch snapped, and was going to come down on her. She booked it, and managed to get out from under it. While she was running, an egg popped out! The branch also missed the egg, so we collected it. The egg had a small crack, but it didn't go completely through, so the egg was still good. I'm just happy Runa got out of the way in time! Although the branch was small, it still could have injured her! We will probably loose more branches tonight due to the wind, but the coops we have are in no danger of being hit. I just wish the chickens knew to stay out from under the trees, especially those that are just about touching the ground! Keeping them locked up isn't an option, as they will make a horrible racket, and possibly injure each other, or themselves, trying to get out. They are very accustomed to roaming as they please!