Wow, time flies, doesn't it?  I can't believe that tomorrow is Memorial Day already.  We have begun to think about camping and leaving our "girls" alone for a few days, with our real "girls" as caretakers.  And, feeding the chickies is kinda a pain every day.  On top of that, they can't seem to eat without depositing pine shavings and you know what in the feeder.  Enter my clever husband!  He bought some PVC pipe and connectors and made an auto chickie feeder and hung it from the door, up off the ground so it was harder for them to make a, ah, "deposit"...LOL.

Here are a couple pics, here is where you put the food in:

Then, here is where it is attached, to the door on the inside:

And a close up:

and it took the chickies about two minutes to figure out how to eat our it!

Dave was smart enough to be sure it was not UNDER the perch because, well, you know why.

by the way, the "girls" are getting quite big, here is a picture of them eating out of our hands to give you an idea.  they eat so fast, sometimes they are just a blur in the camera!

Have a wonderful holiday everyone.

My little chickies are now 10 weeks old, 2 1/2 months already, hard to believe.  They are so big and so busy.  Today was coop cleaning day (not my favorite, I will admit), but 10 minutes and done, so I shouldn't complain.  Here is a picture of what a clean coop looks like, look quick because it won't stay this way for long.

Keeping the floor covered with pine shavings makes cleaning a snap, just rake it out and start over, LOL.

The chickens are beginning to get nicknames, and one is Ms. Bossy because wherever she goes, everyone runs to catch up....guess that's the way of the pecking order.  The good news about having your white chicken designated as Ms. Bossy is that you can FIND your other chickens because she is white and everyone always hangs with her....otherwise, I would never find the others, especially the "twins".  Now honestly, would YOU have found her under the wheelbarrow, if Ms. Bossy was not there?

As for the "twins", they really do look different from one another, sort of like real twins.  Ms. Souffle's feathers are much more colorful than Ms. Omelet, and Ms. Souffle holds her tail feathers in a neat wedge shape...hmmm, maybe she should be called Dorothy Hammel?  Wow, I need a life.

And the final nickname has to be "Legs" because Ms. Quiche certainly has some...I am afraid she is going to be a nine foot tall chicken if she doesn't stop growing.  But she is the most gentle and most friendly of the flock and always comes and eats out of my hand and comes when called.  She is finally becoming a young lady and is much more attractive than she was in her teens....

As a side-note, the yard is looking fantastic, no wonder the little chickies (I guess they need a new group name), are loving it too.

Bye from the coop.

Free Range!

Wow, how much do chickens love to free range?  Well, I just have to walk NEAR the coop in the morning and they are yelling to get out.  Its like when you take a bag of potato chips camping and when you get to the camp, the bag just bursts open.  They all try to be first out the door...LOL.  Here are some pics of us enjoying the experience.....

And, poor Dave.  He has been trying to re-do the bad plaster job on the top pond of our three-tiered waterfall, but the girls are so curious...they want to be in the middle of everything!

Growing and Growing

We are about 6 weeks old and really becoming so fun!  Each morning and evening, we run to the gate to see who is visiting us and even make "chicken" noises, like "cluck cluck".  So fun.  Here are a few photos after our make-over (losing the baby feathers)!

Happy Easter from the coop.  My dogwood is in full bloom, so it must be Spring.















The chickies are growing like mad!  They look like chickens!    And, although I love her dearly, Ms. Quiche is quite, what's the word?, STRANGE LOOKING. 

In this shot, she appears to be modeling her new capri pants that match her top....she is one weird chicken that's for sure.

They like the ladder, but seem a bit confused about whether the door is shut or open.

Sad day at the blog....my little Ms. Chocolate is missing.  She somehow managed to squeeze through the chain link fence (she was quite tiny), and is now missing.  Since we do have a hawk in the area, I have a hunch that she is gone.  today I will spend making the run more secure, I know, locking the barn door and all, but I do still have 4 little chickies I am responsible for!  Here is a picture to remember her by!

Hooray!  We are moving into our new home....sun is out, kinda, and I am well past ready to have them in their own stinky abode, LOL.

they seem right at home already!  Put in a thermometer so I can be sure not to make chicken popsicles!