What's Up Chicken Butt 03.16.2012

Don't hate me for the post title. I have a 6 year old son who brings out the child(ishness) in me.

It's time for another chicken update -- the positive responses last week were such a pleasant surprise! I was flattered that my chicken stories don't bore y'all to tears, because unfortunately they're consuming my life at the moment and I fall asleep thinking about coop features. It's an illness, being detail oriented.

First off, the coop. Last weekend was beautiful and we were able to get the main structure framed, and then it started to rain. 

And it's been overcast and rainy on and off all week, which really isn't ideal coop building weather for someone like me who would rather not be framing coops in the first place. So aside from the $15 vinyl remnant I found Wednesday, we've done nothing all week. Except that's a secret, so I'm going to say that we spent the last several days finalizing dimensions and calibrating the spin... of the axis of... um... poultry-related ventilation equations. 

Yeah, that sounds good... ish.

Now on to the chickens themselves. They are changing and growing so quickly, and now they sort of look like a drawing of a turkey during a game of drunken Pictionary. But you didn't hear that from me. And by all means, don't tell them I said that.

Downy chick fuzz has been almost completely replaced by little feathers from the neck down.

You can see the last little bits around Lumpy's neck looking like dried out dandelion fluff in the above photo.

Here's little Woodpecker, who is probably the most relaxed and easy going of the bunch:

We've been bothering interacting with them enough that they're all pretty tame and used to humans, though...

They'll do anything for Chick Crumbles. Mwahaha.

(an aside: Chick Crumbles is the technical name, but I much prefer Chibble. Chicken Kibble. Work with me here.)

Here are Rosie and Cheeto, checking out the camera:

Cheeto is the farthest along of the Rhode Island Reds - her little head is super ugly because all these dark little feathers are coming in among her sweet pale baby chick head fuzz. It's not a pretty sight.

The Barred Rocks, Rosie and Posie, are much bolder and more inquisitive than the Reds... they hop up on their roost a lot and they are always the first to come and investigate something new, like a crazy lady with a camera opening up the end of their refrigerator box home. (by the way, refrigerator boxes? Huuuge.)

Oh, and they try to fly. Pretty much constantly. Giant flying leaps everywhere. I think we're supposed to clip one of their wings when they get a little bigger so they don't roost in our pine trees and fly over fences. Interesting educational tidbit: chickens descended from jungle birds. This apparently means they're all about trees. 

Any chicken questions? You can try asking me, but um... I might make up the answer. Still worth a shot though ;)