Go Barry Go!!

We were honestly a little concerned that we got a dud of an Easter Egger. I mean, Barry is the oldest chicken and still wasn't laying eggs. Then one day we got 3 brown eggs, all slightly varied in one day. So we thought, that Barry was not going to lay blue or green eggs. Then we decided, that maybe Barry wasn't inclined to lay colorful eggs because we kept calling "her" a "him".  So we've made a solid effort to call Barry a girl for the last two days and this is what Barry gave us in return:

Go Barry GO!

Now that we're comfy...

We're beginning the planting process in the chicken yard. And might I add that fall is the best time to purchase shrubs/grasses/plants because they are butt cheap. We had spent the summer with just some mulch as ground cover until we got used to the chickens and they got used to the yard. Chickens are surprisingly playful and are forever wanting to climb and jump on everything.  Unfortunately that included the weed wacker and other items not safe for poultry play.

I'm telling you now that this book has been my bible for creating the perfect chicken garden.

And it's only $15. So after reading many many tips, and remembering our history with craptastic soil...I decided on the following shrubs/grasses. We went with 3 red Barberry shrubs, which we have in the front yard and grow like crazy in the sun. These also change colors with the seasons and have pretty little flowers in the spring. There are thorns, which I'm hoping deter munching by the ladies. Next, 2 Dwarf Burning Bush(es) which will turn bright fiery red in the fall. Also a full sun shrub. Maiden Grass, which gets it's colors in the late summer and fall and dries and turns into beautiful tan curls in the winter. 2 Switch Grasses which also turn colors in the fall and last, a Honeysuckle goldflame just for fun. 

I also gave the kids a bit of an art project.

Barry's sign is on the way...

More photos will follow once I get those last 3 planted, but it's already becoming exactly what I'd hoped. Bring on the chicken TV...

Identity Crisis

Our poor, poor chickens. If you recall, they began as Elinor, Maggie May and Strawberry Blonder Manilow. Part of the problem letting a 4 year old, a 7 year old (and apparently a 35 year old) name their chickens is that they want to change their name whenever it strikes their fancy.

Lucy, age 4, first chose Elinor as her Barred Rock chicks name. This was in honor of the mom from Disney's Brave. Then she decided she'd like to just call the chicken "Brave". But mom liked Elinor, so she became "Elinor Brave". Flash forward to when Elinor Brave's feathers came in and she turned into a beautiful speckled hen. Elinor Brave just didn't fit anymore. What did fit? Sprinkles.

Elinor Brave Sprinkles

Sully, age 7, named his chicken Maggie May. If you recall, Maggie May #1 turned out to be a rooster. So we picked out Maggie May #2, a Black Australorp. Because Maggie May #2 was 4 weeks younger than the other two, and a tiny peanut in comparison, she was dubbed "Little Foot". Adorable right? Until Little Foot quickly outgrew the other two chickens to become the biggest girl in the yard. Then it was back to Maggie May. I might add that she has the prettiest green iridescent feathers on her back. What a looker.

Maggie May Little Foot

Last, Uncle Blonder, age 35, originally named his Easter Egger Strawberry Blonder Manilow, Aka Berry, which I was informed should actually be Barry, and that this lady chicken should be referred to as a "he", because Uncle Blonder didn't want a girl hen, but alas, that's the only option. He later decided to recall the first name in order to change it to Barry White. Who happens to be much cooler than Barry Manilow.

Strawberry(barry)Blonder Manilow White. AKA Barry.

So it shall be.

A lot has happened since May!

Barry Became Famous!

Photo Credit: A.M. Roy

We made a sign.

We got our first egg!

 Our chickens got B.I.G.

Back to school means back to blog!

Thought for the Day

You know what they say about the curious cat?

That he got his ass beat by chickens.

That is all.

Chicken TV has healing powers...

Our daughter has croup. She's spent the last 3 days miserable in bed. I made her get up and get dressed yesterday so we could go to the doctor. When we got home for the evening, I pulled up my favorite outdoor chair, a Tiffany blue mid century cutie, for some quality chicken TV. Lu curled up on my lap while we watched the chickens discover that their coop door was open. As they clucked around in the yard, Lu got up and started slowing following them around the yard until Barry stood still long enough to be caught. This was seriously the first smile I'd seen all day...

And of course, my favorite chair:

P.S. Chicken TV is best watched on a warm spring evening with a full glass of wine...

Finished coop

Please GOD don't buy the coop we bought. Definitely a "you get what you pay for" situation. This thing is a TOTAL piece. Of poo (to clarify). We're going to spend all weekend reinforcing all the pieces that BROKE during construction, including the door. We're also planning on adding some corrugated plastic to the top for aesthetics...

Here she is:

Elinor (Brave) and Barry (I've been informed it's with an A) romping in the yard..

End result with stain and outdoor paint:

Took a total of about 5 hours with 2 pretty smart guys putting it together. The screws were all the wrong lengths, there were no words on the instructions and the materials are crap. The wood kept splitting and we had to use wood glue and clamps to fix the door after opening it only a couple of times. Nothing is level. But until we have the budget to splurge on something fancier this will do.

We predator proofed it by burying chicken wire (hardware cloth would be better, but home depot didn't have it. Weirdos.) about 3-4 inches under the dirt. It goes about 3 inches into the coop and then protrudes about 14 inches out from each side of the coop. Good thing too since our neighbor's dogs seem uber curious about what's happening back there and have dug all the way under our fence. That's a whole different beast. Literally. To see how we started our deep litter method on the bottom, please check out the Coops and Poops post from March...

The chickens don't know to go upstairs for the evening, so we're trying to teach them. Luckily they're not sleeping in their nesting boxes, just laying below their roost, all snuggled together in the corner. The first few nights I didn't put their food and water up there for night time, but I moved it up last night since the door is broken and they won't have as much free time as normal. It's also dipping into the low 30's tonight, so I figured they didn't need to be out tomorrow in the predicted snow showers. So they'll have everything they need in their little lofted coop. So far, so good...