Chickie Taj Mahal

No longer do we worry about escapee hens OR uninvited deer and foxes. Mr. Fox still has us on his list but he just runs by as he checks out the neighborhood. Word has it he asked Santa for wire cutters. Tom and Camille built this incredible fortress. The corner posts are set deep in the ground. Two opposing walls were made as kennel walls for very tall dogs. The other 2 walls are made of cattle corral wall wire covered with chicken wire. The roof is yet to be complete but will be a continuation of the cattle wire. The base of all walls have an apron of chicken wire, one foot up the wall and one foot out pinned to the ground. This will thwart any predator digging.

The birds and squirrels think it was all built for their perching pleasure. It has already served one squirrel escaping from the cat. The pen was closer than the tree! The hens love it. They can run around, even fly (a bit), in safety. I love the people door. It is very secure, yet easy to get in and out.

Tune in again for how to keep chickens warm, happy and laying in freezing weather.

Deer in the Hen Yard

The photo on the right was taken through the kitchen window screen. The chicken run is covered by brown, green and blue tarps, the eglu is covered by the silver quilted insulation material. One buck and one doe are standing left of the eglu; the other buck is on the right with his white butt showing. Two chickie girls (one red, one black) can be seen in the upper center of photo on right.

The hen scratch made of corn, millet and other grains which I scatter on the ground must have attracted the deer. There was less than a ½ cup of it remaining after the hens pecked at it earlier. Until now the remnants of grain have only interested the squirrels and LBBs and LGBs, (Little Brown Birds and Little Gray Birds).

Queen B sounded her alarm 'sqwaaaak' and I went flying to the kitchen window. Queen B and Arriauna were in the far corner of their yard as three deer stood in the middle of the yard. One doe and 2 bucks were staring at the chickens in puzzlement. In the 3 seconds it took me to get to the backdoor, all the hens were outside the fence leaving the deer to stare at me. The deer were not afraid as I photographed them. I suggested they leave because this was a yard for chickens. Well, OK, they seemed to say as they sauntered to the 3 foot high wire fence. They paused, then turned slightly and leaped over it. In no apparent hurry to go elsewhere, they meandered through the yard, nibbling and sniffing as they went. I looked around to see what the hens were doing…afraid they had run for the hills, but like the sweet shortterm-memory gals they are, they were busy scratching for bugs under a bush, having forgotten why they had jumped the fence. Clinking a dish of Basmati rice with a spoon, brought the girls running back into the deer-free pen and all was back to normal.

Big Ears in the Backyard

This lovely deer is one of three who frequent the yard. The mom brought her two fawns through earlier this year when they still had white spots like Bambi. Now in just a few months they are gray/brown like the mom. They still have the curiosity of youngsters, consequently, this young one turned back to look at me as they were leisurely exiting the backyard. As charming as they look, they still do damage to plants. They have munched on the new apricot tree branches and the new cherry tree branches. Who knows how much they will enjoy the fruit in the spring! I camp out during the day to watch over the chickens, from Mr. Fox. I might as well be shooing the deer away from the fruit trees too.

Arriauna's First Egg

The girls are celebrating atop their run. The sun shines on Arriauna! Today she laid her first egg. It is a lovely light aqua color. Very hard to capture the delicate color for your viewing pleasure. There were no white eggs in the house for photo comparison. She is 17 ½ weeks old.

Eggs like eggs should be

http://www.omlet.co.uk/ includes several 4-banger egg cartons as accessories to the Eglu. Knowing the chicken owner will not have zillions of extra eggs, the little 4-bangers make nice gifts to appease the neighbors. The photos show 2 shades of eggs; light brown matte finish, darker brown glossy. Do these chickie girls have PhotoShop in their fancy hot pink eglu? Maybe. The light brown matte finish eggs have tiny white speckles that do not show in the above photo. They are from Queen B, who was shown in an earlier blog as the prime mother suspect when we got the first egg. The darker brown glossy egg is from Hecky, a lovely black Astrolorp with a green metallic sheen to her black feathers. Hecky is not a very fancy name for such a lovely hen but when she and her ‘litter mate’ Henny were little chicks they were solid black fuzz with outsized black beaks. They looked like Heckle and Jekyll, the crows from the cartoons. After they got larger we started calling them Hecky and Henny. Henny has not started laying yet. She is a bit smaller than Hecky and much more reserved. I hope she has not decided that laying is not for her. She is not really late….yet. They were not expected to start laying until 18 weeks old, which would have been September 15, but Queen B laid that first egg on September 4, Labor Day! Henny is only a day or so late. Arriauna, the Ameracauna, is a week younger than the other three. No one is being rushed into production…after all, this is just for the fun of it! It was fun to eat those tall golden yolks too!

Ain't it beautiful?

Here is our first egg. It arrived Sept. 4, Labor Day! No doubt from Queen B, the 16 week old Barred Rock. She has always acted the most mature. Of course all that SWAAAAKKING and prancing around is a dead giveaway too! Todate (Sept 9, 2007) we have 7 eggs. Five are obviously from Queen B....they are light brown with tiny white speckles. The other 2 eggs are darker brown and glossy. They are from Hecky, a black Astrolorp whose black feathers have a metallic green sheen. Hecky was the only other hen seen going into the nest, plus she couldn't keep quiet about it either. Neither can I. This photo makes Queen B's egg look shiny from the flash but it is really more matte finish.

Our first egg

Queen B would be disappointed to see this unprofessional photo of her first egg. I assured her there was value in publication. This egg was laid on Monday, September 4, 2007, notable for three events, United States Labor Day, Janmastami - Krishna's Birthday, and Queen B's first egg. There are now 2 more eggs, all compliments of the Queen. Apparently she works a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. Will she take the weekend off? Can she control these things? Stay tuned for more high adventures in Eggs-in-the eglu-land. Getting up each morning is now chock full of excitement. You have heard it suggested 'Get a life!'...well, I did.

Arriauna is growing into a beauty

Arriauna Ameracauna is such a special chickie girl. Do you remember her from the ThreeChickenFarm blog masthead, a tiny chick measured against a clothespin? Now she is a beautiful redhead with a bit of blond-in-the-brain. She has a love of life and would rather fly than walk. Most days find her atop the run more often than along side it, pecking the ground with her sisters. She watches the squirrels in the tree overhead. She watches the Flight For Life heliocopters traveling to nearby Penrose Hospital. Yesterday she listened and spotted high-flying geese. Yes, they were flying north.

When the other three hens rest on the roost in their run, they all face the same direction. Not Arriauna, invariably she will squeeze in between them, facing the other way. She just clucks to a different drummer.

Could Queen B be the new mom?

Our first egg! It is a beautiful medium size light brown egg with tiny white specks. Queen B has been SWWAAAK-SWAAAKING a bit lately but 'the books' say they will not lay until 18 weeks old. This is only the 16th week so it didn't seem like an egg possiblity. Last night I opened the egg door to bring Henny outside for a dusting (she has been scratching her neck feathers out). I glanced down into the nest before reaching in to lift her off the roost. Voila! a lovely little egg in the nest bowl looking so alone because I had not put straw into it after the last eglu cleaning. Queen B is a Barred Rock. She and the 2 Astralorps produce brown eggs, Arriauna Americauna will lay green/blue eggs, so there are only 3 possible moms of this first egg. September 3, 2007 appropriately named Labor Day.

Attack of the Killer Vegetables

“What are they?” squawked Hecky. “Where did they come from?” peeped Arriauna. “I saw Mom put them in here, so they can’t be bad,” offered Henny. “Let’s just freeze in position and see if they move,"whispered Queen B. The girls are very cautious about unknown things outside their area, but even more cautious when four odd shaped things are inside their run. Henny, the more mature levelheaded chickie girl advanced on one of the interlopers. Actually it was more like a canta-louper. I had placed a corncob, two cantaloupe slices, a cornhusk and a tomato inside the door of their run. At first they all ran to the opposite end, away from these unknown objects. Little by little they slowly came forward. Arriauna pecked at the cantaloupe, maybe drawn to the color similar to her own feathers. Queen B stepped on the tomato as she moved to pierce the green cornhusk with her beak. Henny and Hecky are always interested in stealing whatever Queen B has in her beak so those three darted and bobbed around for awhile. Later I saw the tomato had been reduced to a small dirt-coated blob. The cornhusk was in a zillion strips. The cantaloupes were history.

Fox Spies on The Girls

See Arriauna (orange), Hecky and Henny (black) in front of the eglu door, but safely in the run. See Mr. Fox (red and white with triangular face) sneaking closer from the upper left. One second later the girls spotted him and dashed into their eglu house. This photo was taken through the kitchen window screen.

I walked out to watch him from the top of the back steps. He was not frightened by my presence. We stared at each other for a few minutes. The girls (bless their dumb little hearts) came out of the eglu when they heard me talking to him. He sat and watched them for awhile. I told him to leave and moved toward him. He yawned! Finally he strolled away, stopping to pee on some weeds. He slowly walked to the back by the compost pile where he usually hops up on the hay bales surrounding it to scramble over the fence. This time he went not over the fence but into the Austrees. I saw him walking the labyrinth. He was not doing the path properly so I threw a handful of pebbles at him and he scampered out of sight which appeared to put him over the edge toward the creek. I was not confident that he had really gone so I stayed out there for awhile.

He's young and curious. I like him and wish we could all be friends BUT I know he would kill the chickies just for sport if not for food. His regular presence is foiling my simple plans to expand the chickie's foraging territory.

The intermediate solution is to plant a tray of grass to give them. I'll keep a couple going to alternate.

Deer at 7:30 am

(Disclaimer: The pictured deer is not the one I saw, who may not have been real he was so perfect. And of course, I never have a camera at the right time.)

The buck I saw was of noble bearing, walking slowly with stiff, sharp strides. Long straight leg bones punctuating each stride, thrusting through the hips, lifting his hide….oh the hide, tawny is of lions…too light, too yellow. This buck was dark tea amber, rich Mexican tooled leather brown, comfortably stretched vicuna cashmere brown, live animal gold. Neither a scar nor a whorl marred his healthy coat. Atop this graceful warrior was a rack of unnumbered points. It may have been 8 by Texas count (using each tip on both sides) or 4 by more modest woodsmen. Each branch of his crown rack was wrapped in thick velvet tinged in morning sunlight. He came from the creek and strode down the block, each step resisting the new asphalt where real earth used to cushion his hooves. At the corner he stopped to look back at me, who had slipped up to my front gate, then he turned right and continued his odyssey. I hope he went back to the creek through the yards and lanes in that direction.

Curious dog + new fish pond =

I didn’t hear Dreamer, my 10-year-old Pomeranian, come up the back steps and across the kitchen floor. I looked up from the computer to see a very sad, ashamed, remorseful and WET doggie. Poor little guy! I doubled a big beach towel around him. We walked out into the front yard to look at the pond. Dreamer bugged his eyes staining to look in the opposite direction. Returning to the scene of the crime/accident/trauma was too immediate to suit him. Camille joined us, gently assuring and patting the sweet distressed pooch. We looked at the pond for evidence. One large rock was missing from the edge, which would have allowed him to lean over…too far. On several sidewalls there were paw scratch marks in the algae where he had attempted to get out. At one of these sites the surrounding rocks were wet with little paw prints walking away. Obviously he had swum around a few times before finding the best way out. He hates getting his face wet and this time the only part of him not wet was his back. He had definitely slipped and fallen in face first. Those of you who know Dreamer know what a chowhound he is, so you will not be surprised to hear a few fish food flakes were still floating from their recent feeding. That’s my boy! He just had to go for it!

Wet dog + fish water = surprisingly OK when dry.

Horny Hens

You may have read a recent blog entry, “Senor Rooster Arrives”. He arrived via UPS as a surprise gift in a long box. We held him. We carried him as we walked around the yard. When he was officially introduced to the ‘girls’, we stood him alongside their run. His manly chest, large comb and wattles must have struck a cord (or something hormonal) with the girls. They paraded around in a circle, passing in front of him. Queen B led the parade. When she was directly in front of him, she lengthened her neck and lifted her head in a strange chicken salute. After the girls had made 3-4 rounds honoring Senor Rooster, they laid down in front of him in a staggered formation, forming a diagonal line, looking like a platter of four folded soft tacos. Each girl had her right leg extended, her right shoulder and wing dropped as if she were wearing an off-the-shoulder peasant blouse. Each looked over her shoulder at Senor Rooster, whose painted black eyes were looking straight ahead.

Raging hormones make even the sweetest little debutantes turn into hussies. [No photos taken of the initial rendezvous. Photo above on left is Arriauna 'presenting' as Henny makes a tall salute. Photo on right is Hecky voyeuring, Arriauna and Henny 'presenting.']

Ivy catches a snake

This photo does not do the snake justice. He is much more 'snake' and much less 'pile of worms'.

This morning Ivy, the beautiful, blue-eyed, mostly Siamese cat brought me a very long snake. She had her mouth around it and was dragging its curled up, but very alive body. When I approached her, [this occurred in the backyard, not the living room] she dropped the snake. I scooped him up in an empty flowerpot so I could take him to a better spot for a photo. The photo above is of a pile of snake freshly dumped out of the flowerpot. As I tried to stretch him out a bit to show his yellow striped back and to gauge his length, he straightened, said ‘Thanks for your help’ and did a few fast ‘S’ wiggles and was off the sidewalk and into the flower bed. Had I been fast enough and brave enough I could have grabbed him. Instead, I was trying to stop him with a stick and my foot. The camera in my hand was my last thought until it was too late. You’ll have to trust me that he was four feet, well, maybe, three feet long. He did have a lovely yellow stripe down the full many feet of his back. He looks much like another snake who has lived in the garden for three years and whom I saw today. He is about two feet long and is identified by his short abrupt tail. They each will have private stone houses for weather and cat protection.

Senor Rooster Arrives

Senor Rooster Arrives The UPS truck pulled up in the gravel parking area at the front gate. Camille and I were working in the yard. She called out “UPS, I didn’t order anything but I’ll receive. I said, “I don’t think it’s for me.” After hearing our comments, the driver said hesitantly “I have a package for Three Chicken Farm. Is that you folks?” “ Yes” we answered laughing. He handed down a 3 ½ foot long box. Sure enough, it was addressed to Three Chicken Farm. After a bit of puzzling about no chicken supplies on order, I noticed a familiar name on the label…Ann Dettmer! We took the prized box into the shade. Camille went in the house for scissors. I pulled up lawn chairs. After cutting through much Cello Tape, it appeared to be a box of alien green packing peanuts. Clearing those away revealed another box…more Cello Tape cutting…more, but different Styrofoam shaped to fit the top and bottom of………………A HUGE CERAMIC ROOSTER!!! He is quite handsome with a creamy white body, black vertical stripes, all topped by a vivid red comb and red wattles (the hangy-down chin thingies). He is perched atop an earth-colored ball from which he reigns. When I presented him to the chickie girls, Henny (the most feminine) came running over and nearly fainted with joy. I placed him near the run. The four girls began to parade in a circle past him. When each arrived in front of Senor Rooster, she did a funny lifting of her head. That must be a secret Chicken thing. It has been alternately suggested meaning, ‘Me first’ or ‘Hi there, Big Boy’ or ‘Things are looking up’ or ‘Where have you been all eight weeks of my life? We may never know, but your suggestions are welcome.

Chickie Girls' New Experiences

Pictured in their run...(l to r) Henny, Hecky, Arriauna and Queen B. Today taste buds were tempted and teased. For starters the girls had dry oatmeal flakes. This food is fun because each flake appears to float out of the sky so there is much good-natured jostling and pecking. Hecky, Henny and Queen B are right in there getting their shares. Arriauna had fun doing it but often missed a flake. She would aim at it but her curved beak would miss. She hasn’t learned to take that into consid- eration. She is better at eating mash from the feeder; no misses, every aim is true, every bite a hit. Later they had a spade full of ants and ant eggs from a hill I inadvertently disturbed when moving the lawn furniture. It was an excellent opportunity to expand their palates. Mid-afternoon Hecky grabbed a slug I offered on a stick full of bugs. Henny and Queen B got two small bugs at that time. Arriauna is too slow to get any when the number of treats is limited. The piece de resistance turned out to be cold cooked organic steel cut oats. The girls made unkind comments as they bumped one another aside to reach another beak full of cooked cereal. Wonder if they will like Haagen Daaz? Of course they will....my girls!

Fox, Jr.

To the right of the Eglu, meet Fox, Jr. He is small but he is a fox. A fox in training? He appears to be a teenager from last year’s litter. This photo was taken from the kitchen window 3 days ago. All chickies have run into their Eglu. Only a newspaper and some shadows remain. Camille and I have had several ‘talks’ with him, both in person and in absentia. Not to jinx his 3-day absence, I will say he has not been missed. I pray some fortunate reason will keep him away. ‘Fox in the hen house’ can remain a literary phrase. ‘Fox passing by’ is too close for comfort.

The Sky is falling in Henny Penny

High winds yesterday and ALL NIGHT brought large limbs and entire trees down all over town. This photo shows two limbs down on the eglu. The chickie girls are so resilient they came running out this morning and were so thrilled to chase the leaves and twigs in their run. Running in the run! Do you suppose that is why it is called a ‘run’? No other damage in our yard. Just lots of stray twigs and small branches everywhere. Mother Nature cleverly creates all this wind in between warm lows and cool highs in order for the trees to sway, stirring the sap flow to all the branches and roots. The roots are gaining strength by getting a better grip on the soil. The extra rainwater is settling and permeating down around all the roots. Can you imagine those deepest tiny hair roots calling out encouragement to their sisters? “Hold tight.” “Stretch out around those pebbles.” “The weatherman said it would be better by noon.”

King of the Mountain - Mister Fox

This evening I looked out the kitchen window for the zillionth time today to enjoy watching what the chickie girls were doing. Was I startled to see Mister Fox standing on top the eglu? He looked around like he owned the place. The chickie girls were huddled deep inside the Eglu. I could not see them. I banged on the window and yelled. I ran out the back door and was half way down the seven concrete steps before Mister Fox decided to jump down and lope toward the back fence. He went halfway, stopped, turned, and looked back. I had to bang loud and long on the metal swing frame with a metal pan before he abandoned his blasé getaway. He streaked along the back fence to its end, where it drops off to the creek. I did not hear a splash. Darn!

Raccoon Raid

Muddy footprints all over the bright pink Eglu; the black plastic sack held down by two large pink scalloped bricks, -- now pushed away from the air inlet around the poop tray; the recessed door handle pulled up out of the safe recessed position. This handle described to visitors as ‘raccoon proof’. All this greeted the 6:30 AM visit to the chickie girls. Muddy prints with long toes extending from human-shaped palms are clearly raccoon prints. Apparently they had probed the entire eglu. Poor chickie girls! How frightening to hear the snuffling, scratching, prying burglars climbing on your house.

Spa Day in the Coop

The chick girls .................................,(Queen B, Barred Rock; Hennie, Black Astralorp; Heckie, Black Astralorp; Arriauna Americauna, Americauna) were looking a bit ragged after living their entire lives, 5-6 weeks, in the birdcage in the back bedroom. They had baby fuzz poking our here and there. Hennie and Heckie had dry flakes among their not-so-sleek black feathers. Their nails and makeup looked OK but they were sorely in need of a Spa Day. To the rescue,…a few cupfuls of clean sand dumped in a pile in their coop brought them running like to a sale on egg cups. They immediately began the dust bath procedure. Had I not known what they were doing I would have thought they were having seizures. They rolled, they fluffed their wings, and they lay on their sides and pushed off against each other sliding through the sand. I fully expected them to take handfuls and toss it under their armpits, uh…wingpits. I was so enthralled and laughing so hard I forgot to take pictures. Next time. They look exquisite now. All feathers are clean and smooth. Their previously fuzzy butts are now fluffy powder puffs. They strut with pride. Arriauna strikes her model’s stance.

The Slumber Party

Last evening the chickie girls went into their Eglu before I went outside to close them in. Friends wanted to see the girls so I opened the egg door thinking they would scurry outside to be seen. Ha! I looked down into the nest and could not tell who was who. All four of them were lying in, on and around one another in the nest. I was laughing so hard that Camille said ‘Let me see!” She laughed too. The chickie girls never came untwined. They just blinked. I closed the door. No complaints came from within the Eglu.

Who Stole the Strawberry?

Ms. B. Rock (Barred Rock hen) is changing her name to Queen B. She is the smartest chicken in matters of importance. Like when spotting a bit of strawberry with green hat attached. The other girls looked in the direction of the strawberry but Queen B was on it. She grabbed it and ran around with it in a victory lap. She eventually scared herself and ran inside. The strawberry dropped at the door where the other girls found it. They danced around, trading it back and forth a bit but the initial joy had dissipated when Queen B left the scene. The strawberry remains outside as a used trophy, not as the intended tasty treat. They have been in and out a gazillion times. The order of their first investigation was just as it had been in the bedroom when mash was added to their feeder. Heckie (Black Astralorp) is the bravest, at least most curious, as she was first out of the Eglu on this blustery first morning. Heckie was followed by sister Hennie, the not-to-be-left-out, then Queen B who must pass judgment on all things, followed by hesitant little Arriauna, who wisely hovers close to big Queen B. When I closed the eglu door last night Arriauna was peeking out from beneath Queen B like a newly hatched chick.

Flyover Honors Chickie Girls' Move to Eglu

The further adventures of Ms. B. Rock, Heckie, Hennie and Arriauna -- The Blue Angels did a flyover as the chickie girls were moving from the back bedroom, out into the Eglu. The Angels tipped their wings in salute. How nice that the folks at the Air Force Academy, a few miles up the highway will also enjoy the flyover on this Memorial Day. The Eglu and attached run were ready with fresh straw in the nest and on the ground in the run. Two waterers and two feeders in place. Several yummy green weeds are growing the run. The girls made the trip in the dog carrier. They entered into the Eglu through the egg retrieval door. But they did not come out into the run.

Too scary! That straw might hurt our feet! Sunlight might burn our feathers up in smoke! When we used to look out the window, Heckie, you said it would be great to be outside. Yeah, well…its fun, isn’t it? No, and I think I hear a cat sniffing the back of our poop tray. Are you sure she can’t get us? Oh, here comes our lady. She’s opening the sky (read: egg retrieval door). Yikes, she picked me up. She carried me way down there to the end of the straw. She pushed my face is some water. Hmmm, it tasted good. [Each chickie got a sample of the water, except Ms. B. Rock.] Ms. B. Rock, why didn’t she push your face in the water? Well, my dears, I’m larger and therefore wiser, so I did not need to be half drowned to learn the location of the water. Follow my cue and you will learn a lot. Arriauna finally speaks up. I wish we were in the bedroom again.

What is a cue?

The Neighbor's Painted Fence

• Mariya Zvonkovich, her Sunlit Morning, pastel, 26”x30”, shown here, is the mother of my lovely neighbor. Mariya suggested the cedar plank fence be painted to match the house. Others had offered that suggestion but when Mariya spoke, that was it. Artists from around the country are obsessed to know the name of the paint color. Artists are like that. Can they handle this news? There is no official paint color name. The originally chosen paint chip is ‘Raffia’ by Ralph Lauren, but the paint base* and additives are Behr Brand. The result is lighter, more subtle. The look is very elegant. ‘Raffia’ is a bit harsh by comparison. Photo attempts to show you this lovely color have not been successful. No options; come by and see for yourself. PLEASE NOTE: ThreeChickenFarm cannot pay airfare or gasoline for your drive-by.
• FOOTNOTE: Behr Brand Premium Plus Exterior Satin Enamel Ultra Pure White
• AX Perm Yellow 1 16 0
• E Thalo Blue 0 17 1
• F Red Oxide 0 9 0 All you ‘real’ artists can visualize from the formula, can’t you? Contact Mariya Zvonkovich at http://bluecanyonart.com/ and Cottonwood Academy, Colorado Springs, CO

First Grass

Do you remember? Age 1 or 18? The chickie girls had their first this morning. Such emotion! Their first guaranteed reaction was Sqwaaaak! What is this stuff? Help, an unknown intruder! Then Ms. B. Rock, the brave mother-type of the foursome, pecked at one of the pieces of grass, or was it a snake? or a worm? or…? It did not fight back. The other girls moved out from behind her to take a closer look. After much maneuvering for position, Heckie pecked at another piece of that intruding grass. Hmmm? Seems like nothing to fear. Then the dance began, joined by Henny and Arriauna. Round and round, back and forth, pecking at and running from, (sing it!) ‘Up to the grass, back to the wall, all join wings and circle wide, grab your partner and do-si-do.’ Toys-R-Us and Santa Claus have never brought as much first time joy! After about an hour, another peek finds all four chickie girls contentedly resting on their roost, looking out the window onto the world of grass.

Miss Teenage Arriauna

My, how time flies. This little chick is 27 days old. Compare to her early photo in the heading. You can see she has developed teenage ways. She does not brush her hair. Many little downy feathers stick out around the maturing ‘real’ feathers. It’s just a passing phase…soon this little gal will be a beauty queen, and probably a rocket scientist too. I won’t call it attitude but she has a well-developed sense of self-esteem. She manages quite well with her roommate/sisters who are one week older and try to act like they’ve been ‘around the block’. In truth, only 2 of them can even brag about having been ‘around the room’. (see The Great Escape) Also pictured is Heckie, a Black Astralorp with a little white butt. At the feeder and the grit bowl Arriauna pushes in between the others to get her share. Several times she has perched atop the feeder, which exhibits real bravado. As you might notice, she has not yet learned where to place her feet!

Cage Cleaning Day, or Chickies First Trip

A nice warm day arrived. Perfect weather for the girls’ first day outside…well, actually, outside the house but inside the dog carrier. They hated the move like they were going to ‘morph’ into dogs never again to be chickies. Once all four were together life was better. They surveyed each other and realized that no one had become a dog. Whew! Out into the backyard and a closer view of what will soon be their home…the hot pink eglu (not in photo). The chicken carrier (nee dog) was placed in a warm sunny spot. Not to be left out, the dog, Dreamer laid down nearby. Is he guarding the chickies? the carrier? or just lying in a warm spot? The girlies seemed to like their cabana replete with newspaper and waterer. While they experience all the amenities mentioned in the travel brochure, I removed the feeder, roost, and grit bowl from their dirty bird cage. Then I carefully pulled off the wide clear tape that had somewhat kept the corncob litter in the cage, and even more carefully picked up the cage and took it outside. The wheelbarrow was ready to accept the mélange of old poop, corncob litter and spilled feed, soon to be rolled out to the compost bin. Using my friend’s WetVac, I vacuumed up several pounds of corncob litter that had been kicked over the edge during their frequent wild dance numbers. I was eager to find how Ms. Barred Rock’s fresh poop on the carpet (see The Great Escape) had fared with the ½ cup of litter I poured over it. Homemakers International will be praising my name…it all dried up and left no spot on the beige carpet. After the cage and tray was scrubbed, dried in the sun, and reassembled in the bedroom the girlies returned to their fresh digs. I’m not sure they appreciated all my work, although they do look longingly through the window into the backyard.

The New Roost

My chickie girls got their first roost today. It is a dowel braced between opposing sides of their cage. It is about 2 inches off the floor and about 6 inches from the wall of the cage. They were not afraid of it because in hopes of increasing the familiarity factor it had been lying on the floor of their cage for several days. They were accustomed to it laying there, being stepped on and stepped over and pooped on, except when I picked it up and it appeared that ‘the wooden snake was rising in the air.’ SQWAAAAK! As soon it was in place as a roost, Ms. Barred Rock hopped up on it. An hour later all three older sisters were perched on it, peacefully looking out the window into the newly discovered world of the backyard. Yes, the three, all in a row facing the same direction. At the far end of the row was Arriauna Ameracauna, also perched on the roost, but facing the opposition direction. That’s Arriauna, always unique.

The Great Escape

Ms. Barred Rock has always been the largest, smartest and most aggressive of the four lovely chickie girls. The first time, the one and only time, I have ever opened the cage door and turned my back, she and one of the Astralorp girls hopped out. The sound of flapping wings and the sqwaaaaking alerted me. I turned to see them standing on the carpet. Fortunately I was the least stunned of the three of us. I reached down and put a wide hand on Miss Astralorp. She sqwaaaaked but I was resolute. I’ve learned the hard way when picking up any animal who may make a dash for freedom, my first move must count. I judged which way she would bolt; which of my hands was most flexible (least arthritic?); which way I could lean and stay out of her eyesight. Then I just did it. One additional plan I should have made is to catch the boldest one first, and then the scardiest one may be easier to corner. You might guess that Ms. Astralorp was quickly apprehended and placed back in the cage joining the obedient two who were excitedly watching over the edge of the cage. But that left Miss Smarty Pants Barred Rock hopping and dancing through the legs of the 2 TV tables that support the cage, then around the black plastic sack full of shoes going to Goodwill, then under the desk where she sat on the heater vent. Seeing this I prayed ‘Please don’t let her poop now!’ Rather than frighten her more, which often causes unexpected pooping, I left the room and closed the door. Two hours later, having suffered the no-water-no-food-torture-treatment she was ready to allow herself to be caught. She did not humor me with ‘Oh, thank you, Ma’m, you’ve come to save me’, but rather, ‘Oh, OK, I guess I’ll come to dinner.’

The return of Mr. Red Fox

The other side of the postcard! Yesterday Arriauna received her first fan mail. She read it (see previous blog post) and we all cooed over it. THEN, it got turned over…..exposing a full color picture of an ominous RED FOX. He is described in print as having a pointed muzzle, flattened slim skull, big ears and an extended shaggy tail. The fox’s appearance no doubt accounts for its unfair characterization in fables and stories as a crafty cunning creature. The Fan who sent the card assures us that the use of this particular fox card is purely coincidental. We believe her.

Arriauna's fan mail

My beautiful Ameracauna chick, Arriauna, received her first fan mail. It was delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, postmarked ‘Denver.’ Down our dirt street, in his little white truck, came the postman. Among the bills and the junk mail was a postcard addressed to Arriauna Ameracauna. I showed it to her and read the message aloud. She is very shy and bashful. When I asked her permission to write about it in our ThreeChickenFarm blog she lowered her head and blinked. I took that to mean ‘yes’. Her private life is about to become public. You saw it here first!

“Delicate Miss, Large feet & small body, Your ‘headcap’ is fetching Will you ever be naughty? Loverly girl with a sweet Peach-tinged beak Do keep me informed of Your changes each week.” XXXX A Secret Admirer

Chick poop on your eggshell?

More than you ever wanted to know about Diatomaceous earth

The girls have seemed a bit irritable lately….not seriously pecking each other, but pecking and scratching themselves. A pretty good sign of mites. I checked their skin for signs of the little bugs or bug eggs. I did not see any but knew diatomaceous earth (*see below) would solve any buggie problem and would not hurt the chickies.

I put some in a saltshaker and sprinkled it on the girls. I put it under their wings, on the back of their necks and around their vents, (read, a-hole). Actually, for those who don’t know, chickens have only one rear exit. It serves for both excretion of waste and excretion of eggs. The eggs in the grocery store have been cleaned up and recoated with something to simulate the natural coating, which helps keep the egg hydrated and fresh. Finding poop on your egg is like finding a wormhole in your apple…it guarantees you of natural handling…no washing, no pesticides.

When the girls move outside to the eglu and attached run, I will put a bowl of diatomaceous earth in the run for their dust baths.. Sprinkling it in the niches of their roosting dowels will foil the little mites too.

This may be more than you wanted to know….but now you know. When will you slip this into a conversation. Soon, if you are talking to me.

*Diatomaceous earth consists of the sedimentary deposits formed from the skeletal remains of a class of algae (Bacillariophyceae) that occur in both salt and fresh water and in soil. These remains form diatomite, an almost pure silica, that is ground into an abrasive dust. When the tiny, razor-sharp particles touch an insect, they cause many tiny abrasions, resulting in loss of body water and death by dehydration. It is 98% repellent to insects, yet free of dangerous residues. It is digestible by earthworms and harmless to mammals and birds. The dust contains 14 beneficial trace minerals in chelated (readily available) form.

The package instructions read: 1 tablespoon a day for dogs 50 lbs. or over, 1 teaspoon a day for dogs less than 50 lbs., ½ teaspoon for cats.

I should have talen this stuff rather than doing the 50-day parasite cleanse diet. I will probably start soon. How many tablespoons? I'm not telling.

The neighbor's fence is almost complete

Jake,that huge Great Dane next door will soon have his own private backyard. His family has built a very nice seven foot wood fence to keep him. I told them about the chickens several weeks ago and mentioned that the chicks would be out in the run in late May. It looks like the fence will be complete soon. They are planning to paint it to match their house. The house is a lovely pastel that combines cream and creamed celery with a delicate influence of light gray. This description does not do it justice. Maybe I can find out what the paint color is called. Jake’s owner’s mother is a famous artist with studios at Cottonwood Art Academy in Colorado Springs. She chose the color so you can be sure it will be exquisite and unique. Painted fence picture will post as soon as the painting is complete.

Corncob litter

I love this stuff. It is very absorptive. It seems to pull the moisture out of the chickie's poop. All that is left is a small dry thing about the same size as a piece of the crunched up corncob stuff. It seems to successfully quell the odor problem too. The girls don’t eat it. They do love to lie on it. There is only one negative...when they scratch (as if after bugs and worms), they sling it out of their birdcage-living-quarters. Little Arriauna is so cute when she scratches, she looks down eagerly, revealing nothing but a new place to peck, but she still goes at it with glee! Wide Scotch brand clear packing tape in double high rows around the base of the cage seems to keep it from flying out onto the floor...somewhat! Maybe they are picking it up and dropping it over the edge! Naturally, the price of corncob litter at the pet store is higher than at my good ol' farmstore.

The 3 older chicks love the little one

Each time I look in on the chickie girls they are obviously taking care of the new young chick. If the group is sitting in a cool part of the cage, they snuggle up all around her. If the group is sitting near the heat lamp (which they never did until the new chick arrived), then they let her be on the warmest side. These sitting arrangements are so very obvious. I love all the chicks, but I especially love the older ones when they are so kind to my littlest chick.

Mr. Fox pays a visit

Mr. Fox (literally, red male fox) came thru the yard yesterday. I was alerted to his presence by a squirrel who was feeding at the birdfeeder but then in a flash hit the ground running and dashed up a nearby tree. Within a second Mr. Fox ominously circled the birdfeeder twice. He lifted his leg and marked the base of the feeder. Then he loped past the future eglu home of my chickies, past the small plant nursery, and around the corner of the house. He loped thru the side yard, as I loped thru the house to get a look at him out the front windows. He stopped in the middle of the front flower garden to mark a large red rock then loped out of view into the trees and probably down the creek bank. He looks hungry. Don’t all foxes look hungry? This time of year he is hunting food for his kits. He is very thin now; not the sleek luxuriant fellow of the winter. At night when driving in this 5 x 20 block neighborhood on the east side of Monument Creek, he and his female fox partner can be seen crisscrossing streets, leaping walls, turning down alleys, hurriedly searching for prey No chickens have been outside to leave any attracting odors so he didn’t stop at the eglu….yet.

The paper incident

The paper incident

While new chick, Arriauna, was in her separated see-thru area I placed a folded 8”x8” piece of paper on the floor of her area for better footing. Her little feet didn’t work well on the wire floor. After I removed the divider I left the paper. It was under the light so Arriauna really liked it. Perfect, I thought. Wrong.

When I returned from an afternoon of art shows and a late lunch, I found a major corner section of the paper had been maliciously shredded. The only remaining shred of evidence was being sat upon by Ms. B. Rock. All four chickies were just sitting around, looking innocent. I fully expected to hear them humming as they looked out the window. Blame was not my worry…sick stomachs and ’pasting up’ was my worry.

The coop was cleaned up. New corncob litter was laid down…though it’s not deep enough to protect Arriauna’s feet from the wire across the entire floor. Today I’ll buy more.

Yes, I got chick #4

Yes, I got chick #4

Went to the farmstore ONLY to get a new plastic quart waterer that will fit thru the birdcage door. BUT they had some new chicks.

I had to have her. I will NOT change my blog name to 4chickenfarm. She is beautiful, an Ameracauna...the kind I wanted initially. Her fluff is rich vicuna coat butterscotch with a black saddle and Cleopatra eye makeup. She will lay blue and/or green eggs. I made a see thru divider wall in the cage to keep her safe during a day or two of introductions. Within an hour she squirmed under it to join the others. They seem to like her.

It's been 3 hours and I think they are tired of her. I see them peck at her a bit so I separated them again, secured the divider and will let them all get more accustomed to each other from a little distance.

Another few hours later. She has peeped so loud to get across the barrier to the others, that I put her over there again. I hope they won't hurt her. She just wants to be close to her own kind. She walks close to them, sort of bumps up under them acting like a chick under a mother hen, I suppose.

Looked in on the chickies again. They were all cuddled up together. New little gal is quiet and happy in her new family. I'm happy for her.

The new Ameracauna chick is named Arriauna...Arriauna Ameracauna! We’ll have to practice spelling it at home before she stands at the blackboard in front of her schoolmates.

Moving to the birdcage

Moving to the birdcage

This show does not star Nathan Lane and Robin Williams.

Our stars are Ms. Barred Rock and the Misses Astralorps.

The wire on the bottom of the birdcage (above the removable poop tray is not a grid.) All the wires go in the same direction and are about ½ inch apart. Not real easy maneuvering for my girlies feet. I borrowed some chicken wire from Camille & Tom, cut it to size and pressed it down in the new chick cage. It took a bit of clever twists of the wrists to clip and bend the pokey ends of wire.

To assure the girlies would not feel too exposed without their cardboard walls, I draped 3 sides with towels. The heat lamp still beams thru the top OK. They seem happy and at home. They went nuts pecking at the chick mash that fell thru the wire onto the newspaper in the poop tray. Such little things bring them joy. ‘They’ are the little things that bring me joy.

New chickie coop

New chickie coop

Yesterday when I entered the chick back bedroom Ms. Barred Rock was perched ON THE TOP EDGE of their box. She has had strong, long wing feathers from day one. She likes to use them and often sits atop the feeder and the waterer stretching her neck to look up and over. Maybe I should name her Christa Columbus in search of the New World.

So I went in search of some kind of new enclosure. It had also occurred to me that their lateral views were limited to cardboard-colored cardboard. I did draw on their walls but they didn’t seem too interested in my artwork. Craigslist, The Thrify Nickel, The Gazette…..nowhere could I find what we need.

Off to Petco to look at birdcages. They are very fancy with prices to match. I finally found a plain white one with no pergolas or scrollwork. Life with the chickie babes is not cheap. This must be the beginning of having teenage daughters.

Too late to change their quarters. They are so quiet and sleepy.

This could be the day

This could be the day

Yesterday I called the farm store to see if the chicks would be in today. The man told me he can not be sure. He has to wait until the Post Office calls him to say the chicks have arrived. I thought it was usually Tuesdays. He said it was more likely Wednesdays. I want to go to exercise class at the gym if possible. In preparation I have the chick box heated to 95 degrees…been testing that all week. A clean quart jar is filled with water, 3 tablespoons of sugar and ¼ of ¼ teaspoon Broiler Booster mixed and ready. If I get a call while I’m out I’ll head straight to the chick pickup and want everything ready here. The water mix has to be fresh daily so I may have to throw this one out. ¼ of ¼ teaspoon Broiler Booster isn’t much to waste.

The Chick Starter is sprinkled on the paper. Won’t use corncob litter until Day 3 so the babes won’t eat the corncob bits.

I have checked the temperature a zillion times today. Finally the heat lamp is the proper height to register 95 degrees on the thermometer in the box. Oh great, I have to bring it down 5 degrees a week…I’ll be able to do it.

Set up the run in the backyard

Set up the run in the backyard

The eglu graces the front garden where it was unpacked. So I moved it to the backyard. I placed it so I can see it directly out the kitchen window over the sink. I’ll be able to see it and the 2 hanging bird feeders, the cottonwood logs and wooden boxes that serve as squirrel, bird and mouse feeders. The most frequent bird visitors are wrens, finches, sparrows, juncos, blue jays, and flickers. Occasionally if the offering includes peanuts and the squirrels have not stolen them all, the magpies, crows and starlings will stop by.

Almost have the run put together with the great little green clips. A workable clever invention those green keepers…a joy to use. It seems there is an ample supply of clips. Sat down to admire my work. Realized I needed to rearrange all the lawn furniture for better chicken viewing. No small task to move the covered porch swing in our recently thawed dirt, plus a white wrought iron chaise lounge and two matching chairs. I suppose grandstands will be next. When I invite friends over to visit the hens I think my invitation will read ‘Meet the Flockers’.

First days of peeps in the bedroom

First days of peeps in the bedroom

Such fun! Two fluffy black and yellow Astralorps and one fluffy charcoal gray Barred Rock. Each would fit gently in my cupped palm. Ms. B. Rock started out looking much larger and has more developed wing feathers than the other two. In height the 2 Astralorps are catching up. They have a yellow wing feather starting.

I’m wondering if Ms. B. Rock might be Mr. B. Rock because of his more developed wing feathers and his comb is somewhat evident along the top ridge of his beak. I guess that is premature comb…I don’t know. If she is a he, I hope to know soon. I would replace him with an Ameracauna next week if the farmstore receives them. Ameracaunas lay blue and green eggs. Having them is what lauched my whole adventure in chickdom. I may get one Ameracauna anyway. The eglu is designed for 4 max anyway.

The 2 A’s are more curious. They wander around the whole box. They peck at most anything. A couple of times one of them pecked at Ms. B. Rocks butt.

One thing they do that cracks me up is, one will peck at some imaginary spot on the wall of the box, another will dash up and peck at that exact spot. Whaaat? There was nothing there! I expect the first one to say “Made you peck, made you peck?”

The peeps are in the house!!!!!!!!

The peeps are in the house

This is the day.

The farmstore never called. I finally called them to find that the chicks had arrived. I grabbed a box and jumped in the car. The farmstore had received Black Astralorps and Barred Rocks. I had hoped for Ameracaunas too.

Sooooo, I chose 2 Astralorps. They are black and yellow calico marked, fat, fluffy, healthy and DARLING!

And I chose 1 Barred Rock. She is larger than the Astrlorps. I suspect she is older. How many days I can’t guess. She has more developed wing feathers. She seems a bit bossy but the other two don’t let her get by with it.

I had everything ready for them. The box, food, water with Broiler Booster and sugar, and the Grogel Plus B ready to mix.

What did I learn in the first 15 minutes?

The first white plastic box is too shallow. Ms. B. Rock tried to fly out.

The second white plastic box is too shallow.

They see themselves in the white plastic box walls and peck in greeting or ?

The heat lamp seems too warm. They are sitting at the far end of the box. I raised the lamp.

The third box is a red and white Christmas storage box. It is taller and has more floor space. The interior is brown cardboard. They like it.

They like the Grogel Plus B. It is powder that turns to turquoise gel when mixed with water. The peeps love it.

I’m thinking of getting an Ameracauna next week if the farmstore receives them. Then I would have a total of 4. Four is the limit for the eglu.

I go into the back bedroom alot. Just can't help looking at those darling babes!

Cat Proofing the Chick Room

Cat Proofing the Chick Room

How to protect the chicks from Ivy, the curious Siamese-cross ? …looked for an old window screen to place on top of their box, but it interfered with the lamp and thermometer. The box is a large white plastic storage box. No firm plan for older, taller chicks. Also I could imagine Ivy cleverly tipping the screen in the middle of the night.

Brilliant idea! I will move Ivy’s food, water and litter box up to the 2^nd floor landing. It will be safe and private for her. Dreamer, the 10-year old Pomeranian will not climb the stairs to get to the cat food, not because he doesn’t want it, but because I scared him about stairs once when he was a pup. I worked. Now he’s getting old and doesn’t even like to go down the stairs.

Then I can have the chicks in the back bedroom that has been a combination storeroom, cat feeding room, pet food storage, food drier, etc room. The door doesn’t latch cleanly which is nothing unusual in this 1888-built old house. First I’ll work on the hole in doorfacing that receives the latch-thingy. If necessary I will put a sliding barrel latch on it.

Placing the Order

Placing The Order

Today I drove out to the farm store. I never recall the name because it reminds me of ConAgra, which it is not. It’s probably CO for Colorado-something. They mostly cater to cattle and horse people. Last week I left my name and number to be called when they get chicks. Thinking they only get one batch and being the crazed Yank woman not wanting to miss the deal, today I asked to reserve 3 chicks, AND by the way, what kind are you getting? Yippee, they are getting Ameracaunas (not pure Aracaunas which the farm store man informed me had entered the US 45 years ago.) So I suppose in 45 years we Yanks naturally had to improve them!

I am learning to ask more questions, but also to hesitate more. Hesitation is good practice with these old farm guys. Fast- talking self-assured Yank women seem to shut off their natural generosity. I am learning. Now it seems they will be getting Barred Rocks. Next I’m not sure if he said Rhode Island Reds or Red Stars because when I heard Buffs! Oh boy, I had Buff Orpingtons high on my research list. Then he said, maybe some Wyandottes. Wow, that really put me over the top! They had been high on my list too. Ameracauna, Buff Orpington, Wyandotte, this trio would be a dream come true. How often would they receive chicks? Oh, starting in late March, probably every week until into May. I put my name & wishes down for mid-April (hopefully the Great Dane neighbors can get their 6-foot fence built by outdoor chicken time. I told them late May).

The new chicks will be one day old and will be sexed. I hope I don’t get a rooster in error. By the time I’d find out it might be too late to replace him. I hope those sexing people are very good at their job. Arriving in mid-April the chicks will have to live in the back bedroom, which I am fixing for them. No pink or blue decisions, maybe white and yellow.

Heat lamp bulb test

Heat lamp bulb test

I think I can control the heat for the peeps by adjusting the height of the lamp. Fortunately its spine is adjustable up and down plus the top part that houses the bulb is a gooseneck. Good, that saves me from having to invent some incredible homemade rig.

It takes a lot of experimenting to get the 95 degree temperature. That will be the hottest spot. The peeps will be able to move away from it so they don’t get cooked. I never plan to cook them. When a friend heard that he said, ‘You are running an egglaying operation followed by a hen retirement home.’ Yep.

New peep digs

New peep digs

The new day olds will be living in the back bedroom for a while (Spring?). I’ve put the cat litter box and the cat, Ivy’s food and water bowls upstairs on the landing. This solves 2 problems. I can secure the chick room door so Ivy cannot get to the chicks. Second, Dreamer, the Pom cannot climb stairs to get to the cat food. No discipline here, just multi-level separation.

Large plastic boxes will house the new peeps. The new thermometer-humidity measurer combo showed only 80 degrees with the light I rigged. Need to get it up to 95 degrees F. The heat lamps in the stores look menacingly hot. When I see a red beam coming from those I expect to hear the chef holler “Baked chicken up on #1”. To keep the heat lamp at adjustable heights I will sacrifice the tripod lamp over my art table. Won’t be doing any art…just be looking at the peeps.

Found other bulbs in a box in the storeroom. Maybe they will work. Goal is to start them at 95 F. and come down 5 degrees each week, reaching 70 F when they can go outside, assuming outside is no colder.

Wonder what I’ll house them in when they are weeks 4 & 5?

Day following eglu arrival

Day following eglu arrival

Called shipper. It appears I have everything. I named off all the run pieces. OK, he asked if the sunshade and sack of green plastic clips were in eglu. They were. So it appears nothing was lost.

I’m still trying Omlet’s phone but it is busy, busy, busy. It was before 8am when I ordered my eglu from Johannes. I think their phone is busy all day long.

Called the shipper. Paul Stephenson, the shipper said they had shipped about 100 eglus. Freezing weather had their power down in Iowa for a week and Omlet was scrambling (ha!) to stock a show in Florida introducing eglus into the US. He said everyone worked extra hard and they made it happen.

Nice guy, Paul Stephenson of Ritchie Industries in Conrad, Iowa. He wasn’t exactly sure what was supposed to ship in a run box and offered to go out to his shipping area to see what was in the boxes his company was shipping. Nice guy. I didn’t have him do that because run pegs have to be ordered separately so they aren’t automatically sent with a run.

Emailed Omlet and got a response over the weekend from Clare. ‘So sorry your run box was damaged. I can assure you no pegs were in that box. They are shipped separately from the UK.’

Eglu arrives

Eglu arrives

Out all day running errands and keeping appointments. Called Camille to confirm I would be home in time for us to immediately go to Colorado College for a talk on the book ‘Winkie’, the teddy bear who was held and charged as a terrorist. She slowly said “I don’t think you will want to leave immediately” I thought for only a second then shouted “The eglu has arrived.” She said “Maaaybeeee.” I hurried home to find two huge brown cardboard boxes blocking the path to my front porch.

The delivery person had brought these boxes through the gate and up the walk. The large square box suspiciously marked ‘Pink Chick’ would not fit between the two heavy planters at the crossing paths at the base of the front porch steps. I eagerly started to open the ‘Pink Chick’ box but realized it would be better if I took the time to go into the house and get a pair of pliers to pull the long copper staples. Camille started opening the tall box that I knew would reveal the run. It was upside down and one set of staples was missing and replaced by wide clear tape sort of half-heartedly closing the seams and flaps. Obviously something had happened to that box. Was anything missing? We checked the contents. Only the four curved run wall, the end wall with gate and the predator barrier for the end wall. I ordered run pegs but they weren’t in the run box.

Oh, surely they were in the ‘Pink Chick’ box. We turned to open it. Staples removed, pull the eglu. Nope, didn’t move. Remove a large packing triangle. Pull the eglu. Nope, didn’t move. Remove another large packing triangle. Wow, this thing is well packed. Pull the eglu. Note, didn’t move. Ok, tilt the box, then pull. Hooray, a hot pink eglu is hatched. Oh, how exciting to twist the handle to open the egg door revealing all the gifts inside” a Glub and a Grub; the waterer and feeder, now stuffed with a rolled up dark green shade cloth, a sack of green plastic snaps, 2 different sized roosts and a packet of information. No need to read that until we are totally stymied. Definitely no run pegs. Next look at the packing slip. No pegs listed so hopefully no pegs lost. I will call and confirm.

We played with all the parts and pieces, opened and closed the eglu door, then realized we were late for the lecture so off we dashed.

It was fun to drive back in that evening. When the car lights swung around and flashed across a hot pink mound in the yard.

Chickens, Yes or No?

CHICKENS, YES/NO?

After much calculating about whether to buy an Eglu from Omlet US http://www.omlet.us/ with 2 Gingers or only the Eglu with no chickens, or to order from the eglu from MyPetChicken http://www.mypetchicken.com/ and get the chicks locally. The locally available chicks I’m thinking will be dual purpose only (eggs, then meat!) When I spoke to the farm store man he talked only about Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns. I really want more colorful chickens with colorful eggs.

Today I spoke to Johannes at Omlet.US. He has that lovely sincere, educated and believable English accent. I explained my timing quandary of being sure the delivered chicks would be the same age as the local chicks. We don’t want anyone ‘pulling rank’ and reinforcing it with pecks for exclamation marks.

All this time I’ve been thinking pullets are teenage hens because that’s what my uncle, the chicken farmer called them. Little did I realize in my summer visits that he raised the ‘pullets’ to sell. There were several hundred of them, but only a few laying hens in the actual mature hen coop. My updated education says pullets are female chickens from hatch to first egg.

In Johannes’ quiet sincerity, he must have thought he was talking to yet another crazed Yank woman. He suggested I get all 3 chicks locally (quick solution)…and he would be glad to put an eglu on hold for me, since they wouldn’t be available for a few more days and that would assure me of getting a nice hot pink one soon. As if a few days really mattered in the early March Colorado, altitude 6150 feet. Do we Yanks exude an attitude of wanting to be the first in line or at least, not left behind? Probably. So I put my hot pink eglu order in and Johannes was kind to offer to take my credit card information just to save me time when my eglu was ready to ship. He would call me when they charged my card.

He may have called but not left a message. A few days later the credit card company called verifying the $675 charge to my card. I punched “1” for “yes, if you confirm this charge.” The credit card person was thinking ‘What the heck is this crazy lady buying now?’