I don't think I've introduced the chickens to the blog yet. The two blue ones are Mr. and Mrs. Tableson. The partridge hen is Mrs. Rumphius. The black pullet is Rainbow, and the partridge pullet is Honey. We're not entirely sure that Rainbow is a pullet, and not a cockerel, but I guess we'll find out sometime... like when s/he starts either crowing or laying eggs.
Okay, here's the update:
Two weeks ago, the little chickens went outside permanently with the big chickens. The above picture was taken a month ago, during their first, brief encounter. Two weeks after that, their cage went into the tractor, so they could all get used to each other. Occasionally, we took the little ones out of the cage and let them be together in the tractor. We also let them romp around the yard together.
The little ones, especially the feisty Rainbow, got their share of pecks from the Big Mamas. Though, Mr. Tableson always seemed to restore order whenever one of the mamas got a little too zealous. But, for two weeks, the little ones (Rainbow and Honey) have been in their cage within the tractor.
This past Saturday, New Daddy let the little ones out with the big ones when he moved the tractor to fresh forage. Can you imagine our surprise when we came home that night and found them all roosting together on the top shelf of the roost? They are now a big, happy chicken family!
The only bad news is that the hens have both been brooding (molting?) for a week, and we're not getting any of their beautiful, off-white, orange-yolked eggs.
I guess eventually all of this will become common to us, but for now, it's pretty interesting.
Common terms whose meanings have become very clear since we've gotten chickens:
Pecking order
Brooding
Cooped up
Henpecked
When the chickens come to roost
Running around like a chicken with its head cut off
And, on that note, I wish you all a Happy Tuesday!
Here they are together in the tractor a month ago, when The Assimilation began:
Clockwise, from the upper left hand corner: Honey, Mr. Tableson, Mrs. Tableson, Mrs. Rumphius, Rainbow
Here's a better shot of the big ones out in the yard:
Mr. Tableson is bottom-up at the top, Mrs. Rumphius on the right, and Mrs. Tableson in the foreground.
Okay, here's the update:
Two weeks ago, the little chickens went outside permanently with the big chickens. The above picture was taken a month ago, during their first, brief encounter. Two weeks after that, their cage went into the tractor, so they could all get used to each other. Occasionally, we took the little ones out of the cage and let them be together in the tractor. We also let them romp around the yard together.
The little ones, especially the feisty Rainbow, got their share of pecks from the Big Mamas. Though, Mr. Tableson always seemed to restore order whenever one of the mamas got a little too zealous. But, for two weeks, the little ones (Rainbow and Honey) have been in their cage within the tractor.
This past Saturday, New Daddy let the little ones out with the big ones when he moved the tractor to fresh forage. Can you imagine our surprise when we came home that night and found them all roosting together on the top shelf of the roost? They are now a big, happy chicken family!
The only bad news is that the hens have both been brooding (molting?) for a week, and we're not getting any of their beautiful, off-white, orange-yolked eggs.
I guess eventually all of this will become common to us, but for now, it's pretty interesting.
Common terms whose meanings have become very clear since we've gotten chickens:
Pecking order
Brooding
Cooped up
Henpecked
When the chickens come to roost
Running around like a chicken with its head cut off
And, on that note, I wish you all a Happy Tuesday!
Comments
Chickens are legal in our city/ subdivision, but no butchering :).