... Because I know everyone is dying to hear about our birds;) The chickens have finally started to lay eggs! And when I say this, I mean we have gotten one egg in the last few days. The kids were all so excited that they each requested their picture be taken with the first egg. Since the chickens are free ranging around our yard we should probably get out there and make sure there aren't others hiding in the bushes somewhere...
This top picture is of our new foster/adopted rooster... his name is Stonewall and he is one of the most gorgeous chickens I have seen. Since we have been rid of Grandpa Joe, (who was the meanest rooster I had met) all of the hens have been happier, friendlier and our kids spend lots of their time playing with them again. But, about a week ago, this guy started coming into our yard from next door. We spent 3 days chasing him away. On the 4th day, on his 4th or 5th trip to our yard, we finally gave in and decided to allow him to stay and see what would happen, since he seemed nice (and we were tired of running outside over and over again). For a few days he would wait for the girls to go inside their coop before heading back to his barn (our neighbors are not super close). It was all working fine until one night I went out, it was dark and pouring rain, and there sat Stonewall perched on our metal fence. I left him there for a few hours to see if he would make his way back after I closed up the coop. When I went back out, around 8pm, he was still there so I scooped him up (he didn't even put up a fight or try to peck at me... nicest rooster ever!) and trudged over to our neighbor's house. Thankfully, they didn't call the police as I searched for a way around to the front of their house. Instead, when I finally reached their front door, the lady was just laughing. After a short conversation about her rooster's clear desire to be part of our brood, reassurance from me that I wasn't trying to steal her rooster and from her that she wasn't abandoning him, we agreed that (as long as he continued to be nice) he would be the communal rooster. She actually had another rooster who was the dominant male and was being mean to Stonewall, so I think that it worked out best for everyone. It has been about a week, he hasn't been back "home" and everyone seems to like him (other than the frequent "piggy backs" he tries to get from the hens)... We will see how this goes:)
This top picture is of our new foster/adopted rooster... his name is Stonewall and he is one of the most gorgeous chickens I have seen. Since we have been rid of Grandpa Joe, (who was the meanest rooster I had met) all of the hens have been happier, friendlier and our kids spend lots of their time playing with them again. But, about a week ago, this guy started coming into our yard from next door. We spent 3 days chasing him away. On the 4th day, on his 4th or 5th trip to our yard, we finally gave in and decided to allow him to stay and see what would happen, since he seemed nice (and we were tired of running outside over and over again). For a few days he would wait for the girls to go inside their coop before heading back to his barn (our neighbors are not super close). It was all working fine until one night I went out, it was dark and pouring rain, and there sat Stonewall perched on our metal fence. I left him there for a few hours to see if he would make his way back after I closed up the coop. When I went back out, around 8pm, he was still there so I scooped him up (he didn't even put up a fight or try to peck at me... nicest rooster ever!) and trudged over to our neighbor's house. Thankfully, they didn't call the police as I searched for a way around to the front of their house. Instead, when I finally reached their front door, the lady was just laughing. After a short conversation about her rooster's clear desire to be part of our brood, reassurance from me that I wasn't trying to steal her rooster and from her that she wasn't abandoning him, we agreed that (as long as he continued to be nice) he would be the communal rooster. She actually had another rooster who was the dominant male and was being mean to Stonewall, so I think that it worked out best for everyone. It has been about a week, he hasn't been back "home" and everyone seems to like him (other than the frequent "piggy backs" he tries to get from the hens)... We will see how this goes:)
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