Finally, the Home sweet Home!

Jerusalem Artichoke or Sunchoke Blossom.

I was debating for a while if I should build the Chicken Coop from the scratch, buy a readymade, or perhaps one of those in eBay (Coop Kit). Since I am not a very handyman type, I end up buying one from eBay. I had experience putting together Children Play station/house, so I knew it would come in a million pieces (sigh) but in the end, I will be able to manage it.

Anyhow, I think around August 25th, I pull the trigger. The seller is from California and had pretty good review from all the previous winners, so I felt pretty good. He indicated in his auction that he will not be able to ship before the labor day. However, by the time I got those two boxes full of my chickencoop parts, it was late September! Nah, I don't give him a negative review for it.

Anyway, long story short, putting together the coop wasn't as difficult as I thought. I was little disappointed with the wood quality as it was quite thin and I doubt if these material can withstand any hard storm or other disaster as well as if I were to buy the right materials from Home Depot or Lowe's (and build it myself). Oh well, its done and I have to work with what I got, so I go on. :)

I wish it was little bigger as my Large Orpington chicken doesn't have a lot of room to relax by the time I put the waterer and feeder. I also plan to hang the waterer and the feeder so they don't make so much mess, but so far, haven't seen that sweetspot just yet. I think the overall the house is not so bad, especially I like the Asphalt roof look. They have spent couple of nights so far but still tries to walk up to my Deck thinking that's their coop. I have to get them used to it, and perhaps keep them free range most of the time, but only use the coop for night time nap. I introduced them to the coop when it was dark, so they really discovered it when they woke up and came down for food and drink. Then I kept them in their throughout the first half of the day before releasing. But when it started back to get dark, they were coming back to my deck. So it will require some work :)

Genghis Khan When He was just hour or less old

Well, Genghis Khan just showed his aggression to me yesterday by making all sorts of gesture and finally charging.  I had to give him a jab to show who is boss but I'll be honest with you, it made me little nervous that he might try to do the same thing with my boys.  I told him that his Hen are safe with me, and I'm not after his girls, but he made all kind of noise.

Just looking at his picture today bring back so many memories.  I kept him in my palm as I walked around the garden, held him as I was enjoying the morning or evening sun.   Ah those good time together ... now he let couple of girls get in between our friendship?   Damn Nation!

and here he is at 4 months (give or take) ... Genghis is leading ...

Does Hen Crow?

..if not, I am in trouble.  Today the chicken I thought Hen for a long time, crowed 4-5 times following the Rooster.  She (I will continue to call her She) has been growing very much like a Hen, looking so much different from the Rooster, and following the rooster all around and sitting next to him.  

In this picture to the right, there she is and the Rooster is in the background.   They all were hatched front he same batch of eggs and two grew up quite different from each other.  I mean, until today this Hen completely acted like a Hen.  I was shocked when I saw she was crowing!!! (and here, I was counting days for her to lay eggs!)









In this picture, the Rooster is closer to the camera.  As you can see, one look like a rooster and other other one look like a Hen.   In fact, when the rooster finds a bug or something, he makes that crackle noise and both Hen goes running and eat whatever.  

In this picture, the entire KA-TET and you can see how she is so different from the Rooster.  But the Lavender one is way different (maybe a complete different parent) as the seller (whom I purchased the eggs from in Ebay) sent the Lavender eggs as extra (I only purchased the black orp eggs).  

When they were babies :)

I just ran into some pics in my computer when they were just a day old and at the brooder under red light.  Its amazing to see how much they've grown since then.  I did loose out of the bunch, but 3 are still together ... I hate to have to let the Roo go :(

Rooster has to go

Well, he started to crow .. sigh! So I have to give up on him.  Just when I was getting so close to Genghis Khan!!

I don't think the suburbia we are part of will appreciate a really early morning walkup call!  I have to give him up or jeopardize the whole backyard chicken project :((

My Family says get rid of him, my friends says get rid of him, my colleagues says get rid of him ... Ah, I have no other choice :(

This is when I wish I had not buy the nice plot in the middle of a city and build that fancy house.  Wish I went with my original instinct and buy that huge property out in the Country and live life as a farmer.  Oh of course, I had to also like that City girl who doesn't want to live like a farmer :))

I have gone ahead and pulled the trigger on the new coop for these guys.  Unfortunately, the coop doesn't come (I am getting one of those put together Chicken Coop from online store) until after the Labor Day Holiday but wish it was before (so I could use the long weekend for the put together the Coop project). Sigh!  Oh well, I just hope they all come in one piece.

Interesting started to happening for the last couple of days... They are not coming to stay in their temp home which they have been using for the last 3-4 months.   I don't know what clicked in their DNA, all of a sudden they are starting to hang out in front of a car parked in front of our garage.  

I couldn't tell you why the like to hang out there, but that's where they feel secure at night.  I've also observed they are not eating the organic food I got.  Instead they like to forage around the backyard 

I discovered this "Cut Worm" in my Tomatoes Plant!! Yikes!  Look at all those eggs!!  

Darn Chicken had nothing to do with him, they ran for their lives instead ...

My Orpington Chickens growing quite fast before my eyes.  In fact, each morning I wake up and shockingly discover they look bigger ... :-)  .. Ok, I mean they are growing really fast.  So I decided to let them roam around (Open Range) all day and they love foraging  for food much better than the food I gave them in their feeding pot.  In fact, they are so wasteful and hardly ever eat those (as a matter of fact, they sometime chases the cats and eat the cat food (I am not joking).  Those cat are near 3-4 months , but they don't ever think about messing with these chicken.   

I think my son is calling her Sally

Well, we thought he was a she, but I think my Son decided to call him Ricco or something, I can't recall.  I am very much debating if I should try to trade him for a hen, try to sell or simply give him away to a good home.  He is a beautiful bird and very well behaved, but Alas, he does what a Roo would do naturally.  I love Rooster crowing, but I am not sure my neighbor will appreciate :(

And finally, next to Ricco, I think its Sarah  (Lavender Orpington)

I received 11 eggs from eBay (Seller decided to give me the kind I inquired about instead of the auction I won, so bit disappointed). One of them got a chip/crack and I am not sure if I should fry it or put some sort of tape and put it in the incubator? What do you think?