Hen. Buff Orpington. (and yours truly)
It’s been a long while since a chicken update – long enough, in fact, for my flock to grow to 35, and for one of them to be snatched up by a fox.
The quick story – I “inherited” three more hens from friends of mine who were increasing the amount of time they were away from home and didn’t want to neglect their pets (yes, the were named). The hens are also buff orpingtons, quite healthy, and are about a month older than my chickens. Two of them have recently begun laying. The third is the rebel of the group – she leads them into areas of the farm that we usually find unique and sometimes surprising: the other side of the barn, the mailbox, out into the fields, onto the front porch, etc. She may also be laying and I haven’t discovered her hiding spot yet! The two that are laying are utilizing our porch – one sets her eggs underneath the porch but conveniently within reach, and the other sets her eggs using a coil of green plastic-coated dog run wire as her “nest.” It’s the perfect size.
This weekend I will be installing some newfangled nesting boxes into the coop. None of the chickens like using the old wooden ones – I think they may be too small for the buffs.
The others should be laying soon. They all are being horribly harrassed by the current overabundance of roosters, a situation which will be resolved in the near future when the lads are dispatched to the local slaughterhouse. Yes, 9 or 10 of the fellas will be headed off to Freezer Camp. The hens will thank me!
Regarding Mr. Fox: The rifle is loaded and waiting. I will have my revenge. Meanwhile the perimeter fencing is 80% complete. That will also be finished this weekend when one of my sons comes to visit.
Rooster – Black Astralorp
