New Babies!

With just 3 hens, Ruby, Cora Bell, and Shakira, and 1 rooster, Skippy, I figured it's about time to add to the brood. The Girls are 2 years old, Skippy is 6 months. The Girls are not patient with Skippy. They won't snuggle with him at night. They huddle at one end of the perch and Skippy sits at the other end all alone. If Skippy tries to move in once The Girls are asleep, whoever is on the end surprises him and pushes him off the perch.

I think I have figured out the meaning of hen pecked. Before moving into the hen house, Skippy was living in a birdcage in my garage. Every morning, he would wake Riley Dog up bright and early with his adolescent cock-a-doodle-doo. He moved in with the girls a few months ago and immediately ceased making any noise. I imagine he cranked up the first morning in the hen house with his wake-up song and The Girls immediately grabbed him by his boy parts (his wattles! Get your head out of the gutter!), and told him, "Don't ever do that again!" So far, he hasn't.

Over the last 2 weeks, I have heard Skippy cock-a-doodling in the front yard. When I looked out to confirm it was him, I noticed The Girls under the bird feeder eating leftovers. Skippy was hiding under the bushes under the window, cutting loose! When he was done, he quietly returned to the girls.

Whew! That was a long explanation leading up to my decision to get some new babies! Brother Dave had gotten some fertilized Aracana eggs and had them in his incubator. Thinking that Skippy needs some Young Chicks to hang out with and not knowing when The Girls' chicken ovaries quit making eggs, I asked for a few samples. Brother Dave sent me 8 chicks in a box when my Mom came for a visit last week. They are adorable!

Riley Dog spent 30 minutes hanging over the box staring at the babies. I'm not sure if he was thinking "Aww! How cute!" or "Yum! Chicken nuggets!" I was proud of him for not reaching into the box for a sampling!

Until they are big enough to hop up on the perch, they will live in the basement under a heat lamp until then! I'm taking bets on how many of these chicks are roosters. My record has not been good. Out of the 15 eggs The Girls have hatched, only 3 have been hens. I am guessing 6 out of the 8 will be boys...and that is optimistic!