Chicken-eaters need not visit

I kinda like chickens. I totally blew it as far as this blog. I had great intentions of documenting our journey from chick to chicken. But our girls are now chickens and this is my second post. I wonder if I can remember back to their cute stories?  Maybe I'll go back and check my facebook posts - that seems to be all I write about. In fact, I'm thinking people have started considering me that 'Crazy Chicken Lady'...

Well, the coop is finally done and the chickens have moved out. At first, they weren't too keen on the idea. There were many days where they would peck at the front door or living room window to come in. It was if they were saying, "Um, excuse me. That's our coop!"  But they seem to have gotten used to their new home. It's possible that it's because they are quite spoiled and their first week 'outside', they had blankets to sleep on and I checked on them hourly. Yes, I'm showing my crazy-chicken-lady persona, aren't I?

Checking out the new coop

Their first night out, I hooked up the heat lamp and put in those blankets. It was cold! I also covered their windows with sheets. It was cold! I went out to check on them in the morning and we had had a visitor in the night. I had left a bin of 'stuff' outside from when I cleaned out the car the day before. I forgot that Colin's lunch box was at the bottom of that bin. It wasn't anymore! It had been pulled out and torn apart. I was wondering about a raccoon or possibly a bear until I spotted the big ol' bear hand print on the sheet covering the window. Ha! My little sheet worked - Mr. Bear didn't get a good look at my chickens!

A few nights later, I went out to check on my chickens (OK, I am crazy, but they're becoming my babies...) and behind me sat a big, fat raccoon. It had to be like 50+ lbs! That was one big coon.  It looked at me and just kept coming across the yard. Travis was out there with me and asked if he should shoot it or take it's picture. I said, "Take it's picture and then shoot it."  By the time he got the camera the coon had made it's way back into the woods. Trav tried to snap a shot, but it was too late. So he grabbed a BB gun to scare it off. It was probably too fat, even if it did get hit, to feel a little BB. He sat up in the woods and growled and made whatever else awful sounds a raccoon makes. When we couldn't see or hear him anymore, we headed back inside. I got out my chicken-raising book and read about the nasty little creatures and hoped for the best as far as my chickens went. I certainly didn't want to go out in the morning and find headless chickens. (That's a coon's trademark)



Magda saying 'hello' to the turtle

Well, the coon may or may not have come back. As far as we can tell, he didn't bother our chickens. But something else went missing that night - turtles. Pretty sure he left the chickens alone because he had a nice little snack of painted turtle.

I think we've only had one more coon visit - at least only 'proof' of one more visit. One morning, we noticed little hand prints all over the coop. Not little boy hands either. That coon climbed up on the run and must have scared the chickens senseless! Who knows just how bad he tried to get in, but for at least the next week, those chickens were scared! Prior to that visit,  only Magdalene would sleep on the roost. But after Mr. Coon said "hello," (or whatever it was that he said) all 4 chickens crammed themselves on the roost and made little scared sounds every time we came outside and they heard us! They were spooked!

So now the girls all sleep on the roost. Every night. Travis even built a second roost - which has turned out to be Buttercup's as the other three continue huddle together on the original roost.

We are extremely fortunate to still have all of our chickens. It seems that half of Hayward has chickens now - ever since L & M came to town and sold chicks. We, however, are the only people we know that haven't lost a chicken to some nasty creature. We've heard stories of chickens being nabbed by dogs, hawks, bears and other rotten predators. People (including neighbors) have had bears right in the coop! I hope I'm not jinxing ourselves by typing this, but so far so good at the Hand House.

And I hope we continue to keep all the chicken eaters away!