And then there is Scarlet. Well, what appears to be the Artist Formerly Known as Scarlet. I haven't noticed any croaking/crowing from this front, but she/he is one of our Copper Marans. In comparison to her sisters, Scarlet is the rose to the daisy. They are all developing amazing copper and teal feathers. But she is particularly amazing, with even more developed tail feathers. The real test, according to my internet search, is rounded vs pointed saddle feathers. I actually had to look up chicken feather anatomy to figure this one out, but they are the feathers that cascade down over the thighs, at the lateral base of the tails. Rounded means girls, pointed means, well, soup.
Can you see Scarlet/Henry? Yaki and Soba are a little bleached out.
We did a careful inspection. Now mind you, it is still early. Said internet post indicated that all potential signs (aggression, croaking, etc) could be a ruse, and you can't really know until between 3-4 months. However, all accused birds have the requisite pointy feathers.....Unfortunately, this is bad news for Yaki and Soba. Scarlet, or, Henry as we are now calling him/her (Bryce has vocally complained, she wants a different name but declines to come up with anything other than Hank the Cowdog...) is clearly the most glorious, and that will win the day. What? Did you hear talk of illegal activity here at 6024 Chicken Lane? Welllll, we are officially not aware that we have any boys, remember? And if one should avoid the chopping block due to unforeseen circumstance, we will have to address that when the time comes, right?
As noted above, time does march on. So does our summer. It has been dry for almost a month, which is good, as the bedding in the coop got quite damp with the rain showers in June. The coop, as mentioned in previous posts, is habitable, but not weather proof. And then there is the topic of laying boxes. We are about a month or so away from potential first eggs. So back to work.
Brandis and I took out the ladders and put in roosts. It is frankly hilarious to see them all try to stuff themselves onto one, even though there is plenty of room on the second. As one forces her way up, inevitably, another falls off.
Then we got our 'windows.' They will hopefully be installed soon. They are made out of acrylic. There are some logistical issues with the fit that have to be figured out. We are still in discussions about the door with the attached nesting boxes. I can't wait! Our original idea was to install a drawer system with handles that you could pull out, and get drawers from an old dresser. That has been tabled for now. No drawers to be found as of yet. So the door/box idea is the current working plan.
But we have a brief period where we will both be out of town, and will need to rely on a third party for care in a week. To that end, the most pressing issue is the encasement of the coop, so that the girls/boys can get out, get water/food whilst waiting to be released. It would need to be raccoon/coyote/rat proof. So, with a little startup help and advice from Brandis, I undertook this project in the 85 degree heat yesterday. It involved digging trenches to bury the wire, screwing the whole mess to a frame, and building a door to access the whole affair. For anybody who has building experience, not such a tricky job. But for me, a novice, a FEAT! Here are the photos.
Juliet, Kung Pao and Biscuit (the big fluffy one) inspect the trench
Emma inspects the finished work
Finished product with doors closed, did it all by myself!
No real cooking happening here lately, what with Bryce gone. It's a lot of steamed veggies and salads. Maybe soon. And we can always hope Brandis will find time to post....
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