New hens- arrival
We collected our pre-ordered 18-week old layers from the co-op today. A half dozen of them, to refill our stock. Three birds were lost last year to various predators, because I couldn't get them in the greenhouse fast enough.They're cute. Really not much more than teenagers. Very slim, with tiny pink combs. We brought them home in two tupperwares, and fenced off a corner of the GH for them.HW was all for dumping them out of the bins, but I insisted they be allowed to relax and come out when they were ready. They took their sweet time coming out on their own.The first one, briefly called "Boldy", peeking out.
When the chicken man was shoving chickens into the boxes of all the people arriving for their layers, he paused with us and said "There's a weird chicken here. It's all white. Otherwise normal. Do you want the weird chicken?"Of course, I said. I'll take the weird chicken. So we have one reverse chicken, white, with flecks of brown.HW instantly dubbed her M.J. (It don't matter if you're black or white!)
Oh, there's another one peeking out.
At about this point the old hens, on the other side of the fence, began to take an interest, and the rooster started putting on a big show, strutting and prancing...
And the bold chicken decided she was ready to join the big girls and thrust herself through the fence, before her little sisters were even out of the tubs yet.
Later on....
Integration.
Here comes an old hen, to see what the young ones are into.
Everything seems cool in the hen biodome. In the background here, you see the ersatz division between the red hens and Silkieland, where the Silkies have their coop on the other side of the fabric.