Thankful Birds

Guess what?




Well, these girls aren't getting eaten on Thursday, so they should be thankful.


Noodle Soup.


Salad Sandwich.


Pot Pie.

Things have been good for the girls.
They've had quite a few 3 egg days lately . . . though they've been coming up short the last couple days. I'm a little worried Saturday night's power outage, and it's affects on their lighting regiment, may have thrown them off schedule. We shall see.

They eat a lot and hang out in the yard . . . they could leave if they wanted--and they don't so that must mean they're quite happy here.

Happy Turkey Day, Y'all!

Ya know . . . new chicken stuff

Pot Pie in lock down.

Salad Sandwich with her new nose job.

Noodle Soup free ranging.

Pot Pie kickin' it old school.

So over the weekend we had a traumatic experience with the girls. A visiting dog got a little excited right up against the run and freaked the girls the eff out.

Somehow Salad Sandwich and Noodle Soup ended up breaking the tips of their beaks off. I'm not sure how it exactly happened--We're just talking about 1/8-1/4 of an inch here--They should grow back. In the mean time eating has been a little sore for them. They've been getting back up to speed, but Saturday was rough for all of us.

So no more new dogs in the backyard.

And they seem happy--chickens are pretty stupid, which helps in situations like this.

On other fronts I ran power out to the coop and rigged up the lights and the timer--we're ready for winter!

See the glow!

Late nite dining.

Fake egg in the nest box there--Noodle Soup is sporadically laying, the others seem close . . .

A Little Video of the Girls

Check this out over on Youtube, to see it in all it's widescreen glory!

The First Egg!

Just shy of five months and Noodle Soup has laid her first egg!
OK, this is actually a picture of the second egg--the first one was smaller and soft and broken, with a big piece of poop on it, not laid in the nest box. That was yesterday . . .



Today she laid this one, which is a little oblong and smallish--both normal things for a first egg--but nice and firm, right in the nest box.
The only problem is that it isn't blue-green, it's tan.
But she's the first layer, so we'll over look that.


A few days ago she started acting different. She'd go into her getting-mounted-squat when we'd reach down to pet her. And she started hanging out in the coop. Before this week, none of the girls would spend any time at all in the coop while the sun was up.
The roof for the nest box had been one thing I'd put off finishing, so after yesterday's almost-egg, I put on a temporary roof, to make the box a little more cozy and inviting.
And today I stained the permanent roof so it can go on tomorrow.


What else has been going on?
Well, the girls are much bigger than the last photos on here . . . I'll have to get some new photos of them that aren't on my phone.

There have been a couple escapes over the fence, the last one ending with Pot Pie crossing the street and not liking it.
We need to add a couple feet of netting around the top of the fence to keep them in.

And they're all very good girls.

chicks, huh

OK, here's a brief catch up on the 3cAd girls since the first OC post a couple weeks ago . . .
(these are all snap shots and half of 'em are from my iPhone--which is a pretty sucky camera phone--so bare with me)



The girls had their first tour of the coop--at this point I'm proud they can all stay up on the perch.



This is a common afternoon event, me reading a magazine with my legs propped up on a chair and all the girls deciding they want to come up and chill. I think you can make out some scratches on my shin, by Sallie's head.



Here the girls are peering in the basement window . . .



. . . and here's their first visit to the kitchen--30 seconds in and already poop on the floor. This was not an encouraged visit, and we try to keep 'em out these days. They are very curious . . .



This is the Day after the Open Coop bbq. I put Noodie up on the grill for the photo . . . she started pecking at all the chicken drippings on the grate, so I took her down.



You know that song "Surfing Bird" by the Trashmen?


Chillaxing on the table.



Salad Sandwich.



Free rangin'.



A little table top photography.



A little discussion . . .


What I didn't capture between these two shots was Sallie flying up and landing right on Noodie.
I'm not sure how the pecking order is going to unfold.




Pie. When she puts on six more pounds I don't think she's going to be able to sit on the back of that chair anymore . . .



In case you were worried about the grill picture, do you really think I'm going to eat them?


Sid the dog coming to say hello. He's totally fine with them now, and everyone can hangout in the yard unsupervised.



I got a little bored with the chickens and figured the coop could hold one more, so I ordered one of these little china girls everyone has here (probably the coolest status symbol in Portland after a Prius and backyard chickens).
No, that's my neighbor Annie--she comes over quite often to hangout with the girls. She probably handles them more than any of my roommates, actually.

OK, that's pretty much what I haven't been blogging about.



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

The Complex is done! (well, 99% done)

Living is good at the Wagner Home for Delicious Chickens . . .




Everything is in place now, The run is attached to the coop and base (I will henceforth refer to the whole unit as The Complex) and the hardware cloth is attached all around. Tomorrow I'll fill in the corners and stake it down .



The girls inside . . . perhaps the last time we'll see grass here.



Eating from their new feeder . . . so big . . .



You can see the waterer next the to the feeder . . . I now realize once they're full grown the waterer will have to move, but for now I'm just very proud it's all worked out.



Another view with the little ladies out in the run.



So many stories with the girls since the first post here . . . we had an Open Coop BBQ here two weekends ago, and the next morning I slept in (after letting the girls out to free range--this was pre-enclosed run) to be woken up to my room mate saying "Josh, I can't find Noodle Soup" [note of dread in her voice].
I groggily walk outside and immediately hear the somebody's-missing-peep going on. I peer over the fence to my left, and Noodie is walking around on the neighbor's deck. While usually not the most adventurous, she certainly is the best flyer--that was a 6 foot fence. I called her, and she hopped back up on the fence (it's not as high from the other side), so I grabbed her and put her back with the others, who immediately stopped their yapping. That has been the only trip over the fence . . . so far.



Now I know some of you experienced coop'ers are saying my run is too short--how am I gonna clean it out.



By opening the lid! Full standing height, with only half the fencing cost.



The egg door with dual latches--no raccoon can open both at the same time.


Someday this is where the goodness will be . . .



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Welcome to the OC . . . .

Welcome to the less frequent continuation of Three Chicks A day.
Without the whiteness.
We'll show the coop and run take their final form, the chickens doing chicken stuff in their 'natural' setting, and maybe some foodie stuff when the eggs start popping out.
Just some nice laid back chicken blogging, without the ridiculous commitment of daily photo sessions and entries.


So this is the Coop. The run isn't complete, so I'll just focus on the coop itself.



Cedar exterior, with a translucent fiberglass roof.



Egg door.



Here you can see the vent window.



Plywood interior--door mounted nest box (still to be roofed) and perch.



Screened and fenced vents with plexiglass windows for the winter.



The windows stay closed with magnets.




Look at the floor . . .



whoa, it opens up . . .


this will be the standard open chicken hatch position. Oh man, I should have stamped 4815162342 on hatch door . . .



Ramp view of the chicken hatch, with the under coop hooks for the feeder and waterer.


And of course, a picture of the girls--Noodle Soup, Salad Sandwich & Pot Pie running towards their new home.



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com