Feathering Around

Video of Nag Champa cleaning their feathers!

Nice day? Let's Play!

On Saturday we were so lucky to end up having a nice day out for the Three Amigos to play. We had a bad two nights of a lot of rain and a scary thunderstorm that even woke up my our doggies who gets scared during storms or any loud scary noises. The Three amigos are in the middle stage called "pecking order." It's when the hens are deciding who's going to be "Head Hen", or lead rooster. We still don't know who's a hen or a rooster, but we may do a test to find out. During the pecking order phase they act funny. Mostly chasing each other from one side of the coop to the other and fluffy up their wings. Sometimes they jump high trying to show off their skills. I watched them over the weekend doing these weird habits. Don't worry, they are not hurting each other. The are still amigos, and respect each other, but like other animals that stay in groups/packs, a leader or head hen emerges from the group. Once the head hen is chosen then they calm down and that head hen will be responsible in leading the group and letting them know where the food is. It's also head hen's responsibility in keeping the peace in the group. Sometimes when chickens get excited about food or bugs they find, they get so excited they all start pushing around to see/ trying to get a peace of the yummy goodness. During the excitement they may bump or push their Amigos. Like us, we may feel hurt by someone invading our personal space or pushing us by accident. Same with chickens, they too go through the same thing, and it's head hen to rescue to make sure everyones ok and happy.

I also got a great video of Nag Champa doing some feather cleaning. The Amigos are still getting all of their adult feathers, and during the long stage, the Amigos keep their feather clean and also pull out the old feathers to make room for their new ones. They use there beak to pull and peck at any food or dirt that could get stuck between their feathers. They also have oil glands in small spots on their body and use their head and beak to spread their oils around and keep their feather clean and soft. It's similar to how you or I put on lotion after taking a shower or bath. If we don't put lotion on, then our skin could get really dry and itchy. Just like the Amigos, they don't want dry dirty feathers. Enjoy the pics!

Chicken About

After at least 1 good day of The Three Amigos being introduced to their final coop, the weather changed, and got too cold for them to make their final move. We are hoping they will be moved in within 2 weeks. In the meantime, they are enjoying their new set up in their crate. I added a wooden perch with a nest in it and a bell toy and a fun wooden ramp. Even though I feel bad it might be awhile before they can go back outside due to the colder weather, I'm staying positive we'll have some warm days next week. Then they can finally enjoy some play time outdoors.

We saw a fox the other week, and watched it so easily squeeze through a neighbor's fence and then jumped right over another one. My jaw dropped, and after I picked it up off the floor I grabbed some paper and a pencil and did some more research on making sure I finish the coop with extra security, so this big fox doesn't have a chance to hurt The Three Amigos. I had a great talk with my husband Kevin about it. We both want to make sure that our additions to the coop are both secure, but also harmless to the other animals. The fox is only doing what it naturally does. Hunt for it's food. The fox only wants to eat and provide food for it's possible family. I want to respect the fox's awesome life as well as The Three Amigos. Below are pics from my recent playtime with the Three Amigos. You can see very well how their new feathers are coming in and how their feather are changing colors. For example, Tic-Tac( white amigo) was born with yellow fluffy feathers. Her adult feather are white. So she'll turning from yellow to white. Very cool! Pigeon Toady ( grey Amigo), has also gotten some cool head feathers growing in which you see well in their pic. Nag Chompa (black chickie) Has been extra curious and misses playing in the big coop. You can alway find nag chompa on up on a perch somewhere. That's their favorite place to relax. You can see Nag Chompa sun bathing in the new nest and enjoying the warmth from the heat lamp. I had such a great time playing with them today and giving them massages in my lap. I always talk to tell them and remind them That I care for them, respect them, and love them. I hope you enjoy our pics! I will try to post the video of the fox.