I had this post all set up in my mind when right before I went to blog it I went outside just in time to catch Felix trying to catch a chick. Luckily, I still had the camera on me:
So, obviously, the chicks are getting bigger. On the two Delawares we are seeing their combs beginning to appear. You have to look closely in the picture. No sign of the combs yet on the Easter Eggers, though there is some feather receding where the comb will appear. Also, good news so far, no sign yet of any of them being roosters. I don't know if there would be any sign at this point and I'm not exactly sure what to look for. I do keep checking the back of their legs for the emergence of spurs which would indicate a rooster. As I mention rooster it prompts me to consider that the chicks may no longer be chicks and rather should now be referred to as pullets. Though pullet is a sex specific term for a young female chicken. Should I be able to sex them at this point? If so, I would consider that good news as there is no sign of any of them being cockerels (a young male chicken).
As the chickens have gotten older and lost their down, the Delawares have also lost the one discernible feature between them. Luckily that has been replaced with another. The feathers around Pepper's head have a greenish tint where Stripe's feathers have a yellowish tint. The Easter Eggers have always been easy to tell apart, though they have become more similar in their coloring as their feathers have come in.
Lastly, the run is essentially done except for the door. I have a good idea on how I'll construct it now, though it will require paint. I should be able to finish it this weekend. Since the last post I completely covered the run in chicken wire and added a corrugated covering over the entrance to the coop. I thought it might be nice. The chickens, I fear, will never know how to truly thank me for it. That was a joke.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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The coop looks good, you did a nice job. Felix is just a little farm boy isn't he? I think he's going to enjoy chicken wrangling.
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