The Infestation

That cute little adorable rat is now dead- I killed him. I had an introspective moment after doing so; it's the first time I intentionally killed something larger than a bug. I suppose I'm experiencing some ambivalence regarding it.
When I built the coop and run, I did not plan for rats; I planned for raccoons, cats, hawks, eagles, and dogs. When I first discovered the rat, I had no idea how to handle the situation, how to prepare, or the severity of the problem. I figured correctly that the rat had come in from under the coop; the only area that did not have a subterranean border. I dug this area out and and laid down chicken wire. I came out later that day to capture the above picture. I was very self-satisfied thinking I had foiled the rat and solved the problem. Later that day, I went out to check and saw that the rat had found his way inside. I sneaked up on him ninja-style and took his life. I still don't know for certain how he got in; I thought it may have been through the overlap in the chicken wire that makes up the run. I wired that overlap tight and again I was confident the rat problem would be only a memory. I was very wrong and realized that there was a colony of rats living under the coop. They dug a network of holes under the chicken wire and were stealing the chickens food. Not only were they digging under the chicken wire, but the small ones could fit through the chicken wire mesh.
I got the great idea of inventing a rat trap. Here is a picture of it. So far, it has caught nothing, though, it appears no rat has even attempted to go near it as the bait has remained untouched. I dug all along the run, about 18" deep and put in a barrier of 1/2" hardware cloth. For a couple of days this seemed to work, but then I saw that they had managed to dig under that as well.
There was more that I tried to do and I won't go into everything but I was getting disillusioned with this whole thing and even briefly considered getting rid of the chickens. Eventually I dug out the entire run and laid down hardware cloth, attaching it to the run walls. So far it seems to have worked, though I'm not convinced; we still leave no food in the coop overnight.
Another problem we were having has to do with rain. The run became nothing more than a big mud pit. It was a precarious adventure just walking in there it was so slick. To relieve this, I attached a tarp to the garage wall (which the run and coop border)above the run and stretched it across the chicken wire roof and affixed it to the side of the run. This has worked great but blocks out the sun on nice days. I solved this by running 3/8" x 10' rebar through the eyelets at the bottom of the tarp. I can now use the end of the rebar I can reach to lift and fold back the tarp.

On To Hendom

Alright, I think I can say we dodged a bullet; it looks like Horace is a hen. No eggs yet, however, and with the winter coming we may not get any until Spring. Renae is pretty bummed about that, but I'm just happy we don't have a rooster.
They eat much more now, as a matter of fact, this last month they as much as they did the first four months combined. And that is only considering their feed, we've given them even more of our scraps. We also discovered that they are fond of strawberries, as they peck at them a day before we are ready to pick them.
The other day, Stripe (the white one, who appears to be the dominate hen) gave us a little scare. We were out in the backyard while the chickens were free-ranging when Stripe had decided she was going to see how unfriendly that barking dog behind us actually was. In truth, the dog was not out and while I stood poised on top of some railroad ties, ready to jump the six foot fence in case the dog came out, Renae ran around the block to enter the yard the proper way.
That's about it for now, they really just eat and poop. We have them on layer feed now which is what they'll be on from now on out.

R.I.P. Pepper 5/25/09 - 7/17/09

Tragedy befell us way back on July 17th. Pepper, one of the Delawares, was viciously murdered by a neighborhood cat. It did upset me, largely because I should have been paying attention and realized sooner that she had slipped out under the backyard fence. When it did occur to me that she was missing, I ran around to the front yard and then through a neighbors yard just in time to see the culprit dash across the street with Pepper in it's mouth. I'm only now able to blog again. Perhaps I'm being a little dramatic; that's what Renae thought the day it happened when she told me "It's just a chicken". I'll remind her of what "just" is come her next birthday.
So, obviously, the remaining chickens have gotten bigger, but the rate of change has slowed down. We do have some concerns that Horace may be a rooster; the tail feathers are noticeably longer than the other two's tail feathers, and Horace seems larger and is heavier. But, Horace has not tried to crow, nor has his/her comb grown any more the others. And the size difference really isn't that much. We remain hopeful. We don't want to be down to two chickens.
So, aside from the slaying of Pepper, there is not much to report. We still have them on starter feed, though imagine we should get them the next level of feed pretty soon. Also, they free range quite a bit, and we give them produce from our garden and table scraps, though I will not give them chicken- it seems wrong to turn animals into cannibals.
I'd thought about why Renae was so cold about the death of Pepper, and perhaps it's because the chickens don't respond to her the way they do to me. When I come out to see them, they rush to the coop door. They follow me around while free ranging, and all I have to do to get them back in their coop is to walk into it myself. Renae has to enlist Felix to chase and catch them. They poop on her shoes and glare at her when she is near. The last two claims may be exaggerations. The video below is of them chasing me.

Palais de Poulet

For the most part the chickens new home is done. Actually, it's been done for almost two weeks, I'm only now getting around to finishing this post. It is now July 10th by the way.

I was able to complete Palais de Poulet during Renae and Felix's little trip to Ocean Shores. I finally figured how I would construct the door: Originally I was going to use 1x2's for the door, but the the remaining chicken wire I had was only two feet wide which would leave a little short in the width of the door. I was able to use 1x3 cedar that, after I cut to size, laid out flat on my driveway waterproof-gluing the joints and securing that joint with galvanized staples. After a couple of hours I set the door over an old shower curtain atop some bricks so I could prime two coats without getting the driveway. I then painted with some exterior house paint we had sitting in our garage for the past few years. The next day, to reinforce the joints, I attached some small galvanized straps, the chicken wire, and the hinges.
As that went so smoothly, and after realizing the coop may be too small, I decided to move the interior wall I had erected a couple of weeks prior back about 18 inches. I also thought it would be a good idea to cover the coop floor in vinyl tile instead of the bare plywood it was, and also to recess the nesting boxes into the interior wall to assure the chickens even more space. Last, I put up a few feet if roosting perches.

Since I finished, the chickens having been living in their new digs. The first couple of nights I found them huddled by the door. Both nights I moved them into the coop where they stayed. They don't seem to want to walk around if it's dark. The next night, and every night since, they all huddle into one of the nesting boxes. They won't be able to do that too much longer as they will be too big to all fit. They have yet to get up onto the perches. I wonder if the perches are too high for them.

Chicken Run II

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.

The Chicken Run

As you can see the chicks are getting bigger, actually every evening when I come home from work I can see a change in them. That is Karma in the background, he is only mildly interested in the chicks and doesn't bother them at all. Sosa on the other hand, can not be trusted around them. We tried to acclimate the dogs to the presence of the chickens in the hopes that when the chickens free range the dogs would be around to ward off any would be predators. But Sosa took a snap at one of the chicks and lunged several times at them. He will have to be kept in his side of the yard.
I was able to make pretty good progress on the coop this past weekend, well I suppose it's really the run as the coop is already built. Because I don't really know what I'm doing I'm kind of making it up as I go. I think it's worked out so far. I decided on using those concrete blocks with the brackets sticking out of the top (I don't know what they're called) rather than digging post holes and pouring concrete. I set those in holes that were about a foot deep with an 8" deep trench connecting them. I then mounted 4x4 posts in the concrete block brackets and then used galvanized staples to attach chicken wire around the posts. I laid the chicken wire in the bottom of the trench and then placed a row of bricks on top of the wire. I don't know if the bricks will make any difference but I had them and thought "why not". At this point, I'm still a little farther behind than I had hoped but I'm okay with that. I think I understand how I will finish it- except for the door. I'm not sure how I'll do that yet.

Casa del Pollo

The above photo was taken on the May 31st; it was a warm day so we thought the chicks would enjoy some fresh air and a stroll through the garden. They adorably pecked at ants and the little weeds that were just sprouting. But that was over a week ago and my little babies are becoming toddlers. I doubt that's a good analogy but oh well. They are starting to lose their down as their feathers come in.
If you click on the photo you can see the feathers on the wings. You can also see some of the chicks new digs. The water spilled in one of the original boxes and soaked the cardboard. I was going to just let it dry out but instead I took that opportunity to adjoin a larger box to the remaining original box. It actually works out much better: it's larger, and with the flaps up and taped the walls are much higher. The low height of the original box had become a problem as the chicks can now make short flights, I remedied that as well.

We also had a problem with the chicks kicking the bedding into their water, I had used a small bowl to elevate the water dish but it wasn't wide enough and the chicks knocked it off. I now have brick to set the waterer on, and so far it's working great.
Each weekend I had intended to construct another phase of the coop, but this past weekend was just too busy and now I'm falling behind. Though the weekend prior I did put in a wall with a door in what will be the chickens new home. I'll try to put pictures in soon. Until then, here is a little video of one of the chicks... before we get into that I have some exciting news- we have names for the chickens, they are Horace, Pip, Pepper, and Stripe.