All the Single Ladies....... meet... Joel.

He's from strong pure bloodlines... he's a Silver Bantam Pheonix... which means he's not super huge, and his cockadoodledo isn't quite as loud.... his tail will likely get to be about 4 feet and drag on the ground (hence the Pheonix part of his name)... he'll work it for the ladies like a peacock.  His love life has recently been arranged for him.  My 9 mixed flock chickens.  Maybe this time next year we'll be hatching chicks?!!!  He traveled here from Grand Forks.... riding in a mini-van the whole way in a simple box... every once in a while getting out and freaking out the 4 children in the van riding with him. What a trip!

This morning, for about 2 hours all he did was bok bok BOK as loud as he could... perhaps missing the attention of the ladies he used to bunk with... (they were a little older and well... were quite attentive to his needs...)

 

 Right now, these ladies don't pay much attention to him... and he doesn't pay them much back.

He's been getting out of the pen.... I've corralled him back in there a few times, but the last few days I've just left him.  Good grief.  I do NOT have time to chase a rooster all day.

He just marches and struts back in forth in front of the pen... like he's on guard.... taking his job very seriously.... I think. Either that or he's trying to figure out how to get back in.

Look at that swagger! 

Then at night... he puts himself to bed.... he's supposed to chase the ladies in and put them to bed too, but perhaps since they aren't putting out for him, he won't be put out for them just yet...

Thanks for him Marie... he's beautiful, tame & keeps us entertained!

The Ladies - Round Two

When we moved last June we were so excited to get chickens.  We had them within a week of moving to our little acreage and their coop and run were degenerating to say the least.  We lost 3 of 6 of those chickens before we ever got any eggs from them.  The remaining 3 became dinner... the last of which we had just last week.  Mmmm. There are 2 yogurt containers of stock in my freezer just waiting to be turned into pasta sauce or corn chowder one of these days.

This past month, one of our goals has been to fortify the chicken coop and rebuild their run and fencing.  Dave dug in a few solid posts and put on a new farm gate to the run.