About a week ago I walked through a new door to a new chapter in my life – raising chickens. So far five days in all seems to be doing well. I had four Rhode Island Red pullets which are 18 weeks old. I am told they could be laying eggs sometime in the next couple of weeks.
The first few days in their new hen house, they have spent getting to know the place. The weather has been cold for May as we have had snow and two freeze warnings in the last week and it’s been windy, blowing the dogs off the chain for days making the temperatures feel like it was mid-February. Every morning around 5am I head out to the hen house to check on the ladies and open their door to the outside run which is enclosed with chicken wire and hardware cloth.
On Tuesday, I was sitting on the blue painter’s bucket I had flipped over to use as my perch so that I could spend some time getting to know my chickens. I sat in the corner watching and photographing them as they pecked around at the food and jumped on the roost. Then there was a moment when they were all down by the food near the door to their run when two of them poked their heads out and walked down the plank to the grass. The third one quickly followed suit and then the fourth. The fourth one who is the only one to have a nickname so far of Khaleesi/White Pants. She gained the nickname Khaleesi after having been pushed on the swing and held on for dear life as my friend’s seven year old rocked the swing wildly back and forth. They had been the ones to get the pullets and were dropping off the four we wanted and they were keeping another 8.
I’ve never been around chickens but I figure like any animal they need some time to acclimate to their new environment. On the other side of the door to the hen house are our dogs. They stare through the glass door to the hen house which depending on the time of day and lighting, reflects back their own images. They can smell them though and unbelievably one curious girl came out to check the dogs out.
The morning that they all four walked out the door of the hen house and into their backyard enclosed run, I was so happy. New doors were opening up for all of us and we just have to trust our instincts about when it is the right time for to walk through those doors.
This post is my Wednesday Challenge – The Door.
Oh, I love this post! We had hens for years and years until winter set in the year my husband died. To accommodate family I was knocking the house about and extending plus was working full time, so I decided to pass them on to a friend who was didn’t mind adding to her flock.
I miss having them and your post brings back the pleasure of collecting eggs and just chatting to the hens. We keep saying we’ll get more.
Oddly enough I was thinking about the hens this morning when just after 6:00 AM a fox walked past the side fence. I don’t often see foxes, but when I do it’s often very early in the morning, we often spotted them at dusk too.
Sorry I meant to say thank you for taking part in our challenge 🙂
They are beautiful Christine and I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. Ours had their own funny little traits, but would put themselves to bed and we just had to make sure all was secure and in the mornings at dawn they were ready to go. There is nothing like eggs from your own birds.
You will have the time of your life just sitting and watching your chooks. My chooks gave me the greatest pleasure. 🙂