Chickens are an Obsession now!

I never knew what kind of love and interest I would have for these lil feathered puffs of personality.

Rain or shine, after I am done feeding everyone that needs to be fed and running through my morning routine, I sit and watch my chickens. Any were from 15min. to an hour if I have the time. I love to watch them scratch, forage and roll in the dry dusty dirt for a bath. I think it is so adorable when they shake and get all puffy for a minute until their feathers lay down again.

Then there are Roosters...... Them bad boys are so elegant and beautiful. Most of the ones I have seen just have such a presents about them, I can't wait to talk my husband into me having a Roo. But for now the only Rooster that I will have (when he comes in the mail) is a cute "Littlest Pet Shop" Rooster.

On another chicken note, my Americana girls still have not continued their laying. The two of them gave my a slow total of seven eggs over a two - three week span, then I changed the coop a bit and they stopped laying also I threw in the four new working girls, I know that sounds like a different profession but I thought it was funny and in my head that is all that matters ;0) but they still have not resumed production. It is a but upseting only cause I was really enjoying finding blue eggs in the boxes. But happy to say that I three possibly four hens laying now. Also Elmo (RIR that was called captin) has ended her molt and her beautiful feathers are all coming back with luster and shine. Can't wait untill she and the Judds (two Buff O's) begin to lay.

I am hoping that this dose not make my girls stop laying but I am once again going to have to make some changes to the coop. All my laying girls are laying in the same box. I have noticed that this is probably because this box is the darkest of the four. So not only am I going to make it so they are all darker but would like to add another four boxes under the existing four, just for more options and for future flock additions. The Chief thought it was funny and just like a woman to need 15 hours of light (hence the light in the coop) but want the nest boxes dark!

Speaking of the Chief, he built me a new lil house for my baby goats. It is a very simple yet great design. Sadly all I can do is think about how to alter it to work for more chickens ha ha ha. I am really excited to get our babies, who wouldn't be, but I can't help but think maybe I should hold off for a month and then see if our breeder has or will have an adult that is already bred that she will sell me. My reason for thinking this is simple, I will have to bottle feed these babies for at least 2 months, not really a prob other than just another expense. But on top of that the doe will not be ready to be bred until August and then we wont have milk until she has her kids about 120-130 days after she is bred. Even then we will still have to wait until the babies are either sold or weened. That is right around a year or more from now!

I am thinking about only buying the boys that I helped kid (just cause that really bonded me to them) witch is only going to be $50 so that I have the babies and then waiting untill next month and buying an adult....... That might just be the way to go.

Anyone elts have a chicken obsession?