I haven't posted much about the chickens recently. They are now a little over 2 months old and are living in their outdoor chalet. Mike built them a great coop with a little screened in porch down below where they hang during the day while we are gone and a large free range area to roam around in while we are here and can keep an eye on them. Their coop has a vent up top for air flow and a little side window. The large door swings open and on days like today (70 degrees and breezy) I leave it open so they can come and go as they please. They actually really like their coop. It doesn't take much convincing to get them to come in from free ranging. There is a rod in their that they perch on and relax as well. I clean it out every day or two. It doesn't smell at all or attract flies.
They do have a hawk that has found them and likes to taunt them~ hence the reason they can't free range if I am not nearby. We have five chickens but as they grow we have learned that one is actually a rooster (he has all black feathers), not a hen, so we'll be selling him and keeping the four hens. We hope to have our first eggs by October but that part is a bit more unpredictable.
The "gals" (as I call them) are so incredibly sweet. They have never displayed any aggression at all. They love when I pet them and they talk up a storm to me when I go out to see them each morning.
Besides the fact that I like to maintain a clean coop, they are very low maintenance. We fill their feeder about once a week and during these summer months fill their water about once every 3 days. We can leave for a weekend and they do fine.
So there's the chicken update~ the 4 Golden Girls are doing fantastic~