Pictures: Growing Chicks, 5 & 9 Weeks

My very reliable (and handsome) helper. Today he cleaned twigs and leaves off Liam's trampoline, and even cleaned up dog droppings so Amelie could run around with reckless abandon. When I took this picture he was waiting to start planting corn with me.

"Hey guys, you got some table scraps for us?"

all six chicks: left is Broom Hilda (Sorin's hen), top to bottom is Dot (Amelie's hen), Maria (Sky's hen), Ermengard (Daniel's), Mirabel Muppet (mine), and India (Prasad's). We all have our own hens, except for Liam, but he does seem to enjoy it when we bring them indoors and hold them to his face. He wont pet or hold them, but he smiles 🙂

The hens, chicks and ducks always walk up to us hoping for scraps of bread, apple cores, veggies or popcorn. Yesterday, Amelie had them eating bread out of her hand for the first time and she was very excited about it!

All six have grown so much. Every morning when we let them out of the crate we’re awed to see they’re much bigger than the day before. The two larger chicks (Ermengard and Broom Hilda) are two months old, and the other four chicks are five weeks. It’s hard to believe the two larger chicks will be giving us eggs in just three months!

Posted by: Jill

Chicks & Ducklings Flew the Nest (& Blueberry Bliss)

The 2 ducklings and 2 older chicks survived their first night of sleeping outdoors!  The ducklings are about 1 month old, and the older chicks are about 7 weeks old. We had a low of 52 degrees last evening, and we knew the chicks would do very well, considering they have a lot of feathers in. They roosted on a pole inside the dog crate all night and seemed completely at peace. It was the ducklings we were most concerned about. Daniel acted like a nervous father, and kept checking on them until we went to bed. At one point he was about to bring them inside because he couldn’t bear the idea that they might be suffering. It’s as if we’re new parents having a difficult time letting go. I did some research online and it alleviated his worries. They don’t have their feathers in yet, so the chill factor concerned us. They did perfectly, and they all seemed much more happy in an outdoor environment. It’s strange to think those four will probably never live inside our house again. We may bring the crate into the sunroom at night when it drops well below 50 at night, but we’ll never have to deal with their smelly indoor cages and clean up (the ducks were a major mess). It’s been one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences ever, but we’re down to just four 3-week old chicks in the home now and it feels like we’re slowly reclaiming hour home.

Pictured above you can see the temporary set-up with the small pen they use during the day, and the dog crate for night time sleeping. It’s been cloudy and wet here, so we’ve had a tarp out in case it rains on them. It’s working out perfectly, considering they’re much too small to join the adult flock. They’ll get used to each other safely through the pen. The adult hens and ducks are intrigued and study them often. It won’t be long before our four smaller chicks join them full time.

Blueberries!

We purchased two experimental blueberry bushes for this year, and they were blooming at the time. Now they already have blueberries on them! See them? Yum. We’ve kept them indoors so we can plant them after the last frost date passes (April 21st). Blueberry bushes are moderately difficult to grow, considering they need acidic conditions and moist soil to thrive. Because of that, we’re trying just two bushes this year to see how they work out. They’re guinea pigs. We’ll have to test the ph of our soil before planting, and adjust with peat moss and compost until it’s at the correct level. After that, they require yearly adjustments. We really LOVE blueberries, considering they’re a super-food, and hope to succeed with them. We can see ourselves with at least 15 bushes next year. There are local blueberry farms, so we know it can be done in our region. Fortunately, we have the benefit of incredibly rich and moist soil next to the river, so let’s hope we see some magic!

Weekend Barnyard Pics

Mortimer & Phoebe, now 5 months old

Mortimer has been losing his darker brown feathers and will become a soft, lighter cocoa color. We love his green neck and head… Sky calls it velvet green, and it’s becoming more green everyday. It sparkles in the sun.

Our ducklings outside with Broom Hilda & Ermengard. Growing!

the 4 baby chicks spent two afternoons outdoors, too. Clockwise from left: Maria, India, Dot and Mirabel Muppet

Ermengard (6 weeks old) was sunbathing and doing dirt baths. We were surprised to see 3 week old little India doing the same

Jasmine, our smallest but most spunky adult hen

Petunia

Marigold watching me clean out her coop

Yes, I know, I post far more pictures of our flock than our kids. It’s funny how they take hold of your world like that! The kids are having a great time with them, though.

We had an excellent weekend of warm and sunny weather. I planted one peach tree, and Daniel planted the other one.. they’re both on the South side of the chicken run so they have more shade.

POTATOES: We drilled holes in our large, oak whiskey barrel planters (they were actually rum barrels) for drainage. Then we filled them with rocks on the bottom for drainage, then half organic topsoil and half peat moss. You’re only supposed to fill them about halfway because when the plants stand about 5-6 inches tall you’re supposed to throw on another 3-5 inches of soil to bury the plants, leaving only a small bit of leaves at the top. When the plants flower we can dig in and grab a few small, new potatoes. Then when it’s time to harvest (the plants age and yellow), we can tip the barrels onto their sides to dump out our large supply of mature taters.. no digging required, and no concerns about moles or other pests. We have seen evidence of moles! We’ve never even tried growing our own potatoes, so we’re super excited. As for seed potatoes, I looked into them at the local garden center, but decided to go with our store bought organic russets because we know they’re organic. The seed potatoes at most garden centers are not. I have ours wrapped in newspaper, stored in a dark drawer for sprouting. They’ll be ready to cut up and plant by early May.

LAUNDRY LINE: I haven’t been able to hang laundry for a couple of weeks now due to expanding the chicken fence, and I’ve missed it. Yesterday I finally got the poles re-assembled, and all I have to do is reattach the three lines today. We have been buried in laundry all Winter, and for some strange reason laundry is more difficult without the laundry line. Somehow, hanging on a line breaks down the steps in a more manageable way… at least for me. Especially when it comes time to fold- I just walk outside, unpin and fold everything into the basket. I come inside and have no piles lying around to fold. It’s all done, and I just put it away. Plus, it smells incredible! I especially love having line-dried sheets and pillow cases.

SEEDLINGS TRANSPLANTED: The seedlings tray of tomatillo, eggplant, tomato and cherry tomatoes was transplanted into the greenhouse yesterday. We were hoping they’d make it in the trays until being planted outdoors, but they just got too big and needed to move before the last frost date. Daniel did that, considering the greenhouse has become primarily his territory. Today I’m starting some organic tri-colored pepper seeds for Liam (a huge favorite of his), and some pumpkin seeds for Sky. He kept begging for pumpkins this year, so we’re going to attempt a large bed of them.

PLANNING: I’m not a planner, so I don’t garden from drawings of elaborate plans. I’ve tried planning out my gardens in the past and always end up scrapping them. I wait for the earth, or the tree, or the plants to tell me where they want to go. I guess it’s a form of intuitive farming, or Shashwat. I was sitting down, taking in everything yesterday, and received a strong impression of the garden to come. I love it when that happens because I can stop thinking and trying to plan it in my head, logically. I can just see it, feel it, sense it and know exactly what needs to be done. It’s going to be wild, woodsy, elaborate yet very casual and native. I could see a crudely built border of tree branch fencing along a curved edge that enclosed a lush mass of green- wildflowers, some edible and some not, along with endless veggie beds and tall grasses and ornamental trees. I saw my rusty old vintage Schwinn leaning against part of the twig fence with a flowered basket in front. Why get rid of it when it could be used as a garden decoration? I saw all kinds of song birds, butterflies, and I even saw the little house we’re planning to build for Sorin… I saw/sensed the exact location, shape and size. Because it’s so clear in my mind now, it will be easier to manifest. The drawback of seeing it so clearly is that no one else can, and I have to wait so long to convey and express what I’m seeing. It’s a little oasis of peace, and now all I have to do is close my eyes to see it. Of course, it’s not something that will appear overnight, or in one or two growing seasons… the end product is not what matters, anyway. It’s the process of getting there that is most enjoyable and fulfilling.

First Spring Project: New Chicken Run

Jethro & Ellie Mae (the ducks), with Ermengard and Broom Hilda

These little ones spent yesterday, the first day of Spring, outside while we sawed and hammered away all day. We hit some 80 degree temps and it was awesome! This was their very first time pecking on the actual earth in their future home. We’ve had temporary fencing up all Winter with metal posts, but now we’ve got some cemented wooden posts with horizontal framing for more security. Now they’re more safe from burrowing and climbing predators like foxes and raccoons, and they have a larger run to boot!

Petunia, Jasmine, Marigold, and Amelie

This has to be one of my favorite pictures ever because Amelie looks like one of the hens. Yesterday was our their first day spent free ranging all over the yard. Boy, did they have a blast! They’re a joy to watch because they all stay pretty close together, run together (the running is hilarious), and you can feel their excitement. They enjoyed fresh grass, bugs and spent a while under our bird feeder cleaning up all the spilled seed. They also stepped inside our fresh garden beds and stirred up the soil for us… and of course, they left some fertilizer, too! They caused walkers on the trail to stop and take a second look at them. People can’t help but smile when they see hens running about.

We had to keep an eye on the hawks and eagles overhead. We have a large Bald Eagle population here and they’ve been known to grab chickens for lunch. We saw one circling overhead, but when we let our large dog outside it retreated. Free ranging in the open is something we plan to let the hens do a lot, but only when we’re spending a full day outdoors.

basic framing for the fence

This was taken midway through the process, and the wire is too high. It was trimmed down at the top railing. We used basic landscape timbers for posts because we wanted more of a rounded log feeling. It actually has a kind of ‘petting zoo’ feeling to it now, and you can see by Sky that it practically is. The run was extended about 7 feet, so we’ll have plenty of room for 9 hens and 4 ducks. See that pole with the blue clothes pin bag hanging on it? That’s being cut off at the top and used as a pole for a bird house. We’re moving the laundry line further down. All this labor is one of the prices we’re paying for putting the chicken run right up against the house last Fall! It feels great now that they’ll never peck at the house again or poo in the a/c. Another bonus to this new run is that they’re more visible from the sun room than ever. With it extended, we always see them clearly from the dining table. Like I always say, it’s better than TV!

Sky and the ducklings

Sky LOVES holding the ducklings. We’ve decided it’s his job to get them used to human handling, and they’re getting a lot of it. Jethro, the duckling on the right who we thing is male, is a very calm and trusting fellow. They grow about three times faster than chickens, so we’ll be moving them in with the larger hen babies soon.

Phoebe & Mortimer (Indian Runners)

Aren’t they sweet, and haven’t they grown a lot? They’re about four and a half months old now, and their feathers are changing a lot. Soon they’ll be easily distinguished from one another. Phoebe will be mostly light tan (she’s on the left) and Mortimer will have multiple colors. You can’t tell in this picture, but his head has started turning a brilliant metallic emerald green. It’s gorgeous! His wings are changing a lot, too. He’ll be light tan with some blues and whites on his wings, and a line of green that starts on his neck and covers his head. I love male Mallards and he’s going to be so handsome. Oh, and Phoebe should start laying some delicious eggs in about six weeks!

Here’s a last picture of Mortimer taking a stroll to the water. Of course, Phoebe was walking right behind him since they go everywhere together. You can see just a hint of the green on his head if you look closely.

It was a very productive day, and we got the fence completed which feels like a miracle. I’ll post more pics as the chicken run project evolves. When the fence was done, Prasad walked up to me and said “Wow, I’m proud of you guys! You both deserve a big treat this evening. Something special just for you guys.” We ended up getting carry-out for the family from one of our favorite restaurants, La Parilla. Then I think we slept so hard last night we were practically comatose. We both awoke refreshed, talking about our next projects- a new gate and whiskey barrel potato planters.

 

 

 

 

City Girl/Country Girl

In the past I’ve considered myself more of a gritty country girl who was born in the city. I grew up in a Midwestern, middle-class suburb of Kansas City and hardly noticed the earth around me. I have memories of feeling dizzy from all the asphalt, concrete, and manicured lawns. I longed for tree climbing, woods, open prairies, mountains, and could spend all day outdoors. That hasn’t changed- if I had a choice, I’d spend as much time frolicking outside as my little flock of hens do. Despite that, lately I’ve begun to realize how much of an urban girl I really am.

The realization hits every time I visit a full-blown, traditional farm; the kind where they have major acreage and tons of animals. You know that dizzying feeling I got as a suburban kid around too much concrete, Chem-lawn, and asphalt? It’s kind of like that. That may be how some people feel when they learn I have five kids- overwhelmed. Anyway, I’m learning a great deal about myself in that regard. The idea of living on a lot of acreage is okay, and it could be quite beautiful and peaceful as long as you have natural terrain, minimal mowing, and you don’t farm acres and acres with large equipment. That’s a whole ballgame I’d never be interested in, but my hat goes off to small family farmers… it’s a rough, stressful, and challenging life. The idea of caring for endless animals overwhelms me. I have to keep things simple, do not use farm jargin (i.e. saying “heads” instead of animals, or figure hectares and acres), and to be completely honest I don’t like the level of clean-up required on traditional farms. I don’t mind my small chick run and coop because they’re manageable, at least to me. I clean them bi-weekly and it only takes me about 30 minutes. The smell is mild to non-existent and I prefer it that way. I love that my little 1/3 acre could grow enough food to feed at least five or six families, but we’ll have a very simple, easy and manageable small crop of organic goodies. I love that with a teeny weeny farmstead I can get creative with my chicken run and it really stands out.

Simplicity. That’s the word that keeps coming to me, and it’s because we just don’t have enough of it in our society. Micro farming is more my pace, and I mean microscopic, teeny-weeny farming. Enough to gain some self-reliance and have a great deal of fun in the process. Not something that tires me to the bone just thinking about it, but a way of life that nourishes myself and my entire family both physically and spiritually. And no, the city will never be taken out of me. As much as I love Mama Earth I have to admit that. I am not a “farm girl” and never will be. An outdoors-woman, explorer, hiker, and earth loving hippie maybe, but I don’t have the grit for what people traditionally think of as farming. That’s why I’m glad we call this an “urban farmstead” because the city factor is huge with us.

Someone mentioned we should live out in the country because of the way of life we enjoy- gardening and especially chicken keeping. What I say to that is no. People like us who desire all the urban amenities, including a community right outside their door, a quick walk to schools and shops, and a bike ride to just about anywhere shouldn’t ever feel shoved out to the isolated country just because they’d also like to become more self-reliant and spend more time outdoors. This is a whole other topic for another post, of course, but the whole city-country thing has gotten me taking a closer look at myself. I love it all– the amenities, the convenience of community AND the mini farming/gardening. I’ll never forget living in a brand new, suburban house about twelve years ago and when the neighbors saw that I gardened almost every day I was labeled “the crazy garden lady” by their whole family. Why is it considered crazy if you’re outside, puttering around all day? To me that’s such a tragic mindset. I’m an educated urban woman through and through who absolutely loves the earth, her smells, creatures, and sights. Labels are limiting. Simply put, I’m a city girl who strives to live more in harmony with the natural world. I want my cake, and to eat it , too. Well, I’d actually prefer pie.

Pics: New & Old Feathered Family Members

We adore Marigold! She's our Matriarch

Rhode Island Reds are known as slightly more aggressive chickens, so I didn’t expect such a sweetheart in Marigold (aka Large Marge). She’s quite docile toward both humans and her flock, but appears to be at the head of the pecking order. I don’t think I posted about this previously, but that lovely right toe on her right foot was lost several weeks ago (she still has it in this picture). The top two joints got stuck inside the cellar door somehow, and she’d been struggling to get free for at least an hour. By the time I got outside, it was mangled and had to be amputated. I bandaged it up and she’s healed nicely. Her only problem was soreness for a few weeks, and she stood on one foot like an ostrich during that time. Anyway, the incident proved all the more reason for moving over the chicken run so they can’t get to the house or cellar door! The permanent posts are set, and we’ll be completing the project this weekend.

Sorin and Jasmine (Barred Plymouth Rock)

Sky with Petunia (Barred Plymouth Rock)

Sky holding 5 month old Mortimer (Indian Runner duck)

Sorin and 5 month old Phoebe (Indian Runner duck)

Last weekend, Sky and Sorin chased the hens and ducks around the run. They caught each one and held them a while. It’s one of the most fun spectator sports imaginable. Running chickens are pretty entertaining, but running ducks are hilarious. Amelie even got in on the action. Sky is quite skilled at catching all the birds… so skilled that we’ve asked his assistance several times. The chickens have become so trusting that they don’t run away too quickly. They’re actually more apt to run up to us, squawking, saying hello and hoping for some table scraps.

Now, for the new crew-

Look at how they've grown!

You can click here to see how tiny they were last month. I’m not kidding when I say that every morning we wake up they appear to have grown substantially. They came home almost a month ago, so we’re guessing Broom Hilda (the Black Australorp) is about five weeks old, and Ermengard (the Buff Orpington) is at six weeks. They don’t appear to need much heat, so we turn off the heat lamp during the day, and turn it back on at night in case they get chilled. We’ll probably stop their low 150 watt heat lamp entirely by next week. We moved them to  this larger floor pen yesterday to make room for the new babies. Eventually, they’ll all be in this expandable pen together, and will be taking over our kitchen!

meet Ermengard's twin, Maria, and my little Blue Silkie Bantam.. isn't she adorable?!

It’s difficult to take decent close-up pictures of such small, constantly moving creatures. Sky named Maria after his birth mother (so sweet!) and she’s a Buff Orpington just like Ermengard. The Blue Silkie hasn’t been named yet, but it’s coming. She’s the exact color of Silkie Bantam I was hoping for, and I cannot wait until she looks like this. She already has furry feet. My kids say she’s going to be a Muppet!

meet our little Light Brahma

Terribly out of focus, I know, but look at her furry feet! I didn’t notice the feet at the time of our order, so it was a surprise bonus. I love it! I ordered her because of how Winter and Summer hardy they are, and their origins. Light Brahmas are of Indian origin, and Prasad will be naming her. It’s hard to tell now, but she’ll gradually become all white with a black collar and tail. Sky and Prasad each have their very own chickens, which is pretty cool!

**UPDATE** after school today, Prasad decided to name his little hen India. Beautiful!

meet our survivor

Again, horrible focus, but this is Dot (aka Dottie). You can see that she’s all black with golden specks because she’s a Golden Laced Wyandotte. I can’t wait to see her pretty pattern come in. She has really bounced back after yesterday’s brush with death.

Okay, that was a total of six baby chicks, right? That’s all we planned… until yesterday. Believe me, I’ve made a pact to stay out of the feed store this Spring. The next time we need anything there, Daniel will be making the trip! This is why-

meet our simple Khaki Campbells

What heartless fool could ever resist such cuteness? One look into their eyes yesterday, and I became transfixed. Something about a duckling’s gaze is beyond blissful and content. They’re so serene it’s magnetic. Ducks stay outdoors quite well with no need for extra housing, and we have room in our run, so why not? An impulse buy, I know, but we’re all under their spell in adoration!

These are a very common domesticated breed that originated in England for their extremely high egg production. We’re praying that we don’t have two boys, hoping for at least one girl but will have hit the jackpot with two. Ducks don’t show gender until they’re a few weeks old. If they honk/quack, they’re girls. Let’s hope for A LOT of honking soon! These Khaki Campbells can exceed most chickens with an average of 300+ eggs laid per year. Right now, we’re thinking the larger duckling on the left is a girl, and the one with the lighter bill is a boy. Daniel and I cuddled them last evening in our bed until they fell asleep in our hands… one has a much louder squeak than the other. If they’re both a boy & girl, Daniel has named them Ellie Mae and Jethro.

Video: Baby Chicks

What a morning! When I picked up the chicks the box was sealed shut so I couldn’t check them until I got home. It was loud and chirpy, so I assumed all the chicks were doing great. I opened the box (without the kids home, thankfully) and saw what appeared to be a dead chick lying on her side, eyes closed. The other three chicks looked great, standing upright and perky. I’m sure they were very relieved to be out of the darkness. I immediately picked up the chick who appeared to have passed away. Feelings of sadness washed over me and thoughts of how to dispose of her remains went through my head. She was limp in my hands and I noticed she was black with golden speckles. My Golden Laced Wyandotte… my heart sunk because I was thinking last evening about how excited I was to see her laced feathers come in. I thought if any chick had problems it would be my Silkie Bantam since they’re so tiny. The blue color in the link is what we received, and I’m thrilled! I was most concerned about her, but she seems to be fine and is the most spunky of the bunch.

I held the limp chick and stroked her body a while. Her wing trembled and something in me just flipped out- “She’s alive, she’s alive!” I shouted. I ran to the sink and put her beak under the running water. She opened it up for one drink- hope! I had some hope for her, but she wouldn’t move at all and would not take another sip of water. I rushed her to the cage with the heat lamp and sat her there with the other chicks. About twenty minutes went by and I saw no improvement. She just laid there, sideways with legs straight out behind her. I thought for sure it might be too late. I prayed and talked to her a while, then did some set up with the older chicks’ cage. At about 30 minutes I noticed her head was upright and she was looking around. She was also sitting more centered and her body was more puffed out and round. She looked like a resting chick, that was all. The Silkie came by and gave her a peck on the head and she chirped, and then tried walking (a bit shaky at it). That was when I knew she would make it. I went from deep sadness to elation in just 30 minutes.

I’d always planned to name her Dot. For two reasons- 1) she’s a Wyandotte (named after a native Indian tribe I’m related to), and 2) Dot was my maternal grandmother’s middle name. Granted, she despised her middle name, but I always thought it was cute- Wilma Dot. I’ve no doubt she’s smiling about it now.

Waiting for Chicks

I‘m sitting here, on the edge of my seat awaiting a call and wondering how well our four new baby chicks are doing. They hatched Sunday, so at just two days old they’re tiny, needing a lot of heat (95 degrees) and will require food and water soon. Baby chicks can go about 2 days without food and water due to all the egg white nutrients they received before hatching. If they don’t arrive today, I’ll be on pins and needles. Daniel called the post office this morning to see if they were in their first Express Mail shipment, and they weren’t. They have a whole lot of peeping chicks in the back, but not ours… yet. The last Express Mail shipment comes in at 9:15am and I’m praying they’ll be in it.

Wait… just as I was typing this I got “The Call”! My little babies are waiting for me after all. I’ll be posting pics after they get settled. Can’t wait to see our little furry-legged Bantam baby. Big day!

Video: Coops & Eggs

This little clip shows the variation in eggs from different breeds. We get our largest eggs from Marigold, our Rhode Island Red, and it looks like she will remain the largest egg lady. I was relieved to see that Bantam eggs are not as teeny as I thought, considering we’ll have a Silkie Bantam soon. On a side note- their coop is very well done!

The Duck House Mystery

After talking to my mother yesterday, I realized I may have sparked peoples imaginations a bit too much by not elaborating more about why we won’t be using the new duck house for ducks, but have “other plans”. My mom was excited, and wanted to know if we were planning on keeping pot-bellied pigs, of all creatures! The answer is a resounding NO. I don’t know where she got that idea because I’ve never expressed interest (although Sorin has on occasion). Truly, with the care and effort we put into the animals we have now, if they don’t have some utilitarian purpose we don’t see a reason for keeping them. I think pigs are adorable, but what do they do? They don’t lay eggs, we don’t consume meat, and at most they would give us fertilizer which we already have an abundance of. If our aim is greater self-reliance, a pot-bellied pig won’t help.

There is no great story or big “reveal” to give you regarding the duck house. We purchased it last week (it’s a used dog house that seemed perfect for them), and I planned to install a door with a small chicken-wire window so the creatures have some light and oxygen when it’s closed. I’m still doing that, but will also be installing one small nesting box toward the back, and a roosting pole. Why? Because we’ll soon have nine chickens and I’m guessing we’ll need the extra space. Especially during Winters when they’re all cooped up. I was planning to extend the North side of the large coop about one foot out with a hangover nesting box, giving them about 4 square feet of extra floor space. I was not looking forward to the added construction, and now I won’t have to do it.

Why not a duck house? Let’s just say we don’t enjoy giving poor Mortimer and Phoebe heart attacks every evening at bed time. The chickens all line up and go inside at sunset, and they do it willingly on their own. They sit at the top, looking out the front door waiting for me to close it. Chickens like to sleep up, off the ground, and feel safest that way in the dark. With ducks it’s another story. We chased them around every night to put them away in the coop and by the time we got hold of them they’re screeching and trembling with hearts racing. Ducks dislike human handling far more than chickens. I don’t blame them, considering they’re major prey animals that my dog finds very appealing (he’s dying to get his mouth on one, and couldn’t care less about the chickens). He tells me they smell juicy with all their dark meat! At night the ducks prefer to huddle together in a tucked away corner on the ground. They’re ground lovers as well as water lovers… very earth bound birds. I spoke with another duck & chicken keeper who said that he keeps his ducks outside all night, while his chickens go inside. He said his ducks do great during the Winters that way, too, and that they’re quite hardy.

So, no house for the ducks. We’ve allowed them to sleep outdoors the past 3-4 nights and they’re so at peace and happy. They don’t want anything to do with something so rigid as a human built structure. We’ve tuned in to what they want, and are honoring that. They have the most warm down, and the rain does nothing to their waxed feathers. We’ll just have to secure the run very well to keep them as safe as possible in the evenings. This means no house for pot-bellied pigs either, just more space for a growing flock of hens. Mystery revealed!