Chickens!

The girls are the only ones who are happy with our hot weather. They scratch out dust wallows and loll around limply, wings extended to absorb maximum heat. I made fountain out of an ebay purchased metal junk sculpture. Originally, I wanted him to be above the pond, but the Little pump I have was not strong enough. It runs off a solar panel. I haven't seen any of the girls drink out of it yet, but they may figure it out soon.

These are the new chickens . They ar Buff Orpingtons, and have small combs. They are rally skittish, even though they were picked up every day for two months when they lived in the house. I Think they are pretty, but they haven't layed many eggs, spook easily, and had a hard time getting along with the other chickens. I won't get them again, unless egg production picks up considerably. We named them when they were chicks, but they have so little personality we just call them the babies.

This is Lucy, one of two red sex-linked chickens. She's a good layer, calm around humans and bossy to the other chickens. I think the big wattles and combs are funny, and since it doesn't freeze here, there's no problem with them. Her hatch mate Sally had a bout with pneumonia last winter, and against my better judgement, I treated her with injected antibiotics. Picture me, sneaking out to the coop after dark, a syringe in hand, to grab her and stick her in the breast meat with antibiotics! I kept her warm with a lightbulb, and she pulled through. She doesn't lay much, but she has a happy chicken life, eating her head off and so forth. I was too tender hearted to do her in, and we don't ( can't in city limits) slaughter them because they are pets. So, I have a happy creature that lays an egg maybe once every two weeks and eats her weight in feed. Oh, well, she kept Lucy company until the babies grew up.