Three Red Hens

I don't have pictures ready to post yet, but we are now the happy recipients of 3 nice middle-aged lady chickens.

Saturday I was outside doing goat things when the nice neighbors drove up on their riding mower, towing a trailer of mill ends. They brought us 2 loads to use for kindling and offered more if we want. They also mentioned a rhubarb plant, potted up and needing a home, so I said I would come over Sunday. I must have mentioned starting our chicken coop too. Then some people who had been out to look at Julio Friday called, and headed over to pick him up. Afterwards, I walked over to get the rhubarb, and while chatting noticed three red hens in a run in their neighbor's yard. I didn't even know they had chickens....

So now it's Sunday and we're out front to install the new driveway gates so the dogs can run loose. We had just bought more materials for the coop and it was time to cut some lumber. Not so fast! The neighbor with the chickens pulls up and asks if we want her three red hens, since they're moving one town over. We tried to say no, pleading lack of housing. But her husband and two burly sons offered to bring over the coop too. Oh no, we thought, some nasty cracker box. But it's actually well built cedar, and bigger than the one we're building. They managed to get it set in the goat paddock, and we trimmed the girls' wings and locked them in for the night.


This morning I opened the coop, but no one came out. By the time I got home from work, they still hadn't come out. What could the problem be???

Chappelle. The little pesty demon goat. Every time the hens stirred out of the coop, he ran over and shoved his goofy head in and spooked them. So now they have a buffer pen that they can get out of, but no goats can get in (yet). We'll see if they come out tomorrow....

In the meantime, Julio is doing well at his new home, and we're not NOT not getting another critter until the barn is built. Lassie still won't let us catch her, but we haven't done a whole-hearted goat round-up yet. Luna wants to eat the hens more than she wants to eat the goats, and I just want a year off to get the chore list down a column or two!