Chickens don't look good when they're wet.
It rained here in Connecticut today like you wouldn’t believe. I mean it poured rain all day long. We don’t need the rain. Texas needs the rain. A tree fell on the parkway today. Not because it was windy, but the ground is so soaked that the trees are just falling over. The roots are probably rotting for goodness sakes.
And my farm does not like it when it rains. The chickens don’t mind getting wet so much, but they just look so miserable when they are. Unfortunately I couldn’t find King Strut anywhere when I was taking these pictures. He was probably hiding, because he was having a bad hair day. And goats hate the rain. The only reason they will go out in the rain is if you are feeding them, or they think you are going to feed them. Because of this, they get very bored when the weather is bad.
I checked the weather tonight. It is supposed to rain straight through to this coming Saturday. I better get some barn animal exercise videos or something with a TV and DVD player out in the goat house.
The goats just hang in their stalls or out on the covered porch in the rain. That is until they see me and think I might have food - then they leap off the porch mid-photo.
Wet chicken.
The only reason they're all out in a bunch here is I just threw them some food. Normally in the rain they tend to spread out trying to find cover and still be able to free range.
And the only reason Melina and Princess Kate have ventured out is for the food.
I love the way my smaller old coop looks at night. My adolescent chicks are almost fully feathered now and are starting to roost.
These three have given up on getting wet and are settling in for an early evening and a good night's sleep.
And here’s a peculiar thing. I have one chicken, a Blue Andalusian, that has insisted on sleeping in the goat house every night for months now. She perches up on a low wall all by herself. At first I tried to move her into the coop every night, but she put up such a fuss that I finally gave up.
Perched in the goat house and ready for bed.
Then last week another chicken decided she was going to do the same thing. They don’t even roost together. In fact, where this new one is roosting she can’t even be seen by the first one.
Taken with a flash at night. Forgive the poor photography.
And then there’s this White Cochin. She’s been broody in the doghouse since the night of Hurricane Irene. Day and night she’s in there sitting on her eggs. I pray to God now that we have King Strut that they actually may be fertilized and hatch for her.
That's her in the back right corner inside the doghouse.
There sure are a bunch of strange birds here.
The more I learn about chickens, the better I like them. Aside from the delicious eggs they share, they are the such delightful friends. Such cute antics and each one is unique.
Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
What a great update!