27. Sly Fox = Big Fence

So much for hitting the shingles and red paint for our little coop on the first days of spring...

We recently had a very unwelcome Mr. Fox prowling around (killing 3 of our birds!) so we decided to step up the pace on what is most important: the fenced in run.
Builder/Dad dug holes and cemented in posts. Turned out the cement was too old and everything had to be re-dug!
Later, with the posts in super firm, cross bars were put in place. Since then I have been busy hardware cloth-ing the frames. Just to foil the sly fox (and anything else that tries a daytime dig) the fence material will stretch out 2' under the soil around the whole structure - just like the coop. No fox is getting a free meal here...
This weekend, after yet another trip to Home Depot, we should finish up this project and get on with the roof, etc, etc, etc...

26: Guesssss Whaaaaaat?

We decided to incubate 12 eggs - unsure of how many, if any, were fertilized. Either way, hatch day is March 21st! Updates will be posted on Meet-the-Chicks.

And oh no, that is not all... We procured another rooster! Cassanova is still in the integration phase of meeting the hens, but as you can see, so far so good!

He is a beautiful Golden Laced Polish.
Exciting!!

25. Sad News...

This past week our little Buff-Laced Polish "Lucille" was attacked by a predator in the early evening just as the flock was making their way back into the coop. Dottie, our faithful Wyandotte rooster, came to her rescue but sustained severe injuries which he died from. We are all very sad and missing our cock-a-doodle-doer and the little feather-headed girl. What a loss!

This afternoon we borrowed an incubator from a neighbor and chose a dozen eggs to hatch - we are not certain which are fertile, but are giving it a try just the same. In three weeks we might have new chicks - the countdown begins!

I am going to try and keep a blog-journal of the basics of coop/chicken life on the meet-the-chicks blog. Check there for an update of how - and if - we progress!