Our little ladies are just about 3 months old. I guess I shouldn’t say little anymore. They are fluffing up slowly just in time for…summer. Poor gals, all those extra feathers coming in for the hottest season. The first time I saw them panting I was a little worried but then I realized that was just their way of cooling off.
We did add a new waterer outside so they could grab a drink out there as well.
It’s funny to watch their daily comings and goings. They don’t stay outside all day because I’m sure being in the direct sun is not very fun. So they do this weird inside/outside routine. I’m not sure how exactly they decide when the good time is because it seems pretty random but they must have a system in place. At any given point one comes shooting out and the other come pelting out right after her only to pause, do a couple laps around the run and then decide enough is enough and retreat inside.
The infamous Chicken Parm
On days where the sun is shining but there is a nice breeze they will all come out and dig around, dustbathing themselves in the holes along the side of the fence they’ve created. We are keeping an eye out to make sure they don’t go too deep under the side of the fence, even though we have chicken wire buried a foot down it still creates a weak point.
We haven’t seen any predators, just lots of small bunnies. We do have a neighborhood hawk who circles the sky several times a day but it never seems too interested.
The biggest development is the planting of two “Cocktail” Kiwi vines along the backside of the run. They will produce small grape sized hairless kiwis at some point but most importantly they will provide shade for the back portion of the run. I hope that it will cause them to come out more often, we shall see.
No update on Chicken Parm. She/he is still as friendly and calm as ever. She’s usually the first to come over and check you out when you approach the run. Two more months until they are producing eggs! I’ve been working hard on cutting and drying my nesting box herbs.
