The Coop

     The chickens are finally out of the brooder and into the the coop! 

They were insanely happy to have room to run and fly, and sleep without getting stepped on.  The coop is almost finished; just lacking nest boxes, which will be attached to the outside of the coop.  Samuel loves the sliding pop door, and keeps on opening and closing it, which drives me a little crazy.  He reminds me so much of a raccoon sometimes, it's not even funny. 



     There is a window in the front and back for ventilation.  The door window has a panel that fits into it for when the weather is cold, and the back window can open and close.  I had to make a heavy duty screen for it, to keep the animals out.  You can see Samuel in the corner still opening and closing that pop door. (eye twitch) 

    Today's funny chicken quote comes from Abriel, as she was gazing lovingly at the chicks. "I would love to kiss a chicken, but they're too dirty. Sigh..."



 

Zoo Birds

     We have been a part of a Konos group for a few months now, and we are currently learning about birds. 

Yesterday, twelve kids, four moms, and one dad (Dave) packed up and went to the zoo to look at different types of birds. (and other animals, of course)    Despite the heat, and trying to keep track of all the little ones running around like crazy, it was a fun day. Crazy, but fun.

     There were quite a few different birds, but my favorite was the Roseate Spoonbill. Those things don't even look real.  They look like something you would see in a cartoon.

         This was Samuel and Abriel's favorite, "Because it has hair that goes, POOF!"

       The crane was Anna's favorite.

     There was a really cool bird show, where we got to see some amazing birds, perform tricks, fly on cue, and even talk.

     Of course, no trip to the zoo would be complete without seeing a couple of giant tortoises go at it. That was fun explaining. Haha

 

     Beautiful may days like this just need to be spent outside.  While I was working on getting our chicken coop finished, Anna thought the chicks could use a little fresh air too.

 

     I love watching the kids play with the chicks.  This is what I got them for.  Abriel has the chicken touch.  She's the only one who can pick them up without them making a fuss. 

   She is very calm and confident with them, with is good to see since she is shy and reserved around people.

     Here is the coop in progress.  I can't wait for it to be done, so that the chicks can have more space.  The twelve of them are getting cramped in their 3'x4' brooder.
    When I first started painting the coop, Samuel asked me if it was going to be all one color. I said, "Yes, except for the trim."  He said, "I was hoping you would paint a rainbow on the side." Then he seemed to think for a minute, and said, "Actually, I don't want it to have a rainbow. If we have a rooster, he might not like it."  I'm not exactly sure what his thought reasoning was behind that, but I do know that he is very interested in the welfare of any potential roosters we might have.