2018 Flock

On April 4, 2018, Norma and I received ten new chicks from Meyer Hatchery. We suspect they were born on April 2 so I'm designating that as their birthday. They arrived in the mail. The legal limit in my county is eight but I ordered one extra in case one turned out to be a rooster, which are prohibited. There is a 10% error rate in determining gender in chicks. But I've been lucky so far...no roosters. Then the hatchery sent us one extra on top of that.

The new chicks were purchased to replace the first generation flock which were approaching henopause. That means their egg production is dropping off due to age. As of April 2018, they are still with me.

Here are the breeds and names I considered. The naming algorithm is that the first letter of the name must be the same as the breed, the names must be old fashioned, cannot have been used for previous chickens I've owned, and should not have the same name as anyone I know. Later, Norma added some of her own which are flower names.

Columbian Wyandotte: Clementine

Cream Legbar: Celeste, Cecilia, Connie, Camellia

Cuckoo Marans: Clara, Clarissa, Clarice, Cuckoo, Carnatium

Golden Campine: Geraldine, Glenda, Gilda, Gladys

Golden Laced Wyandotte: Gloria, Georgette, Georgina, Gretchen, Gardenia, Geranium

Light Brahma: Lucielle, Liza, Lorraine, Lavender, Lilac, Lily

Partridge Plymouth Rock: Penelope, Phoebe, Petunia, Poppy

Rhode Island Red: Rhoda, Roxanne, Ruth, Rose, Ruby

Silver Laced Wyandotte: Sybil, Selma, Sophia, Stella, Sage, Saffron

Welsummer: Wilma, Wendy, Wynonna, Willow

One might argue that I named a chicken Gertrude (from the first generation) but I know two Trudys. But neither went by Gertrude.

I don't know the breed of the 10th chick. I won't be able to determine who is of what breed until they mature a little.

With the exception of the Rhode Island Red, these are all breeds I have not had before. Norma insisted I get a Rhode Island Red. I believe they remind her of home because that's what her family had. She certainly has good experiences with them.

This second generation will stay in my basement bathroom with the heat lamp for another two months or so until it warms up.

I won't be certain that they are all hens until I get an egg from each on the same day since they generally can't lay more than one egg a day. Or, if one of them starts crowing, then I'll know it is a rooster. I won't have any problem giving away extra young hens though a rooster might be difficult to pass on.

What will happen to the first generation? I have contact info for someone that is willing to take them in. They love the fact that many of my girls are friendly, of different breeds, and laying about three eggs a day. Right now, it sounds too good to be true so I'm hoping my contact doesn't change her mind. After the first generation is gone but before the second generation is moved to the coop, I'll plant new lawn and get the coop spotless.

They were shipped to us in a box with this straw-like material and two heat packs to keep them warm. They can survive up to three days without food and water once they hatch because the food they consume in the egg is so nutrient and calorie dense.

Here is where they will live for the next several weeks...my downstairs shower.

Things look red in the above picture because there is a red heat lamp. I've heard using a red bulb helps them sleep better than if I used a white bulb. The heat lamp is set to provide warmth of about 95 degrees. Every week, I will raise the bulb to lower the temperature by five degrees until the temperature outside is about the same as what they experience inside.

As soon as they are removed from the box, one must dip their beak in water so they know what water is. Then, they will drink on their own.


On the first day, newspaper covers the pine shavings so they eat food instead of pine shavings.

But on the second day, I can remove the newspaper. From that point on, they can eat and drink on their own at only three days of age. How old were your kids when they could eat and drink on their own?

Here they are with their feeder, which contains chick starter feed.

Their drink has an electrolyte, vitamin, and mineral powder additive.

They dip their head into the drink and then tip it back to swallow.

I put their food and drink on cardboard squares because it provides a more solid base than pine shavings.

All ten of them are there. Notice the rocks in their fount. I was told to do this so they don't fall in and drown.

When born, they just have down, and not real feathers. Real feathers are for big girls. But soon enough, they will have them.

Cardboard is duct taped to the corners of the shower to keep anyone from getting smothered in a corner. Brooders can be like a rock concert at times.

For the first several days, I check their butts daily to ensure dried poop doesn't block their vent. The one on the left just had her butt cleaned. She doesn't look happy.

The chicks on the far left and far right are starting to grow real feathers.

After about four days, they eat about a third of a jar of feed per day.

There are more with stripes in this flock than the previous one.

The cream legbar is an expensive chicken, costing about five times as much as the others. This is the only one that came with a band on its leg so I could identify it. The name "legbar" sounds more like a jujitsu move than it does a chicken breed.
Developed in Britain in the 1930's and quite popular in the United Kingdom, yet practically unknown in the United States. Vibrant, sky blue to pastel green eggs are just one desirable trait about this striking beauty.

We suspect the yellow chick below is the tenth, unidentified breed.

They are as soft and fragile as they look.

I really like the white face and dark body of the one on the left.

Here, they are eight days old. It's amazing how much they eat.

Several chicks in this flock have a stripe behind their eyes.

The feathers on the bird on the left are coming in nicely.

Eventually, I contacted the hatchery and concluded that the mystery chick is a White Rock, though I have my doubts. I sent them a picture and they replied
It looks like you selected the meal maker option at check out. The Meyer Meal Maker is a free chick that we give to you to raise and then donate the meat or eggs to a local food bank, homeless shelter, or family in need to help support our communities. The chick this week was either a White Rock or our Lakeshore Egger. Both can be yellow in color as chicks, but yours appears to be a White Rock.

I know that the idea of the Meyer Meal Maker is that I am supposed to donate the eggs laid by this chicken to charity but I am too lazy to do that.

I spoke to my co-worker about chicks. His are a little older than mine and like mine, they still need the heat lamp. But his power went out for about eight hours! I keep a spare heat lamp bulb around in case one burns out but I never thought about what to do if the power goes out. I am fortunate in that I have a generator but if one doesn't, then keeping some HotHands Hand Warmers or a similar product would work. Something like this was sent in the box in they were shipped in.

Here they are on April 16, 2018 at two weeks of age. A day later, one of them flew up on top of the water fount. On April 19, I doubled the size of their brooder and made their wall higher to accommodate their increased size and new flying ability. They may be bigger but they still have a lot of fuzz so I still think of them as babies.

I call this the Siamese chick because her face reminds me of a Siamese cat.

The one that is supposedly a white rock is very strong. In the following photo, she is on the left. I wasn't convinced that was her actual breed.

They turned three weeks old on April 23, 2018. That day, I said farewell to the old chickens and took more pictures of the new ones. Below, the chick on the left is the runt. Most of the others are about the size of the one on the right.

The one second from the right has some feathers on top of her head that stick up, giving her a "mohawk" look.

The yellow one (supposedly a white rock) ended up showing poor health just two days later with what we think were digestive issues. She used to be one of the biggest but after just four days, she is one of the smaller ones...probably because she isn't eating much. Her anus protrudes and we think she is constipated. Norma pointed out that the most recent bag of feed is for eight week old chicks. The next day, we bought something more age appropriate for them. We've also been feeding them pro-biotics (apple cider vinegar and yogurt) and cleaning her daily. As of April 27, she is doing much beter. The runt displayed similar symptoms but not as bad. She is being treated similarly. After a few days, they were both fine, but a couple of weeks later, they were both noticeably smaller than the rest.

Standing tall and looking confident.

I think this dark chick looks more like a common songbird than a chicken.

Norma told me that the one on the right has feathers on her legs so she might be the Light Brahma. I think the one on the left is a Rhode Island Red.

As of May 6, 2018, my girls are one day shy of five weeks old. They don't look like the same birds that came in that cardboard box on April 4. Norma has been trying to determine what breed each is.

Some have been flying up on their fount and toppling over their feeder so I made them a perch. Notice the fancy hairdo of the one on the lower left. I think she is the Cream Legbar.

The one on the lower left is still the runt. It might be a Golden Campine. She is a good flyer and rather outgoing.

Stretching. This one is possibly a Cuckoo Marans. If so, she'll look a lot like Beatrice.

I'm guessing the one on the left is a Silver-Laced Wyandotte. The one in the middle is likely a Golden Laced Wyandotte or a Welsummer.

The feathers on the legs of this one makes Norma think it is a Light Brahma. It is supposed to get HUGE.

The one on the left is, according to Norma, a Cream Legbar, which is supposed to lay blue eggs. Some of the girls, like the one on the right, have taken a curiosity to my camera.

Maybe our Rhode Island Red? I think she has an old face.

The girls really love yogurt. They will eat it off our fingers. I think all our animals like yogurt. Cheez-Its is another popular item...at least the last flock liked it. I only gave it to them as a rare treat. My chicks are a little too young for that. Maybe in a few more weeks.

I reached out to the hatchery again in August. This time they said that the one that they thought might be a White Rock is from their All Female Rainbow Pack Chicks. So she thinks she is a Rhode Island Red or a New Hampshire Red. I'm pretty sure it is the latter. Now that we finally know her breed, I can give her a name. I chose "Nellie."

Here are the chickens that comprise this flock. Note that the names are chosen to be old-fashioned female names where the first letter of the name matches the first letter of the breed.

Camellia (Cammie)

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Cream Legbar

Eggs/Year average: 180 [21]

Description: Developed in Britain in the 1930's and quite popular in the United Kingdom, yet practically unknown in the United States. Vibrant, sky blue to pastel green eggs are just one desirable trait about this striking beauty. Cream Legbars are chatty, active, very curious and remarkable foragers. They love to investigate their surroundings and will tag along while you do chores. Charming does not even begin to describe this lovable breed. Uniquely feathered, the Legbar sports a small, slicked back crest. No matter how small, this breed has a huge personality. She'll certainly be the talk of the flock, not only because of her stunning features but her personable disposition. Average mature weight of hens: 6 pounds [21]. This chicken costs over five times what the others do.

Clara (aka new Dorothy)

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Cuckoo Marans

Eggs/Year average: 180+ [21]

Description: A rare breed of chicken known for their dark brown eggs. Marans are typically calm and can be easy to train. They are named after Marans, France, the town they were developed in. Cuckoo Marans Chickens are clean-legged, single combed, and are a very winter hardy dual-purpose breed. Average mature weight of hens: 4.5 pounds [21].

Gilda

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Golden Laced Wyandotte

Eggs/Year average: 200 [13]

Description: Except for their rich, reddish gold colored feathers edged in black, our Golden Laced Wyandottes are the same as our Silver Laced Wyandottes. These are calm birds with tight rose combs that lay brown eggs. Wyandottes are a customer favorite! They add a unique look to your flock so order them while they are in stock! Average mature weight of hens: 6.5 pounds [21]. In Norma's and my opinion, this is one of the more attractive birds.

Gretchen

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Golden Campine

Eggs/Year average: 150-200 [34]

Description: Beautiful birds that lay around three or more large white eggs per week. The Campine originated in Belgium. They are alert birds with close-fitting feathers, white skin color, white earlobes, and grayish-blue legs. They are super active and foraging is their specialty. They were bred primarily as layers and do not tend to sit on their eggs. Golden Campine Chickens have black and reddish-gold barring on their body and tail, with a solid reddish-gold head and neck. Average mature weight of hens: 4 pounds. [21].

Lionel, previously Liza

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Light Brahma

Eggs/Year average: 140+ [13]

Description: Introduced in the mid 19th century from China, they were imported to England in 1840. The American Poultry fanciers refined the original stock into a large stately breed. They make a good dual purpose breed and though they may only lay three or four eggs a week, they are known for good winter production. Brahmas do alright in confinement but do much better if they have access to an outdoor run. They are mellow, quite hardy and make good pets. Brahmas are comfortable in heat and cold. Average mature weight of hens: 9.5 pounds [21].

Nellie (aka new Gwendolyn)

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: New Hampshire Red

Eggs/Year average: 200 [57]

Description: The hatchery gave this to me as a freebie. They say it is either a White Rock or a Lakeshore Egger but I don't think she looks like either. In my opinion, she more closely resembles a Golden Buff. After I sent them this photo, they said she is from their All Female Rainbow Pack Chicks. So it is likely she is a New Hampshire Red. I'm going with that.

Originating from the state of New Hampshire, these chickens are very similar to the Rhode Island Reds, which were used in their development. However, the New Hampshire Red chickens are a lighter buff-red color than the Rhode Islands and were selected for earlier maturing and their high production of large brown eggs. New Hampshire's were also selected for their meat quality and size, and are therefore a great dual-purpose breed. New Hampshire's are a common choice for crossing with other breeds to develop laying flocks. Hens are deep-bodied and usually calm. New Hampshire Reds can survive in cold climates, however, take care of their combs as they can be prone to frostbite in the harshest winter weather [21].

Penelope (Penny)

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Partridge Plymouth Rock

Eggs/Year average: 210 [33]

Description: These deep-bodied, brown egg layer dual purpose breed is beautiful and practical, too. This breed's color pattern is what makes them unique. They are very friendly. Males have rich heads and mostly red upper backs, but their body, breast, and main tail feathers are black. Their hackle and saddle feathers are greenish-black laced with red. Wings are black and red. Females are a deep reddish bay with black penciling on their back, breast, and body plumage. Average mature weight of hens: 7.5 pounds [21].

Ruby

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Rhode Island Red

Eggs/Year average: 250 [13]

Description: A popular dual-purpose breed that is a familiar standby in many chicken coops. Like its name suggests, it is developed in Rhode Island and is even the state's official bird. The hens are calm birds, are among the best layers for a heavy breed, and they lay large brown eggs. Rhode Island Red hens can lay around 200 eggs annually but rarely brood. Roosters of this breed may become aggressive. Average mature weight of hens: 6 pounds [21].

Sybil

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Silver Laced Wyandotte

Eggs/Year average: 200 [57]

Description: Known as one of the most beautiful breeds. With silvery-white feathers edged with shiny black, Silver Laced Wyandottes will be a lovely addition to your backyard flock. Wyandotte chickens are deep and wide-bodied birds, are docile and good brown egg layers. They mature quickly and are a great dual-purpose option. Their close-fitting rose comb is an advantage in the cold climates of Ohio and other northern regions where single combs can sometimes freeze. Average mature weight of hens: 6.5 pounds [21].

Wilma (aka new Edith)

Date of birth: April 2, 2018

Breed: Welsummer

Eggs/Year average: 180+ [21]

Description: A rare breed of chicken with Dutch origins, named after the village of Welsum, Holland. They are coveted for the dark reddish-brown speckled eggs. Welsummers are still considered fairly new to North America, imported in the early 1900s. They adapt well to any environment and are excellent foragers. The Welsummer egg is especially notable and a favorite for egg baskets. They range in a variety of reddish brown colors from terracotta to mahogany, with varying amounts of brown speckles. No two eggs are alike. Average mature weight of hens: 4.5 pounds [21].

On May 19, 2018, I cleaned the coop thoroughly. The next day, I moved the chicks from our downstairs bathroom to the coop. They were one day shy of seven weeks old.

I believe this is our Golden Laced Wyandotte. It was pretty easy to get the girls to perch on my finger when being introduced to a different environment.

The girls checked out their nuevo casa.

I thought that maybe the Light Brahma was our alpha. She was the first to venture out of the coop.

The other girls were hesitant to leave the coop and for a long time, and they only ventured to the top of the ramp.

Our runt, likely a Golden Campine, was the second to explore outside of the coop.

Norma lured them out of the coop with yogurt and mealworms.

Norma created a yogurt frenzy. They really love it!

Here, she feeds them with a spoon.

That night, they tried to sleep in the run so we picked up each one and put them in the coop for the night.

The next day, I cleaned their previous dwelling (the downstairs bathroom) thoroughly. It took a long time but in the end, it was clean enough to pass a battalion commander's inspection.

On May 21, their instincts started kicking in. I turned on the coop light and later, six out of ten went in and then flew up on their roost to sleep. The other four decided to stay in the run. We turned on the light just before dusk for a few nights. Eventually, they figured inside the coop is where they needed to be. After about four days, we quit turning on the light. By May 27, all were roosting properly.

Norma or I have been trying to spend some time with the girls daily to get them used to us. We've been hand feeding them yogurt or mealworms.

As of June 17, 2018, the chickens are one day shy of 11 weeks old. We've been working on getting them socialized.

When you have a handful of mealworms, you're their best friend.

They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. But what are two birds in one's hands worth?

In early August 2018, Norma started hearing one of them making weak crowing sounds. It was Liza. The sounds started getting louder and more distinctive. Liza is definitely a rooster. She has since been renamed "Lionel."

Soon after Lionel started crowing, I reached out to various chicken owners, many of which I met from the 2014 Coop-to-Coop Tour. I wanted to find him a good home since the zoning laws prevent me from having a rooster. I also contacted various Future Farmers of America (FFA) local leaders and placed ads on CraigsList and Nextdoor. I had many replies from the latter two.

I put a lot of thought into creating an ad for Lionel. I know how important marketing is. Writing to your audience, taking good photos, and putting a lot of thought into what you write will get you far. It certainly worked for me when I introduced myself to Norma on-line. Here's the ad I created for Lionel. I included the photos of him that appear in Roster.

I have a four and a half month old Light Brahma rooster that needs a home. If you live in an area where roosters are permitted or if you know of anyone that might be able to use a rooster, please read on.

They say that when ordering hens as chicks, there is a 10% error rate in determining gender. So it comes as no surprise that I finally have a rooster. Lionel eats out of my hand and hasn't shown any aggressive tendencies to humans. He's rather unique looking in that he has long feathers on his feet. If the zoning laws for my area allowed me to have a rooster, I definitely would.

If you're not familiar with this breed, here's some info:

They are mellow, quite hardy, have feathered feet, and make good pets.
- from Meyer Hatchery - Light Brahma

From what I had read and experienced with the rooster, some of the traits of the Brahma breed are...easily handled and gentle.
- from PetHelpful - Raising Light Brahma Chickens

I have already mentioned that the Brahma chicken is a large, stately, and extremely docile bird making them a favorite in the showroom and easy to handle. They are trusting birds and easy to tame. They also make a fantastic pet for the small flock owner and children because of their easygoing and calm dispositions.
They are tolerant towards other breeds so can be kept together with other varieties without any problems and can even be submissive toward others, despite their size. Even cocks will tolerate each other. They make very little noise and even the cockerels do not crow particularly loudly.
Because of their tame personalities, one of the fun things that some of us Brahmaholics like to do is dress them up. I have a Dark hen, Mrs. Buddy, who posed with her Easter bonnet and a pair of ears for Miss April one year.
- from Countryside Daily - Brahma Chickens are the Majestic Ones (a broken link as of 2022)

Eventually, I found a suitable home on a four acre property in Hanover, Anne Arundel County. The owner, Alice K., has 13 hens, 5 ducks, and 2 goats that are protected by both a conventional and electric fence. I am convinced that Lionel will live a good life where he can crow freely without having to be in fear of Howard County zoning regulations.

I miss Lionel. Click on the image below to start the video that Norma made of him. I like the way he does the wing flap for a more dramatic effect. Be sure to have the sound turned up so you can hear him crow.

On September 4, 2018, I found the first egg laid by my second generation of chickens who, as of that date, are five months old. It is small but has a nice, firm shell and is well formed.

The idea of using the nesting box hasn't quite caught on so I found it in a depression of pine shavings in the coop. Hard to say when it was actually laid. Hopefully this is the first of many more eggs to come. I wonder if it is fertilized.

On September 5, 2018, I put Lionel in Daphne's dog crate and then moved him to his new home. Alice showed us her setup. She had a nice coop and her animals appear to be well-cared for. I am convinced that Lionel will have a good life there.

On September 9, 2018, we got our first egg laid in the nesting box (the others were laid in the coop). Not sure if this is the work of more than one chicken.

The next day, we got four eggs! One was laid in the nesting box, the others in the coop. There are definitely multiple chickens (at least four) laying.

On September 15, 2018, I spotted Camellia and Nellie in our nectarine tree.

Gretchen also likes to go up there. On that same day and the next day, I did a minor coop cleaning. Vivianna helped me replace pine shavings in the coop.

During coop inspection, I found that the motor for the door was malfunctioning. Right next to it, I found a wasp nest. I donned my beekeeper outfit and then took it down. Hopefully, I'll be able to use my beekeeper attire for what it was meant for early next year.

I built my chicken coop and run in 2014. Over the last 4.5 years, the wooden coop door warped enough so it could no longer slide easily along the aluminum rails glued to the coop. Hence, I replaced it on September 23, 2018. To avoid future warpage, I made a door out of 0.08 inch thick Optix acrylic which claims to be 10 time stronger than glass. It is also somewhat flexible so I could bend and position it between the rails without too much difficulty.

The acrylic door is clear. In addition to the Maryland flag, I put reflective tape on the outside of the door so that light from our garage will reflect back and let me know if the coop door is down without requiring me to actually walk all the way to the coop.

I replaced the string that lifts the door using Add-A-Motor. It now uses nylon coated stainless steel made for jewelry making. But at the door, I use polyester thread. This is the breakaway mechanism. Thus, if there is a problem with something jamming, the polyester thread will break rather than cause damage to the motor.

My Add-A-Motor is set on a timer switch. I have to adjust this every month or two as sunset and sunrise change. If I were willing to put more time and effort into this, I would hook it up to Arduino or Raspberry Pi so I could have sunset and sunrise programmed in for every day and never have to made adjustments. I suppose I will eventually get around to this.

As of September 26, 2018, I am getting about four eggs a day. Like people, they come in different colors but on the inside, they are basically the same.

In the below picture, the girls are ready for bed. On the left is Ruby, a Rhode Island Red. On the right is Sybil, a Silver Laced Wyandotte.

I hate to say it but I think my current generation of chickens is not as smart as their predecessors. I have three nesting boxes but I've seen three pile up into a single nesting box while the other two are vacant. But a bigger problem is that some of them don't always lay their eggs in the nesting boxes. When they lay near the door or the nesting box, I can reach in and just grab the egg but if it is out of arm's reach, then it is more difficult to get. That's where using a golf ball retriever comes in handy. I ran some tests using the IGOTCHA Golf Ball Retriever. The cheapest one costs $23.59 from Amazon and has a ten foot reach. At that length, I can reach an egg regardless of its location in the coop. I tested it out on a variety of egg sizes. It didn't break any when the grabbing mechanism closed and it didn't drop any either. Success!

Nellie is very curious. Earlier this month, I did a thorough coop cleaning which includes paint touch ups. She likes to check my work and in doing so, brushed up against wet white paint (see photo). She also walked on wet red paint and tracked it on the floor of the coop. Ever since I sent Lionel (our rooster) to live in Hanover, I haven't been able to determine who is the new alpha chicken. It might be Nellie. She is certainly strong enough.

On November 12, I got the coop ready for winter. I plugged in their water fount heater and put up wind breaks. The girls don't need supplemental heat but I will put petroleum jelly on their combs and wattles to prevent winter damage to these exposed areas.

Egg production is dropping but that is normal at this time of year.

On the evening between November 22 and 23, 2018, it got down to 24 degrees. For Maryland, that isn't unusually cold but it cold enough to give the girls a bit of frostbite on the tips of their combs for the ones with the long combs. So I changed my mind and put the heat lamp back in their coop and put Vaseline on their combs and waddles.

We did our annual Christmas photo shoot with all our animals. This picture appears at the bottom of this page. I hope someday to have all the critters posing properly, facing the camera. But for now, I'm satisfied if I can just get all the chickens in the picture.

In late November, I finished reading How to Speak Chicken which was given to me by Jenn. The book has a variety of interesting facts about chickens but the one I found most memorable is that "The chicken is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus rex." This all makes perfect sense. From third to sixth grade, I was the most likely person in my school to be a paleontologist. I loved prehistoric animals and to this day, I still enjoy going out and looking for fossils. So it's not surprising that I have taken such a liking to chickens.

On December 2, 2018, the girls were unusually cooperative in posing for photos. I actually got some with all nine of them! In this shot, they were running towards me.

Taking pictures of chickens is not easy, especially when you have as many as me. They don't like to look at the camera and in the case of Penelope, she preferred to be airborne.

My girls like hanging out under the deck on the ramp I made for Daphne to get into and out of the house through her dog door. Fortunately, the chickens have no interest in going inside.

January 14, 2019 was the first day my girls got to walk around in snow. Fortunately, I knew what to expect from the previous group. They were confused. What is this white stuff? They don't like to walk in it and would prefer to fly over it. To put it simply, my chickens don't like snow. It was supposed to get down to 14 degrees. Even by Maryland standards, that is pretty cold. But do I turn on a heat lamp in the coop? No. Most chicken experts say that is not necessary and it creates a fire hazard. One woman out in Wyoming even says heat lamps are not needed when it gets down to 40 below zero! I don't know if no will always be my answer. See [64].

On January 16, 2019, I got seven eggs out of nine chickens! Considering it is winter and my girls don't get any supplemental light, that is exceptional! Based on the colors of the eggs, it looks like a couple hens that had stopped laying in the autumn have started up again. Before the month was over, they did it again and even produced eight eggs in on day!

All nine chickens made it into this picture on this frigid day on January 21, 2019. On my right arm is Gretchen, a Golden Campine. On my left arm is Nellie, a New Hampshire Red.

The high temperature was around 21 degrees with a wind chill of 6 degrees. It was a good day to pick up dog poop...frozen solid! Supposed to get down to 8 degrees tonight with a wind chill of -3 degrees. In my platoon, we would say it is "As cold as a well digger's ass."

Back in 2014, I dug a 70 foot long trench from the garage to the coop. Then I added electrical conduit and a 12 gauge wire so the coop could have power. I did some experiments with a solar panel and a Deep Cycle AGM Solar Battery but deemed that unreliable so instead I just powered things with 110 volt AC. The 110 volt line ran to a one gang electrical box in the coop. The coop door was raised and lowered automatically according to what I set on the timer. The problem with this is that every couple of months, I would have to adjust the timer as sunrise and sunset times changed. If things weren't just right, my girls would be put at predator risk because the coop door would be open for too long at night. Or worse, they would be locked out of the coop if the door closed too soon.

To resolve this issue, I purchased a Intermatic ST01 seven day programmable timer switch. What makes this switch different from other programmable ones? With the ST01, I enter my latitude region and date. Then it knows when dawn and dusk are in my area. I can then use this information to tell it when to open and close the coop door. To use this switch, I had to replace the one gang box with a two gang. Then I installed a split duplex outlet. The bottom outlet is controlled by the switch while the top has continuous power for controlling their water heater and light.

For programming, I figured that 15 minutes after dusk is a good time to close the coop door. But the switch doesn't allow me to program things a certain amount of time in relation to dawn or dusk. So instead, I set the clock to run 15 minutes slow. So if dusk is at 2000, then when the clock says 2000, it will actually be 2015. The coop door raises or lowers after an off and then on cycle. So I have it turn on at dawn and dusk. I have it turn off after the latest dawn and dusk times that occur in the year, respectively.

My main concern is how this switch will function during the winter. It is not unusual for our temperature to drop to single digits. But this switch is made for indoor use and supposedly is only good down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Only time will tell. At least it is right under a long roof overhang so it will stay dry. As of 2022, it has functioned reliably.

On January 27, 2019, Gretchen flew over the fence to our neighbor's yard. Eventually, she returned on her own. I don't expect she will return because nobody followed her. Chickens are social and like to stay with the flock. Gretchen is the best flier of the group.

Chickens are like pigs in that they are omnivores and will eat most anything. I took our leftover grease/fat and then melted it over a bowl of their regular feed. During the winter, they can use the extra fat to stay warm. The hard part is keeping Daphne away from it. She doesn't need the extra calories.

I took these pictures on March 31, 2019. Wilma is not pictured. I assumed she was in the coop laying an egg.

Based on when my order for my second generation of chickens arrived, I estimated they were born on April 2, 2018. So a year later, I celebrated their first birthday.

Back in high school, I used to play hacky sack. This is a game where you kick a small footbag to other people that stand in a circle. I wasn't very good but I was pretty agile and could often do some fancy kicks. Unlike a lot of sports where there are winners and losers, hacky sack is a collaborative effort. If everyone gets to touch the footbag before it hits the ground, then it is called a "hack" which is a good thing. If all my chickens lay an egg in a single day, I call that an egg hack. April 6, 2019 is the first day ever that my current flock of chickens scored an egg hack. With the days getting longer, I expect there will be many more egg hacks, especially with them in their laying prime. In the following photo, I am holding Gilda.

I've heard it said that people are more likely to die shortly after their birthday. Supposedly, they look forward to it and struggle to hang on until the celebratory event passes. Wilma, my welsummer hen, passed away on April 7, 2019. I found her in her chicken run. There were no signs of trauma. Her birthday was April 2. But I doubt she actually knew when her birthday was. My theory is that she wanted to score one for the team before bidding farewell. Recall the "egg hack" that was achieved on April 6, 2019. This means every hen laid an egg. For this flock, it was their first egg hack. Perhaps it is a coincidence that Wilma died the next day but I like to think that she held out just for that...because she was a team player. Over five years, she is only the second chickens I have lost.

On April 27, 2019, Norma, Daphne, and I attended the Maryland Poultry Swap at Green Hill Farm in Sharpsburg, Maryland. This was the first poultry swap that we attended. But chickens weren't the only fowl for sale. There were peacocks, ducks, turkeys, geese, and pheasants. Lambs, pigs, goats, and rabbits were also for sale. We didn't buy any animals but Norma did buy a mushroom impregnated log from Windermere Farms so she could grow edible mushrooms. I would recommend attending such an event to purchase chickens and accessories. Afterwards, we stopped by at the South Mountain Creamery Spring Festival.

On August 13, 2019, one of my hens laid an unusually small egg. I told Norma that a quail sneaked into the coop and laid the egg. But perhaps it was laid by a rooster (cock). According to Revolvy - Cock Egg (a broken link as of 2022),
A cock egg, cock's egg, dwarf egg, or witch egg is a small usually yolkless egg. Since they contain no yolk and therefore cannot hatch, these eggs were traditionally believed to be laid by cocks. This gave rise to the myth that when a cock's egg was hatched, it would produce a cockatrice, a fearsome serpent which could kill with its evil stare. According to the superstition, this could be prevented by throwing the egg over the family dwelling so it smashed at the other side without touching the roof.

I broke open the tiny egg and it turns out there is a yolk.

I'm not sure when Clara became broody but I believe it was around the early part of summer. Then Penelope went broody on August 3. I tried putting three blue ice bricks (the reusable cooler things) under Penelope when she was in the nesting box and barricaded her in there overnight to try and lower her temperature, but that made no difference. On August 21, 2019, Clara stopped being broody. Then on September 6, 2019, Penelope also stopped. Why was Penelope broody for such a short period of time? I attribute it to the cooler temperatures in early September.

On September 21, 2019, Norma and I attended the 14th annual Fair Oaks Chicken Festival in California. I enjoyed it but it wasn't as chicken-themed as I had hoped.

I regret to report that on October 25, 2019, I found Ruby dead in one of the nesting boxes. She was a Rhode Island Red, the state's official bird. It is a breed that my in-laws have raised on their farm for many years and the only breed that I've had in both my first and second generation of chickens. She will be missed. Her death involved an encounter with our neighbor's dog but it wasn't his fault. We knew he was coming over so we should have put the girls away before he arrived. Lesson learned. Down to seven.

On December 23, 2019, I took this picture of the girls resting on Daphne's ramp. This ramp allows her to get in and out of the house whenever she wants. I managed to get everyone in this shot except Gretchen, who was off doing her own thing. None of my chickens have ever entered the house via Daphne's dog door, but they could if they wanted.

I've seen my chickens kill a large frog and a snake. After finding a dead squirrel under the coop (that was before we got Daphne), I believe they were the culprit. Where do they get this ferocity? From their ancestor...Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The closest living relatives of Tyrannosaurus Rex are birds such as chickens and ostriches, according to research published today in Science.
- from Smithsonian Magazine - T. Rex Linked to Chickens, Ostriches

My girls generally stick together. One might say they hunt in packs.
One of the most frightening creatures to ever terrorize this Earth just got scarier. The fossilized remains of tyrannosaur tracks found in British Columbia are providing the strongest evidence yet that these predators traveled and hunted in family groups.
- from Gizmodo - New Evidence Suggests Tyrannosaurs Hunted In Packs

Norma has a suet feeder that provides nourishment to small flying wild birds. They peck at it, eat some of the food, and also drop quite a bit. In the below picture, Gretchen stands on our deck rail, waiting for any suet droppings. Below her stand three more chickens eager to get any droppings that fall to the deck. Nothing goes to waste!

The area near the deck on the ground is often a mess because it is covered in mulch which the girls scratch and throw onto the lawn. I rake it back and then they uncover it again. I need to find a better solution. Here they are on February 9, 2020.

Chicken photography is difficult because they don't want to look at the camera. If there's a treat, they will look and run towards it which is usually not what I want. On April 15, 2020, I got six out of seven to show their lovely faces. Only Gilda is bent over, looking for food. Getting chickens to pose for the camera is extremely difficult, to say the least.

Notice the white rocks in the previous photo. I always say that if you like having a nice backyard, don't let your chickens free range. They will go to great lengths to rearrange your landscaping just so they can find a few bugs. I put up with it because I'd rather have happy chickens than a neat backyard. But I'd prefer to have both. In that area around my deck, I initially put wood chips. But the girls would scratch and throw them onto the boardwalk. I would put the chips back, only to have them scatter them a few days later. To solve this, I

Dug up the wood chips and relocated them elsewhere.

Put down heavy duty weed cloth.

Ordered a few tons of rocks. The rocks had to be heavy enough so the chickens wouldn't try to move them.

Put the rocks on top of the weed cloth. I put the heaviest rocks on top of smaller ones.

Built up the six inch wide border between the rocks and the boardwalk on the south side to help keep the rocks in place. Then painted the wood to match the existing border.

Built a border between the rocks and the lawn on the west side.

It has been several weeks and no chicken has tried to move the rocks. Success!

During the Coronavirus lockdown in 2020, I spent a lot of time in the backyard, pulling weeds. I also took the time to watch my girls peck, scratch, fight, and take dust baths. It is interesting to see how they interact. I've always known that Camelia and Gretchen were at the bottom of the pecking order, mainly because they are very small. But I wasn't absolutely certain who was the alpha until recently. At first, I thought it was Nellie because of her confidence and outgoing personality. But she isn't domineering. I finally determined that my alpha is Clara, a Cuckoo Marans. Interestingly, I nicknamed her "New Dorothy" because she looked so much like Dorothy, who was the alpha from the previous generation of chickens.

In mid-May 2020, Clara went broody. Not sure how this affects the pecking order since she is the alpha.

On June 18, 2020, Norma found nine eggs hidden in one of her berry bushes. It appears at least one of the hens preferred laying eggs there rather than the nesting box. Some of the eggs were too old to eat.

In mid-July, Clara came out of her broodiness. I never noticed if there was a new alpha when she was broody.

In July 2020, I found a large but shallow wooden container that someone was discarding. I salvaged it for the chicken's dust bath. Following suggestions from How to Make a Chicken Dust Bath In Just Two Minutes, we put Diatomaceous Earth (DE) in the container. DE is a powdery substance made from the fossilized remains of phytoplankton. It works just like wood ash to kill pests and parasites living on your chickens without harming the birds themselves. I also reached out to a neighbor with a wood burning stove, offering to clean her stove if I could have the ash for my chickens.

We did our Christmas photo on November 16, 2020. Clara was not looking so great because she was molting. But overall, this was one of the best chicken Xmas photos we have had yet.

As of December 3, 2020, Clara was looking fabulous, with a new set of feathers.

Norma and I spoke about having ducks a few years ago. But in December 2020, discussions again resumed and I looked into it more seriously. I was especially motivated to get them once I saw a video of a guy paddleboarding with a pet duck. I did a lot of research. They aren't legal to keep in my county for the size of lot we have, so I wanted to keep them under the radar. So noisy ducks were out. Norma didn't like the way the Muscovies look and they are also known for being good flyers so they were out too. Certain other breeds have a tendency to be quieter than most, but based on what I learned in the various duck Facebook groups, even the ones that are supposed to be quiet (other than Muscovies) can be loud. But the big thing that made me decide to not get ducks for now is that chickens can be quite brutal to ducks. With their flat bills, ducks are rather defenseless compared to the sharp beaks of the chickens. Sometimes they get along great but other times, chickens have been known to peck out the eyes of ducks. That's something I would not want resting on my conscience. Things tend to be better if they have separate coops, but for now, I'm not willing to go that route. So no ducks.

Over time, my Little Giant 3 gal. Metal Double Wall Poultry Fount rusted out. It lasted six and a half years but during the last year or two, the amount of rust in the water was excessive. I confirmed that is not a health concern and the chickens didn't seem to mind (like they have a choice). A small hole rusted out and I used fiberglass to repair it and much of the bottom. But this only prolonged the inevitable for a few months. I ended up purchasing a new one in January 2021. I didn't want to get a plastic fount because I let it rest on a heater and I don't like the idea of them getting their drinking water from a heated plastic source.

On January 12, 2021, I took the cover photo shot of my girls in the afternoon sun. Amazingly, I got all seven with their lovely faces showing. I like how Clara (second from right) shows her alpha dominance by standing at the front with her head held high. Meanwhile, Gretchen the loner (far left) walks in the back, doing her own thing. The more I study chickens, the more I realize how much they can be like people.

On January 21, 2021, I was working in my backyard when I heard what I thought was two chickens fighting. Such fights are typically very brief because dominance in the pecking order has already been established. So when the ruckus went on for more than a few seconds, I knew something was wrong. It turns out a Cooper's Hawk was attacking Sybil, my Silver Laced Wyandotte. Fortunately, she was behind a cattle panel. As I got closer, the hawk flew away. It landed in a pine tree and just stood looking at us from about 30 feet away. Sybil and Nellie (who was nearby) hid in the shed. I had to carry Sybil back to the run. She immediately sought refuge in the coop. Sybil wasn't bleeding but I was worried because chickens can be fragile. But she made it through the night and appears to be fine. I have them in lockdown now since the hawk knows where they live. After a few days, I'll let them free-range again.

After the hawk attack, I put the girls in lockdown for a few days. Free-range time was over and everyone was confined to the run and coop. In the past, that has worked. The predator that was threatening them would realize that they could not get to the girls and would seek food elsewhere. But this time was different.

It was a very cloudy day on January 26, 2021. I let the girls out in the morning. Everything seemed normal. But when Norma and I got home, we called for them and they didn't come. Searching the backyard, we found six of them in hiding and the seventh was dead...Gilda, a Golden Laced Wyandotte.

Norma found Gilda at the southwest end of our property, near the spring. It definitely looked like a hawk killed her. Was it the same one that attacked Sybil on January 21? Probably, but I never saw it. Most of the body was left, which would have made sense since unlike a fox, a hawk would not have been able to carry her.

We put the rest of the girls away, locking them in the run. I had to take care of something so I left, but when I returned a few hours later, it was obvious that more of Gilda's remains were missing. I immediately buried what was left.

I have had chickens since 2014. This is the first that I've lost to a predator, but since they are free-range, the threat is always there. I hate to have them in lockdown because I know how much they enjoy foraging. But this clever hawk knows where it can get an easy meal so, unfortunately, my girls might not taste freedom for awhile. Rest in peace Gilda, April 2, 2018 to January 26, 2021.

Like my previous generation of chickens, I planned to keep this flock until they turned about three years old in April. But with the hawk attack, I thought it best to move up the date. Otherwise, they could be in lockdown for a long time until I figured out a way to better protect them.

Maddie C. found a retirement home for the previous flock and she also helped me find one for this flock...a place out on the eastern shore of Maryland owned by Krysta and Adam M.

I contacted Krysta and Adam M. and arranged to bring the girls to them on January 30, 2021. I met Adam and his young son at their home in Centreville, Maryland. They have several chickens that appear to be well cared for so I felt very comfortable passing my girls onto them. He planned to keep some and pass the others onto his neighbor who was living across the street from him. So the flock would be split up. I could see the neighbor's coop from Adam's front yard.

I was sad to see my girls leave but I was happy they would be safer. In the meantime, I put a lot of thought as to how I could do a better job protecting the next (third) generation. This resulted in Chicken Run Version 3.0 and the installation of three disco balls to prevent raptor attacks.