ARK picked up more bokbok friends last weekend. Rock passed away last week, and Brulee was very very sad. I told her we needed to get Brulee some friends for the winter, or we should send her to another plane of existence. She took LK and his old classmate/soccer team member AM to Baxter Barn in Fall City to obtain some young friends. ARK thought of getting only three more, but I said we should get a least four; if we got four we could get four more next year and possibly have a easier time integrating the new bokboks. Or we could go big and get eight (the maximum allowed in the city, although the henhouse is sized for ten and we would have nine at that point). ARK decided to go big.
She came back with one each of
- Rhode Island Red
- Black Australorp
- Gold Sexlink
- Barred Rock
- Black Sexlink
- Easter Egger
- Americana
- Cuckoo Maran
- Delaware
My requirements were only that the could all go outside immediately without supplemental heat, and we both liked getting all different breeds. I wanted to get primarily champion egg layers, but that would have been hard to do without me going as well. I also wanted to get a Mottled Java because I think they look cool, but apparently they were all gone, so I think the farmer guy got us the Cuckoo Maran as a replacement (same colors anyway).
It turned out we got a bonus chicken. ARK came home and said “can you check if there are nine faces looking back at you?” The Delaware was the bonus pullet as it was not on the receipt. I had to look it up as I was unfamiliar with the breed… probably because it is primarily a meat bird as opposed to a layer.
I did not quarantine them as is usually recommended, which could be a mistake. I did pop them into the henhouse and spent the time finally fixing the screens underneath the henhouse to keep them from wandering about the yard. I still have to fully predator-proof it though; raccoons can come in through some openings between the henhouse and run still.
They seem to be adjusting fine. Brulee pretty much ignores them as she is many four times their size. They avoid her. At first they slept in a pile on the floor of the henhouse, but then they moved to the perches next to the nesting boxes, then into the nesting boxes themselves (a no no!). Away from Brulee who was at her usually perch (actually Rock’s old perch) at the other end of the henhouse. Last night most of them slept on the other perch except for the gold/red sexlink who slept by Brulee(!), the easter egger who slept on the divider between the perch area and the rest of the coop, and the rhode island red who kept sleeping on the floor.
