hens hens and more hens

We’ll have to get a bigger picture of the whole flock but we now have chickens coming out the ying yang. A friend of Christine’s was downsizing and needed to re-home about twenty hens and a few roos. We’re suckers; we said yes. They’re a mix of New Hampshire reds (we think), commercial layers, Australorps and barred rocks with a couple of oddballs (we’ll introduce you to Arthur soon). They seem to fit in fine with our Americaunas although my roosters are not strutting quite as haughtily now that there is a big red rooster in town. I love the new red hens. They’re super friendly (even if I do have to gently punt them out of my way every now and then) and so classic looking.

We haven’t yet provided supplemental light so we are only getting a couple of eggs a day but that should change soon as the days lengthen. I’ll have to think about adding light next year so we can get more eggs during the short, dark days of winter but a part of me also feels as though giving the girls a break when conditions are toughest and their energy needs highest is a worthwhile thing too.