Time Flies!

Everything was settling down in the world of our new chickens.  All five were accounted for, and Joan Rivers alerted the others whenever I came near the hen house.  I would go out in the morning and open the door and make sure it was shut at night.

Then, a good friend of mine, Kathy, came to visit and said I really didn't need to let them out and in because they were secure and they'd do that themselves.  I was a little bit worried about it, but followed her advice and sure enough - the chickens knew what to do.  They even would appear to wait for me to come home each afternoon to bring them scraps.

Each day, I would change into my "muck boots" to head out to see my birds. They'd pile on top of each other at the gate and "talk" to me, especially the larger ones. I would sit out in the grass and toss them scraps and watch the funny ways they'd steal treats from each other. I found they really didn't like citrus but LOVED anything with grain in it....corn bread, hardened bread of any kind, and such.  They also were fun to watch when they'd eat a peach or a pear....sweets seemed to be their favorite.  I was learning more about them each day.

Before I knew it, we had graduated from crumble "Start and Grow" to laying feed, since the chickens were at the age to lay.  Gary and I waited eagerly for our first eggs.  We'd check every day but still no eggs.  As the days went on into months, and our birds were now seven months old and still no eggs. I read that sometimes they find strange places to lay so I looked around the chicken yard....still not a one.

I talked to a gal at work who said her husband was the "Chicken Whisperer" and could tell us what was going on.  I agreed and Kelly and Steve made the trip out to our place. They said our chickens were beautiful birds and they thought they knew why they weren't laying.....we had only two hens but THREE roosters.

Gary was convinced we'd have to get rid of a couple of the roosters....but I insisted this was not necessary.  But, day after day, not one egg. Then, one day our neighbor Julie said she heard our "chicken" crow. I questioned that and said "Are you sure it wasn't yours?"  She answered, "Well, unless ours can throw his voice, no. It was definitely yours."

The next thing I knew, I'd wake up and hear a chorus of crows. First, the neighbor's rooster would crow, then get 1, no 2, no three back! Yep...it looked like we found our problem....too many roosters in the nest.  I was going to have to find homes for two of these cockerels!