The New Chicks

So here they are; my new chicks. I'm one step closer to my "live on a farm" dream. They've already proven to be sassy little gals with their own little set of idiosyncrasies. They eat like they've never before seen the corn, peas, oatmeal and bananas I give them every day along with their organic feed..... maybe they've been deprived in their life before Momma 'Chae. At dusk, I start to hear them screeching at me. I'm sure the neighbors down the road can hear them as well. Once I hear the call, I walk outside to find them all sitting on the roof on the coop. They don't quite get the whole coop "concept" yet, so they are confused. I have to pluck them one at a time and place them in the coop and close the door for the night. In the coop, they have fluffy beds of pine shavings and a roost, which is the usual chicken choice for optimum comfort. My gals, however, are clueless about the roost. They just sit in the pine all night, looking confused when I put them in, and dumbfounded when I let them out in the morning.
I think my hens are claustrophobic. Go figure. It makes total sense that I would have claustrophobic chickens. I have a cat with spring allergies that causes his skin to fall off if I don't medicate him twice a day, (who also has gone swimming in my parents' pool) and used to have a cat who ate wool hats, mittens, blankets... and a paraplegic mouse who was rescued from my feline warriors. I also have a golden lab/retriever who is afraid of water. That's right - a retriever who won't swim..... unless I call to him and he thinks I'm drowning. (yes, I know. This is cruel. I was just trying to "encourage" him.)
In other words - I have pets with issues.
The up side of having claustrophobic chickens is that when they do go into their coop for a few minutes a day to lay eggs, it is in an almost pristine environment. Since they don't hang out and poop in the coop, the eggs are perfectly clean and only need a quick rinse.

The fortress:
This baby is reinforced on top and under the whole bottom with wire mesh. Nothing can climb over, in, or under this fence. It also has a fiberglass roof to keep away the rain and snow and a double layer of wire mesh along the bottom to prevent the boldest of raccoons from reaching their little hands in and grabbing at my girls. (they have my garbage to eat, so they'll be just fine without murdering my hens.) At night they are locked in the actual coop,which has nice air vents , plush pine bedding, and a roost.
After a few more days, I'll start letting them free-range when we're home. For now, I want to make sure they get to know the area and feel safe in their little nest so they learn where their home sweet home is.

This is Oprah:

And Angelina:


and all Three.
Uma wouldn't sit still for a solo shot. This is the best I could do. She was too busy doing martial arts and plotting revenge on her ex boyfriends. (Hell hath no fury, you know...)