Our first flock of chickens is still so magical, each bird has a unique personality. This group has lived together since their third or fourth day of life. When they come out to play in the patio courtyard they all stick together with their beautiful black rooster, Raven, leading the way.
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| Christmas lights add festive glow to the Flock 1 Castle |
Flock 1 also has the distinction of having the first Castle built to protect them from predators and give them lots of room to play, dig, perch and relax. The Castle is made to last, all 2x4 are pressure treated and primed with Kilz, all the hardware is stainless. It has a primary layer of standard chicken wire all over it with an outer wrap of .25"x.25"-square galvanized screen over the bottom 48". The roof is translucent construction grade and sits on 2x4 joists.
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| L-R, Lucy, Raven (in back), Blackie, Phyllis and Duchess (closest in center) |
Mary is risking her right hand to feed them because Raven is what we call, an agressive rooster. Somehow he seems to know Mary is female so NOT competition for his kingdom, but woe is Mark if he goes out without the protection of a broom. Raven the tyrant will run across the patio and unleash hellish amounts of pecking and kicking. It's important!
Inside the Castle is a large size Formex chicken coop, that's where Flock 1 sleeps at night. The Formex coop is sitting on a 2x4 stand to get it up off the ground for easier access by us. Also, by having the Formex house raised up off the ground it gives the chickens that much more square footage to dig and dustbathe. During heavy rain showers the chickens gather under the Formex house to watch the rain.
Flock 1 loves their home. We let them out in the courtyard to play and after about three hours they go back into their Castle, it's where they feel safe, it's their home.
