A Chicken Update...

The girls have grown a TON since my last chicken post... you know, that post where I showed off our chicken coop that took WAY longer to build than we ever anticipated, and I bragged about how we had "plenty of time" to do the nesting boxes still.  Well, although I'm sure I had the best of intentions to get the nesting boxes done right away, I actually just got them done this week and just put them in the coop today.

Let the record show though, that we have yet to receive an egg, so I am still technically early on the nesting boxes.  Though, lets be real, the girls are 18 weeks old, so we could get an egg any day now!

....And judging off of recent personality and interactions with them, I've got my money on either Ina Garten or Ree Drummond to lay first.  (Though at the end of the day, if I don't witness the first egg, I won't really know who laid it.)

Here's what the nesting boxes look like-- I made a platform using old fencing pieces found in our backyard and a couple of scrap 2x4 pieces left from building the run.  Painted the platform blue.  (The same shade of blue as the coop, Behr "Sea Rover")  And then I purchased large bushel baskets from Hobby Lobby and secured them to the platform with a staple gun.

And speaking of Ina Garten the chicken, she's our high lady on the totem pole.  Basically in the chicken world there is a hierarchy which is known as the "pecking order", sort of like how in the dog world, there's always an alpha dog.  Well Ina is at the top of the pecking order in our flock.  Which I find hilarious and it makes me want to share with you all of these hilarious Ina Garten memes, but I'll just share 1. 

Ok 2 memes.... well, 2 images which are technically 3 memes...

I might be the only one laughing... who knows.  I think it's funny!  But here's Ina the chicken. 

She's a pretty girl!  For the longest time because she was a little bossy, I thought that she might turn out to be a rooster, but so far we haven't had any crowing from any of the birds!  They were bought as sexed female chicks, but we were prepared for an error.  

The rest of the ladies are growing up too-- they love to go outside and range in the yard under supervision... because, well, I'm a helicopter Mom.  Even to my feathered babies.  And in case you're curious who the lowest in the pecking order is, it's Carla Hall the chicken.  She's my Barred Rock, and when they eat at the feeder, she eats the food dropped onto the floor under the feeder while the others have their necks in the feeder.

Paula Deen and Ina Garten

Ree Drummond

Ree and Ina... What's up chicken butt?

We've been making it through Summer so far with shade in the run, frequent cold water changes, and frozen fruit.  Frozen watermelon and frozen strawberry tops are their favorites so far.  I'll probably install a small box fan in the shed before the Summer's end because they just aren't big fans of this heat.  Poor girls.  I'm not either.  But before we know it, Fall will be here!  In fact... Hobby Lobby already has Christmas decorations out!!  

Hope you all are fairing in this hot weather!  I think we need to find a human watering hole soon.