The Ladies Are Home!

 Our coop is not quite finished but our beautiful chickens finally arrived yesterday! We have put them in a makeshift pen for now and a little wooden box is there for them to sleep in at night. The girls were so thrilled to have them home.

 Here they are huddling under my tree that we just transplanted from the side of our house last week in between rain storms. It has survived the transplant but the hens have already begun tearing off the lower branches and eating them! Here's hoping that lets up soon.

 

  We have introduced our dog Molly to the chickens and that went about as well as could be expected. She chased them all around the yard and when she could, she trapped them to the ground with her paw and gave them a thorough sniffing out. She hasn't tried to eat one yet but she has been seen watching them from the top deck while drooling and licking her chops.

The ladies also survived their first major thunderstorm in our backyard quite well. Me, being the anxious 'mother hen' went out and checked on them a little after 9:00 last night and they were warm and cosy in their box all piled on top of each other. They actually seemed quite put out by my interruption. 

McKayla woke up around 6:30 this morning and her and I went outside to let the chickas out and give them their breakfast. I proceeded to climb right back into bed afterwards but McKayla stayed there all morning (joined later on by Bray & Em) until I dragged them all in for breakfast and school. The older two then flew through their morning work so they could get back outside to see their 'babies'! What a great motivation these hens have been. Breakfast, chores and school were done very well and quickly with the chickens acting as an incentive...I wonder how long that will last?