Okay, so it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog. Everyone is starting to look like a full-grown chicken now, and it’s funny to look back on some of their pictures and think of how tiny they were when we got them.

Sadly, we lost one of the girls a few weeks ago. John and I came home late one night and found the Ameraucana laying in the run. Everyone puts themselves away around 8:45 in the evenings, so we knew coming up on the coop and seeing one out, much less laying down, that something was wrong. We think that she may have had an underlying issue or illness and the heat was too much stress for her. John buried her in the yard for me.

Speaking of heat, it’s been about a million degrees lately, and we’re trying some things to keep the chickens cool. With 27 straight days of 100+ temperatures (yesterday was only 97 in Austin), even the cactus and oak trees are starting to feel it.

We’ve bought some sand and put it in a corner of the run, and try to hose it down to keep it cool. The chickens seem to enjoy it and like to walk around and dig their little resting holes in it. They peck around in it too, so I’m guessing it works as a grit as well. We’ve also put a small trash can lid in the run, turned upside-down and fill it with water. The Sex-Link especially enjoys cooling her feet in it.

We’ve also been mixing some Sav-A-Chick (basically Vitamin Water for chickens) into their drinking water to help keep them going through the heat.

Anyway, here are some photos taken today, hopefully it won’t be too long before the next update!

 

Our slightly older Polish, may or may not be a rooster.

“Cookie” aka “Fuzzy-Feet”, a Cochin, our only named chicken so far.

Production Red. She is the most reserved out of the group.

The younger Polish. Curious and tame, likes her photo taken!

Black Sex-Link, the bug-catcher out of the group.