My new obsession

I'm trying hard not to let the news of no sheep or goats pull me down too far. There are still a lot of things we can do and we need to focus and concentrate on the positives. One thing we definately, positively, 100% can have is chickens.

Right now, the small A-frame coop houses the three oldest birds. I built that awesome new coop and they hate it. They're like the cool girls in school that hang out by themselves and whisper about you when they know you're looking. They look down on it like it's the chess club and they're the top of the pyramid at football games. They don't like being in there with the little chickens.  They steal the little ones food and scare them off from the scraps because cool girls don't eat with loosers. They make eggs, gawddamn it. They're the Phi Beta's of my barnyard and everyone else is in on scholarship.

I like totally love them.

I haven't grow attached to the new bunch of chickens from Christmas mainly because I'm still heart scarred from butchering Coco and the majority of that batch are going to the pot. Soon. I was adamant the kids didn't name any of them. After the one that got murdered by that mangy neighbor dog, we're down to 8 out of 13 that are definately roasting material. The remaining 5 are so alike that I've started referring to them as 1 of 5, 2 of 5 and so on. They're nearly identical and the Borg identifiers aren't even bird specific, I just make sure there is a total of 5 of 5 at lights out.

Since I have so so many Americaunas (the three big girls plus the five little Borgs) I am desperate to mix it up. The hatchery websites charge just about what I'd buy in birds for shipping making a $35 order nearer to $75. That's a little rich for my blood. Searching CraigsList I found some of the more interesting breeds available from a feed store. I packed up the kids this morning and we headed out to buy some birds.

I went a little overboard. I have twelve new babies brooding in the barn bringing our current total of birds up to 28.

Silver Laced Wyandotte (this is my favorite, so far.)

 Black Australorp (Can I have 2 favorites?)

Buff Orpington (ok so, three?)

Rhode Island Red (Classic. But not my favorite)

I also grabbed (cause, why the heck not?) two Black Sex Links or Rock Reds since those are a hybrid and are sexed by their color. Which is slightly creepy but they're definately pullets and we don't need more she's-a-he surprises. Now the naming begins! Should we go with theme names or just let the kids pick silly ones like the peeping chick they want to name "Noisy"?*

*the kids get to name everything so don't feel too badly for them.