And Then There Were Four

We decided to add a 4th chicken to our flock.  By we, I mean the girls and I.  Chris, being out of the country and unavailable for consult, was denied a vote.  Pacino, well, we know his position, so he was not consulted.  Once a flock is established, it is difficult to introduce a new member.  You may wonder, how difficult could it be?  Well, suffice it to say, I spent more than a few sleepless hours worrying about Bailey, our sweetest chicken of the group.  It may be that I obviously need larger problems to occupy my mind, but one could consider it being a good thing that I don't.  It could also be that I'm becoming a little obsessed.  As my friend said to me today, "we may need an intervention here", but I've been given the chance to see if I can right my ship first.  
Last Monday, the new chick came home.  I named her Bailey.  She's an Americauna, a sweet bird, likes to be held, and flies onto my shoulder when I open the coop door.
The first few days, Bailey gets pecked at by Rosie, the kingpin, as I call her.  Rosie eats where and what she wants, stands where she wants, and sleeps where she wants.  And Bailey is not welcomed by Rosie like a bully picking on the new kid.  For the rest of the week, either Bailey or Rosie has to be separated from the flock, but by Friday, they have all learned to get along.  Bailey is still a bit of a loner, but hangs with the rest of the chicks more and more each day.  I am sleeping better lately.
Now, let's talk about the new coop.  Like any good construction project, it's always more than you planned for.  Oh, we'll just get a simple coop built, I say.  But as soon as I start delving into the project, it always escalates.  Our wonderful carpenter, who just rebuilt our deck, got talked into building my new coop, probably at a weak moment, taken off guard.  By the way, if anyones needs a new deck.. he's your guy.  After his experience with me, I'm not sure he'll build you a coop though.  It is a little more work than I would have thought, and therefore I am exponentially happier that I did not try to build it myself.    


The coop is made of cedar, with a cedar shake roof.  It is as sturdy as you would want your own house to be.  I hope the happy new home the chickens now have will aid in producing plentiful and delicious eggs for our family.  If not, check back in a bit... there may be a chicken coop for sale!

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