Cloister Flock

Friday night I finally made the move and took my laying hens over to my friend Rhonda's house so I could move the surviving Buckeyes out to the coop.

It was no easy task.

I got home around 4:30 and Bryon was taking Grace to swimming lessons from 5-6. I really wanted to get them loaded up into the dog kennel and over there before dark. Rhonda lives just outside of Diggins so it was only about a half hour trip one way, but I was ready to get it done.

As soon as I got home I changed clothes and drug the dog kennel out to the coop door. The hope was I cold just open up both doors, throw in some feed and they'd all five march right in.

Not so much.

It was hovering around 8,000 degrees Friday evening and by the time I was done chasing them around inside the chicken yard, I was drenched and only had three of the five birds in the kennel to show for it.

The other two were ambling around the yard perpetually out of reach.

I set the kennel in garage and turned the fan on them and figured I'd just have to wait until they went to roost to catch the other two.

I probably could have had more success but after spending 10 minutes locked in the chicken yard one day, I was loath to repeat that performance especially since it would be TWO HOURS before Bryon & Grace would be home.

I went out a couple more times and tried to lure them close enough to catch but those last two were wily.

After Bryon got home, I asked him if he could try to help me catch the last two and mercifully they followed us right out to the chicken yard and walked in after I threw in a couple of handfuls of feed.

He caught the last two, we successfully got them into the kennel with their cohorts and I was off to Diggins with the first flock of chickens I had ever raised.

When I got to Rhonda's I was relieved to see how good her flock of Barred Rocks looked and how nice the accommodations were going to be.

One thing that surprised both me and the flock was her VERY LARGE BARRED ROCK ROOSTER.

Keep in mind, my flock of hens had never SEEN a rooster before. They were veritable virgins. A cloistered flock as it were.

That Rooster started carrying on. My hens started carrying on (still in their cage) and we had to move them out of sight of one another so we could carry on a conversation in relative peace.

Suffice it to say, that by now, Monday, (three days later) those hens are more than likely sufficiently soiled.

I told Rhonda she was going to have some funny looking chickens soon.

Welcome to the world ladies.