Awkward Teenagers

Remember when your babies were small?  So cute, so tiny, so cuddly.

Before you know it, they are in that awkward no-man's-land between infancy and adulthood.  They are teenagers.  All angles and elbows and attitude.  All grooming problems and social problems.  Harder to control, harder to contain.  Needing their own space, experimenting with adult adornments.

Not nearly as pleasant as when they were fluffy little chicks.  Wait....  who did you think I was talking about?  My kids?  Nah.....  this is now the All Chicken All The Time Blog, haven't you figured that out yet?

So, we have entered that awkward teenage phase.  I recycled an old dog crate into roomier quarters.  I've given them little roosts to try out.  And fight over.  I'm putting their food in to dishes with higher sides so they'll quit spreading it all over the floor and pooping in it.  I probably threw out about 1/2 their food each time I cleaned the cage.  Live and learn.

Their new home.  Thanks, Reba, for the crate!

Up until now, when I would photograph the chickens, I would take them out of their box and set them on an egg crate to snap their photos.  First up during this photo shoot was one of the Cuckoo Marans.  Who immediately spread her wings and tried to fly away.  If it weren't for my lightening fast reflexes, she'd still be hiding behind something in the garage.  

Having learned my lesson, I now photograph them in their box. 

This one is "Aidan's chicken," the Polish, who will develop a big crest on it's head.  You can already see it forming.  In true teenager style, it didn't want to have it's photo taken and it looks like a chicken mug shot. 

Queenie, the Silver Kraienkoppe is turning into an attractive little chicken.

The Cuckoo Marans are not the most attractive of teenagers.

Baby Ducky always looks angry.  I would too if my adult feathers turned out like that.  Maybe I should have gotten two Frizzles - I think the other chickens make fun of Baby Ducky's wardrobe.

The Ameraucaunas are still the nicest-looking of the bunch.  Bossy is still very bossy.

Just two more weeks and they should be fully-feathered and ready to move full-time into their coop.  Hear that Ray?  Time to move the coop project to the top of your Honey-Do list!  Genius that he is, Ray decided to enclose part of the space under the clubhouse.  It'll be a nice, roomy enclosure for them.  Stay tuned!