Growing feathers

Growing new feathers, Mar 2019

Those six new rescue hens are all now fairly well integrated with our existing flock, now up to twelve.  A couple of them are very curious and friendly, while the others are still pretty timid.  However, all are growing a least a couple new feathers (not a moment too soon for such bare birds).  One's got new ones all down her neck and back;  one's even growing a new tail.  No names, at least not yet.  We've not really named our new chickens for the last couple of years, as we planned on eating them eventually;  we did eat some of them (all cockerels).  Last year's remaining cheep--hatched about seven months ago--is still called Cheep (and all grown up, laying nice white eggs now and no longer saying "cheep");  we may eat her in due course, however we have not eaten any old hens yet--so we might not.

Though the whole flock has been together for more than a week now (and within sight of each other for another two weeks), I'm not fully ready to confine them to the small enclosed regular paddocks just yet;  there are still some minor squabbles every day, and vulnerable chickens still have room to run away while they're in their big (though muddy) yard during the morning, or throughout the rest of the back property in the afternoons while free ranging.  The paddocks are too small for anything but a fully cohesive flock, where everyone knows their place in the pecking order:  we're not quite there yet.  The newbies also haven't graduated to the chicken house either:  still sleeping in the old rabbit hutch but I anticipate they'll all migrate to the big coop over the next week or so.

We're not quite at full spring lawn/plant growth either;  I took the old flock off the lawn for about six weeks altogether this winter after they scalped the grass, and even with only light access to it now, it's not recovering quickly enough;  they may all have to stay in their yard fully again, at least for several days at a time.