Chickens and change
We now have a rooster. He is the first son of our neighbours rooster "Eric".
"Eric" has won a prize at the Walcha show, is known to Rosie of Triple J and was scheduled to have his picture in the 'J' Mag, so he's got some pedigree. He's a White Sussex and a big bird.

His son is known as Ericson, (see note at end) well that's what we're calling him. At first I was worried about adding a rooster to the flock more in terms of roosting space, but last night he was first into bed and claimed one of the nesting boxes for his own.

This morning however when I moved the roost to new ground I discovered a chicken dead on the ground outside. Now whether this one had been outside and hiding when I closed the roost last night and froze to death last night (it's -2°C as I type this and the house water pipes are frozen) or whether she and Ericson had a brief power struggle unseen late yesterday afternoon I don't known.

So in the future I'll have to build an incubator and see if we can hatch some chickens. The Isa-browns aren't reliable mothers and so can't be trusted to stay on the eggs till hatching.





P.S. His name will be Erikson in the future as that's a better, maybe even more correct way of spelling it.  ¶ 8:10 AM