CoopCam in Mashpee

We had a near escape today. It is a glorious day. I was working in the garden all morning, cutting back, putting the fountain to bed for the season and caging and securing my small evergreens for the winter. I collected three eggs this morning but one of the girls did not lay. Mid afternoon the clucking began so I knew that I had one more egg. When I took a break, I brought the girls a treat. You know how they charge me at the coop door. Well, before I knew it, me and three were inside and one girl was outside, looking so pretty and munching the green grass. Bob was at the arbor fixing the gate door. I yelled for him to come help, but as he came about pretty girl ran off. I knew enough to calmly entice and shoe her with treats back into the coop. This episode only lasted seconds, but all I could think about was a coyote or neighbor dog coming out of the woods. I have no pictures to show, but it was another
adventure in raising backyard chickens!

There’s some new gadgets in the coop. I’ve been looking for a proper feed tray and haven’t found anything I like. In one tray I keep the dry food; laying pellets, cracked corn, oats, seeds, etc. In the other tray, I put kitchen scraps; pasta, vegetables, lettuce, etc. The problems been dirt gets into the feed trays when the girls scratch up the sand. That may not bother them but it bothers me. So, I bought two 9″ round cake pans and my husband grometted them together back to back. It works out perfectly because it gives the tray height, is the right size for the four hens to feed at once and is easy to clean.

There’s a new roost in the coop too. Bob built a portable roost from scrap wood. The hens were a little suspicious until they realized it was for their comfort and viewing pleasure. Yes, the girls are spoiled, but they give us back plenty in entertainment, joy and of course, fresh eggs!

My hens are curious and cautious creatures. If I should bring anything new into the coop they will give it the one eye and cluck about as if to say “What’s that?? What’s that??” They will walk about it and check it out gingerly from a distance. This goes on for hours. Today it was a pumpkin with its top cut off. I removed some of the seed and filled it with cracked corn. I get excited bringing them out something new, so I watch from the window or thru my coop cam.

Finally one girl will trepidly approach the foreign object and discover that it is a good treat after all. She will tell the others and then it’s a hen feeding frenzy. It’s fun to change up their diet and expose them to different food items. With the change in season, like us, they should be eating the freshest crops being harvested from the garden.