3 cuckoo marans join the 2 ameraucanas

More new chicks.

I know, I know...I know. But I happened to mention to my neighbor, the neighbor who raises hens solely for feather and egg variety, that I'd seen local sources for Cuckoo Marans, layers of deep chocolate brown eggs.

Image via Wikipedia

Maran eggs

Next thing I knew, the neighbor was driving out to a farm 45 minutes away. She thoughtfully brought back a few extra chicks for us to raise, as well. Our Ameraucanas were getting restless in the rabbit cage, so DH built a bigger enclosure out of some old closet doors, leftover baseboard, and a partial roll of hardware cloth. It's sturdier than our old cardboard castle and with a few modifications, should be useable as a chicken tractor later on.

So the 3-week olds have more space to move around, and the 10-day Marans are secure in the rabbit cage within the new space. We'll blend these two sets gradually, then eventually get all the hens used to each other. We have 11 older hens, the 9 March chicks in the barn, and these 2 sets of young'uns. Not the smartest set up, but I think it will all work out eventually.

And the March chicks? They're all well. This one, whose tailfeathers we've been watching grow longer and more beautiful by the day, even started crowing.