Chicken Update - Runaway Rooster

Allura is officially Al. He started to crow Sunday morning. 

Carrie threw him in with the babies to see if that would distract him long enough for our neighbors to sleep in. Then, she pulled out the round pen and grabbed a tarp. It kept him quiet long enough to make a "Free Rooster - Not for Dinner" post.

Sadly, the post went unanswered. The email address for the breeder wasn't working either. We let the rooster run around with the young hens and then dropped him back in isolation for the night. It was never meant to be a long term solution. 

A couple of days went by and we still had a rooster.

Then a large storm blew through at night. The next morning, I saw this.

The roof collapsed under the weight of the rain. The side walls were intact, but there was no roo within them.

Al escaped somehow. I know he wasn't taken by a fox, because I found a note on our front door after work. He'd run through somebody's yard. I called and Jocelyn said he'd run off into the bamboo sunset before they caught him. Jocelyn said she'd call back if she (or her beagle) spotted Al again.

This is where Al's story will end. There are foxes, hawks, and buzzards in the bamboo. He's got more of a chance to survive than a hen, but his days were limited anyway. We were talking about finding a butcher if no one wanted him.

Then hens are doing well. Two of the silkies have been perma-broody since Carrie went on her odyssey. One girl went broody for over a month, but I've seen her walking around on occasion since. 

We usually find 1-3 eggs a day. One and a half is probably the average. Carrie made a new nesting box, but the girls have shunned it for the cardboard.

You wouldn't think that small chickens could change the landscape, but there are potholes in front of the boxes. The camera doesn't do it justice. If we're not careful, the hens could accidentally dig an escape tunnel.