April 2013 the little ones sit at the edge of the doorway relaxing. I think the golden ones are Evelyn and Orlagh. The black with gold is Ishtar with Beatrice next to her and Ferdek behind her. I raised the flock in a home made brooder in the house and placed them in the coop when they were 5 weeks old. I placed the heat lamp in the coop and kept the doors closed for one week. I had read that by keeping them in the coop for a week it would help them always to come back to the coop to roost. I also closed the entrance to the nest boxes so they would not get use to sleeping in them. I opened the boxes when they laid the first egg on the floor of the coop.
Beatrice and Ferdek, both Silver Laced Polish birds, revealed themselves to be roosters a few weeks after this picture was taken. Ferdek, now named Fancy Pants, was the first to crow. Beatrice was smaller and it was another week or so before I heard her/his high pitched crow. It was tough to be a rooster with the name of Beatrice! He and Fancy Pants started to strut their stuff and made it clear there was not enough room for two roosters in my small coop and now only 5 hens! So Beatrice pulled the short straw and went back to the farm I purchased everyone from. He seemed very happy right away and was probably given a more appropriate name!
