The Mistaken Identity

It was late January and Rural King decided that they HAD to bring in baby chicks... which of course meant that I HAD to get more baby chicks.

The Big Girls

We already have 5 big girls, Rhode Island Reds: Carol the Narcoleptic Chicken, Stevie Boo Alfreda the Wonder Hen (she's my favorite, but don't tell the others), Space, Shithead and Lazy.  I'm still technically within city limits, so I can only have 12 chickens.  Rural king makes you purchase 6 or more at a time.  So, we went in with a few other people and got new pullets.

My Stevie Girl
How can you NOT love that big, Floppy comb?

We wanted to add some color to the flock so I requested an Ameraucana, a Silver Laced Wyandotte and a Golden Laced Wyandotte.  The younger Golden Laced was sickly and I believe a few of them died, so they brought me an older Golden Laced, 1 older Ameraucana, a baby Ameraucana and a baby Silver Laced Wyandotte.  I always name my critters, so we went with: Independence for the older Ameraucana (who is actually just an Easter Egger.  She doesn't display the proper characteristics to be straight Ameraucana), Liberty for the smaller, white Ameraucana, Goldilocks (Goldie) for the Golden Laced and Allace (pronounced Alice) for the Silver Laced Wyandotte.

Tiny Little Allace

Independence was a good 3-4 weeks old when we got her.  She was about seven times the size of the other girls.  She quickly earned the name "Teresasaurus Rex" because of her long, gangling legs and her mannerisms.

Liberty <3

It came to a point where the girls were all getting too big to be kept in the brooder, so we had to find somewhere to keep them until they could go outside.  We stuck the girls in a dog crate in the garage for a few weeks and then we turned off the heat lamp to prepare them for the colder outdoors.

Goldilocks

A few weeks later, they were ready to be integrated into the flock.

The awkward Independence (AKA Teresasaurus Rex)

Our coop setup is like this:  We have 1 coop with a small run attached, a second coop where the big girls have always preferred to lay their eggs, and then we have dog kennel fencing around that, with a kennel cover.  -The roofing on this thing had gone through approximately 4 design flaws before we broke down and bought the kennel cover kit.  Storms tore that thing down repeatedly... But I digress.

Top Left to Right: Liberty, Allace
Bottom front: Independence
Bottom Back: Goldilocks

When it came time to put the littles outside, we locked them into the coop with the run.  Their food and water goes in the run with them.  The big girls can see them and scream at them, but they don't have full access to the little girls.  When the big girls get their free range time, we shut the kennel door and give the little girls free range time inside the kennel confinement.

At this point, it's been right around a week that the little girls have been outside.  Starting about Sunday morning, whenever I head out to feed the goats, I keep hearing the weirdest chicken noise that I've ever heard.  I looked up at the girls and said "What are you girls doing?  It's going to storm all day, so you probably can't have your free range time.  Get comfortable in your coops and try to stay dry!" and I left it at that.

The little "GIRLS" enjoying their Free Range time

Monday morning comes and I go outside to feed the goats and check on the girls.  Everyone seems fine.  But then there's that god awful screeching noise again.  I look up at them and say "Okay girls, I will let you out tonight after work, but you have to wait!"  I know how much the girls love their free range time.  I just figured they were getting annoyed at me and the weather.

Tuesday morning comes and there it is again... and then it dawns on me... Oh shit.  Teresasaurus isn't a Teresa at all... Teresa is a Tomosaurus REX!  Teresa is trying to crow...  At that moment, she puffs up and belts it out.  A squealing, high pitched "eeeeeerr eh errrrr eh errrrrrrrrrrrrrrr".  It sounded like a teenaged boy with a crackling voice as he's going through puberty.  Trying so damn hard to belt it out, but it just comes out sounding like some nonsense...  but it kept going on and on and on.  He crowed about 5 times and I was like "Yep.  Independence is officially a Roo.  She's not a baby girl at all.  She's so big and colorful because she's a HE!".

As much as I want to keep all my babies, I can't.  There's no way I can have a rooster within city limits.  I don't need to annoy my neighbors anymore than I already do with my critters.  I am now on the hunt for new housing for my Independence, AKA Tomosaurus Rex.