Shifting of the Chooks to their New Home!

SUSAN:
After a busy day of finishing the coop, Nigel and I started shifting the chooks about 7:30 PM -- well, once we realized that we needed a place to hang the water and feed, and Nigel organized that temporarily.... we moved the chooks! We started with #46 who has still been living by himself in the garage, recovering from his pecking of his tail.

Here's the "moving" process:
First, we consulted the chicken bible and placed it within the coop for easy reference, if needed.
Second, I secure the top netting as Nigel catches the chook.
Then I run down to open up the coop and let Nigel inside.
We then journal about the chooks:
-it's number, breed, temperament, and other characteristics (color, deformities, injuries, etc.).
Next, Susan holds the chook while Nigel trims the wing feathers (this was not as horrid as I had envisioned, more like trimming fingernails).
Then, Nigel checks the pooper (i.e. vent) to ensure that it's not clogged or dry (unsure what we would do IF it were clogged or dry, but we check nonetheless). Then, we give it a few pats and encouraging words of advice, and place him/her gently on the floor of the new chook house!

On Saturday night we moved about 17 of the chooks. One was a bit jumpy and was mildly injured, (there was some bleeding) ... so, he went into the garage for the night to recover. He really screamed out as Nigel began to cut his wing.

Up Sunday morning and we moved the remaining chooks. Here are some observations about their character and other characteristics:
- well developed combs
- healthy
- flightly
- strong
- average (most are average)
- big
- pale comb
- bare back & wings (on the Wyandottes, who seem to have been pecked quite a bit)

In the process we moved a beautiful & very white Wyandotte who we have named "snowball" - she promises many eggs :)

And, we left one bare-backed & bloody Wyandotte (Skinnydip) in the brooder to recover.

TOT and Claw were among the very last to be moved into the chooks house. During the move, TOT demonstrated another reason (in addition to his deformity) as to why he should be culled: rowdy, trouble-maker!