Chicken Math Begins...
HG
3 Pullets
The First Threee
All three of these girls grew up in a dog cage with a fabric wrapping to keep them warm for the Spring months it was so cold in N.C. -- I would get home every day and run to their room and water, feed and love on them until it was time to go to bed. I was very smitten with these three little girls. All so different, but fragile baby hens, none the less, requiring all my extra time.
A Rooster for the Girls
Welcome "Zeus"
After about four months, a coworker mentioned her aunt had raised a cockerel but did not need another male in her flock and was giving away the Rhode Island Red about a year old. So, we thought, yeah, the three girls will eventually start laying and we can always produce more baby chickens for eggs and food, all we need is a "rooster". YES! We'll take him.
​
We met the aunt at the Dollar General in Denver, NC on a Saturday. He was a fine specimen! He seemed very docile, so we went home and set him up in his new home.
Nae-Nae is a boy...
Two Roosters won't do...
It turns out Nae-Nae was a cockerel and wont be laying any eggs. So now we have two roosters and two pullets.
That is not ideal. So, we go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan. Google said that four or more hens would keep a rooster occupied and happy.
​
Because Nae-Nae turned out to be a cockerel that will bite and chase and try to skewer your limbs with the spurs on their feet, we decided we would keep Nae-Nae because I love him no matter what, AND we would secure two additional RI Red pullets for Zeus to accommodate the four "hen minimum requirement".
​​
I like that plan!
Three Enclosures
Separating the Roosters
Because Zeus tried to skewer little Nae-Nae, I knew we had to keep them separated, so the hen house which once held the three young chickens, now only hold the two girls. But they are besties and are loving the extra room. However, Nae-Nae needed his own enclosure to ensure he wouldn't be able to get out or any critters to get in. So, my "repurpose" expertise became his best chance because I was low on funds.
​
It worked out perfectly and every chicken was happy.
