Summer door

Finally something to take a picture of that isn't dry and brown looking.
My chickens---with a pictures of a few hens and a number of the roosters above----are now starting to lay eggs. Itty bitty teeny tiny eggs right now. I forgot how small "new" eggs are when a hen first lays--very small. It has been a while since we had young hens so, though we remembered that it worked that way---we were still surprised at the size of them (or lack actually).
Anyways---this weekend they got a new door to their coop. We had realized that the ventilation we provided wasn't working quite as well as it could so we got another salvage door, cut out the glass and panels, and added hardware cloth. Voila! New screened door for improved ventilation. Their "winter door" is stored inside their coop right now and will go back on about the end of October. Lucky chickens---two doors for their house. What more could they ask for? Well, maybe some bugs.
We have noticed that there are a few "pluses" to this drought. Well, I mean if you want to look at it optimistically that is. There are really no Japanese beetles and the ones we do find are very very small---not those jumbo whopper ones. Not many grass hopper or caterpillars to eat our plants. We have absolutely no mosquitoes. I mean---with no rain, no dew and our pond now dusty dusty dry at the bottom (yes, it is completely gone)---there is no place for them to breed. Always a plus not to have mosquitoes right? I also believe based on what I have seen that with the late Easter frost we got--then the drought---that some of the pest cycles are being broken. So next year might be a great agricultural year. Fingers,toes crossed. Prayers sent on their way to heaven. Salt over the shoulder etc etc. Oh yes---rain dances commenced. Anything that might help.
One more thing before I go---our mystery chick from so long ago is actually a Rooster. Yes, the crowing gave him away. AND though he is very attractive he is also mean as a snake----and one of these days when we have more than a minute of time he is going into the smoker. Nasty bird. He follows me sometimes along the fence "talking" to me. I know what he saying too----"come over here and I will kick your behind" That is until I get in there---then he tries to get me from the back. Nasty rooster. We only had one other mean rooster---but the raccoon got him.
By the way a really nice lady named Diana emailed me recently and she too received the same "mystery chick" from murray mcmurray as we did. Here is her web site. They also raise Irish Dexters.