A Bedtime Tour

In the chilly darkness of this winter evening, I decided to take a few photos of the chickens at bedtime.  They all roost by the time it gets dark.  I like the peacefulness of the barn at bedtime.

The ducks huddle together on the floor for bedtime.  Ari is well protected by her posse of Wacky Quackers.  It appears that they take turns sleeping and being watchful, all to the benefit of Ari.

Mama Hen roosts with her two "chicks".  I believe the white one will be (yet another) rooster, and the stripey one is a girl.  This is a first for my barn, that a hen remains family with chicks this large.  Normally by this time the mother has pushed them away to begin their independent existence.  This hen even lets them try to nest under her still!

Spot and his girls roost up high on the edge of the isolation pen.  He's grown into a beautiful rooster.  His feathers are silky soft, and now that he has claimed the girls who were chicks in the spring, he's settling into his roosterhood.

On the other wing of the coop, these two old birds roost up high.  Eartha and the Ameraucana are from my first chickens here, in 2006.

Beneath them on the window ledge are (yet another) white cockerel and the gold hens.  (There is a sheet of plexiglass on the outside of that window, they are not sleeping exposed!)

And finally, Egglebert, Eggy Jr. and the rest of the flock.  Chick Chuck sleeps on the far end of the top rung, next to Egglebert.  Then the Isa Reds sleep one or two levels down.  And...  What's this?

[In reviewing this photo I realized something was wrong.  That hen on the ground is not taking a dust bath.  She is dead.  She was also one of my original chickens here.  I guess the cold just got to her, and she died.  As soon as I realize, I rushed out to the barn to remove her.  The other chickens were not in the least bit upset.]

So much for the peaceful bedtime tour!