Rebounding

Lucille has a new home now, so that's a relief.  A very nice man came and picked her up, and explained that he had 3 acres for the ten chickens, including a rooster, that he already kept.  Kendra joyously exclaimed, "Lucille gets to have a boyfriend!"  And everyone was very glad that she would have friends now, so that was nice.  I was worried they wouldn't really understand.

Dealing with Craigslist, whether you're in the market for chickens or any other thing, is always such a weird experience.  We had a lot of interest-- probably ten people who either texted, emailed, or called.  But it's amazing to me just how flaky people tend to be.  After trying to wait it out on the first lady I promised Lucille to, and then never hearing from her, we resorted to just telling everyone that whoever got here first got the chicken.  We did at least promise that once she'd been picked up we'd tell them so they wouldn't waste a trip out here.  I hate doing things like that, but I also didn't want this to drag out for weeks while we tried our luck with each person a day at a time, with me sitting at home scared to leave in case I missed them.

So I'm glad to have it all done with for now.

And bonus, now we don't have to worry about Lucille's water freezing while we're out of town for Thanksgiving.

I've already got big plans for the spring.  I'm actually going to get the same three breeds we got the first time (Welsummer, Buff Orpington, Silver-Laced Wyandotte)-- I really liked each of those, and I liked the various colors they brought to our flock.  But this time we're going to order them through mail using mypetchicken.com.  It's more expensive (the chicks are pretty cheap, but there's a pretty hefty shipping and handling fee, since they MUST be delivered in two days), but this way we won't have to drive all over the state to gather them (which wasted a lot of time and gas).  And, in addition to those three, I'm thinking we'll get a silkie, too.  They're basically the poodles of the chicken world.  Here's an example:

Or maybe they're more like sheepdogs?  I don't know, but they're fun.  And they're supposed to be even more cuddly than Orpingtons, the very idea of which started Kendra squealing with delight.

So there's that to look forward to.  I'm already thinking about names-- we could go with Disney princesses (I've always loved the name Aurora, but it seemed a bit lofty and hard-to-say for a baby).  Or maybe candy bars?  Snickers would be a good name for a speckled brown chicken.  Famous women from history?  We could have a Marie Antoinette!  That might just fit a silkie quite nicely...!

Anyway, happier days await us.  And best of luck to Lucille making friends in her new flock.