How Many Chickens in my Backyard?

He says they're my chickens... but... 

We got 3 chickens which was just the right amount.. 

... until we had 5 chickens which was just the right amount... 

... until we had 8 chickens which was just the right amount...

... until we had 11 chickens which was just the right amount...

... until we had 13 chickens which is absolutely the right amount!

They work hard in the woods every morning. 

They always hang out with each other, but it's rare that I can get a photo with all 13 in it.  One will be sitting on the nest or two will be under the deck or some will be behind a trees.  They simply will not line up and smile for the camera!

All 13 in one photo!

Every afternoon my little flock moves to the side yard.  Here they can keep an eye on their coops  and the back door.  If I come out shaking their canister of treats, they come running (except for Fancy who only walks) to greet me then run to their coops... where they may (or may not... sometimes one or two will decide to play ring-around-the-rosy first.) go straight to bed for the night. 

The three coops:
The Sister House, The Cousin House, The Friends House

We had one pretty little coop... until we had two... until we had three which is the just right amount!  They're happy being one big group all day, but they know which coop they belong to... (except for Fancy who sometimes chooses to sleep over with the Sisters or the Friends).

The Sister House:
          Dolly, Torchie, Dot, Sprinkles, Thumbelina
The Cousin House
          Sylvia, Fancy, Red Red, Other Red
The Friends House
          Dominique, Danielle, Eleanor, Marigold

The babies... We grabbed these out of the bin at the farm store
when they were all one day old in August and slipped them
under Dolly that night. The next morning they were a family. 
This is how they look now!
I LOVE how different these sisters are!

Pretty!