A week ago last Friday, the electrician who was working on my father-in-law's barn (where the coop is located) told me he was disconnecting the electricity so he could finish the re-wiring job between my FIL's other buildings. He said, "The electric company should be out here on Monday to hook things back up." The only thing I was concerned with was the chicks, but I thought they'd be old enough to survive without their warm red light.

As you have deduced from the title of this post, ten days later and there's still no sign of the electric company for whatever reason. The chicks have done fine, but it's getting old tending to them in the morning now that the sun is late in rising.

Also, as a direct result of this, I have lost one of my laying hens. It was the one who survived the dog attack. Last week I went into the tack room to do a little work. It was dark and I didn't see her hunkered down in the straw, continuing her recovery from the attack. I didn't know she was there until I stepped on her.

She squawked and protested big time, running out of the barnyard. I tracked her down and gently coaxed her into the coop so I could lock her up with the others that night. The next morning she slowly toddled out and that was the last time I saw her. I suspect she a) went somewhere to recover and was set upon by a critter, b), went somewhere to recover and died, or c), went somewhere and just plain died.

(Grumbles incoherently)

All of that notwithstanding, I collected 49 eggs last week. The Ross chicks are at that ratty looking stage right now, where their pinfeathers aren't quite thick enough to cover them and the big feathers haven't started coming in yet. I've already made a very special appointment for them. On the 15th of October, they're going to go for a ride in the car. On the 16th, they will return here, but will stay in a new location - our freezer.

(Yes, I said October 15th, a scant 19 days from now. Rosses are bred to grow to maturity (read: "proper size to process") in 42 days.)