Phyliss and Elisabeth

Phyliss and Elisabeth are the two chickens that provide fresh eggs to the pasta line in the casserole factory. Here they are starting out as basswood cutouts. They have the same shape as chickens in my “Poultry in Motion” automata, but half the size. They are art folk art looking and have no feather detail which would be a little overkill for their part in this piece.

Here are the girls after shaping and detailing their beaks and combs, a few simple features that and interest and allow the addition of a little colour.

They will bounce their butts up every time an egg is laid. This action is facilitated by adding a small hinge to their undersides. A small rod will poke up from below causing them to tip forward. It is a simple hinge from the local hardware. It will be well hidden.

Here is the nesting box with the two halves of the hinge installed. You have to disassemble the hinge to install the pieces by pushing the hinge pin out. There are two small holes on either side of the nesting box where can push the pin through to reinsert it into the hinge. I put holes on both sides in case I have to dissemble things to put the push rod in.

In the end they will get a little nesting glued in and they can get on with the business of laying eggs for the factory.