Doing A Little Better Today

The girls are really starting to cope with the snow.  They  are so funny.  They want to come out but they don't.  I figured out if I put down straw and then add a little treat to it, they will come out to scratch.  Just gotta be smarter than the chicken.

Or maybe they are working me for extra treats?

The Animals Are Coping Well With The Snow

I am still getting a few eggs.  On a good day I will have three.

EffieGrace is still hanging in there.  I fixed her a little spot in the corner under the plastic in some straw.  And I gave her a pretty big helping of sunflower seeds this morning.  But looks like Esthelle  found them.

Binker buries himself in the straw and seems quite content.

Buns could care less.  She never seems to get cold.  She eats me out of house and home.  She tends to eat her straw rather than snuggle in it.

And then we have another poor molting chicken.  Dixie is losing feathers so fast.  Why on earth would you be scheduled to molt in the middle of winter?

I Feel So Bad For Her

It is so cold.  And I know I am worrying about something I can't control but I gotta do something but she is killing me.  I realize she is a bird.  And birds know what to do in the winter to stay warm.  But I still feel bad for her.

I sectioned a little area for her right by the dryer vent.  

It took her about two seconds to back up against it.

I watched her fall asleep...standing up.

When I left the backyard to get her a little treat she was sound asleep.  I checked again while I was inside and she was still there.  Then I came with some more treats and she was gone.  Guess the dryer went off.  I threw some frozen corn in the little space to show the other girls they could go there to get warm.  The could have cared less.

This molt seems like it has been going on forever!  I will be so thankful when it is ll over and she is back to normal.

They Are Ready

Mark and I worked on the rabbit hutches today.  It is going to be really cold the next few days so I wanted to make sure they wouldn't freeze.  I gave them extra straw and their boxes are full of straw and fur.

Buns spends a lot of time outside the box while Binker gets all nestled in.  Binker's straw lasts longer because it doesn't get eaten...not like someone else we know.  That rabbit will eat you out of house and home.  Each night I try to remember to bring in their water bottles and sit them by the heat vent so they will be ready in the morning and not frozen.  Some days I do better than others.  Like right now i need to go get them.

My Girls Are So Sweet

I have he beset chickens ever was!  Tonight when I wen tot tuck them in, this is what I found...

Ethel and Estelle had EffieGrace tucked under their bums keeping her warm.  Such good girls.

The Great Chicken Switch-A-Roo

I have been keeping a really close eye of EffieGrace.  She still looks pitiful...those old feathers are just having the hardest time coming back out.  She got wormed so it is not that.  I have checked for mites...found none.  She eats.  She walks around.  She drinks.  She poops.  I am at a loss for what to do for her next.  My family has drawn the line at bringing her in the house and snuggling with her in the blankets.  I don't now why I worry so...she seems to be taking care of herself.

So last night I went out to lock The Girls for the night I could not find EffieGrace.  I searched everywhere.  There was snow on the ground so I thought I would just be able to follow the chicken tracks.  Only thing was...there were no tracks.  I searched in all the places she like to scratch.  No EffieGrace.  I got out some treats and shook them and called and called for her.  I was starting to panic so I went in for backup.  Mark came out in the bitter cold helping me look for her.  We even stooped so low as to look for feathers on the ground.  I had looked in The Little Girls run countless times but this time a little black and white ball caught the corner of my eye.  There she was all huddled over and puffed up to keep warm inside The Little Girls run.

And this is where I found her this morning...in the Big Girls nesting box.

Thenwhen I checked on The Big Girls....Sunny was just taking life easy in The Big girls run.  I'm so glad they all like each other.

Effie Grace wants to spend another night with her new snuggle buddies.  It is getting a little crowded in there.

No Way Sister

The girls are not big fans of the snow.  Not at all!  When I went to check on them and open then up this morning I found the Little Girls in the boxed in roost.  A place that they never go!  All snuggled in together just yakking up a storm.  The Big Girls were out and about checking on the white stuff that covered their run.

The looks I got told me that they were not the least bit happy with their surrounding.

Ethelle and Inez were the only two that ventured out.  Ethel looked out but never took a step towards the snow.

EffieGrace just huddled in herself to keep warm.

And they didn't go far.

Inez came running when she thought I had some treats.

But it was an excellent egg production day...one from the Big Girls and five from the Little Girls!

Second Try

Since the first try was an epic fail I took Leah's advice and whipped up some garlic and cayenne pepper scrambled eggs this morning.  They gobbled the right up!  SUCCESS!  (I did it while Ella was sleeping so she had no idea there was a real treat in the backyard that she was not going to get to have).

There was lots of 'elbowing' and pecking going on.  The eggs surprise lasted all of two minutes.

I knew that EffieGrace in all of her embarrassment would stand back and wait until everyone was finished and then go over to get the crumbs.  I called her over and gave her her very own little breakfast of nice warm doctored eggs.  And I waited while she ate, standing guard so no one else could eat them.  She finished all but a little bit.  That little bit she guarded with her life.   Another side to her came out...survival mode I think.

I am feeling like a good Chickie-Ma right about now.

Chicken Worming 101

I was reading the other day and the article said that it is good to worm your chickens ever so often just in case there is a problem. I have not seen any evidence of said little creatures but thought we should start out 'fresh' in the new year.  I read that you can buy medication but then you have to get rid of the eggs for awhile until the medication runs through the chicken....how do you figure that one out.  I chose to go the a-la-natural organic route.  I read that pumpkin seeds were good.  Then I read they were not.  So I chose grits, Cayenne pepper and garlic.  I also put ACV (apple cider vinegar) with the mother in their water.

This is what it looked like.  Big girls get the medium size plate.  Little girls (because there are 6 of them and only 4 Big Girls) get the plate on the right and EffieGrace (the chicken having the worst molt in the history of molts) gets her own special dish all by herself in the run.  She shies away from doing anything with the other girls.  I was so excited.  It would be worm in their bellies on this freezing cold morning and good for them too.  The Little Girls dived right in.  The Big Girls turned their noses up at it and EffieGrace ran the other way. EPIC FAIL!

Then I spied some cooked rice in the fridge.  I know they love rice so I mixed up more pepper and garlic.  The gobbled it up like white on rice! (LOL)

EffieGrace even joined the party!  I sure was glad to see that!

Here's the info that I read....Cayenne pepper is a great spice to use because the chicken have no heat receptors,  They love it.  I can even mix it in with their regular food and they will gobble it right up.  Worms can't stand the heat and they run out the back door (if you get my drift).  I will need to do it again in 10 days.

My only problem...Ella.  I'm guessing that I should really watch her because if she eats any of this stuff it won't be good.  I don't have to worry about her getting in the Little Girls run because the door is too low to the ground and she can't crawl under things anymore.  I will need to make sure that the Big Girls run is locked tight so she can't wiggle her way in there.

I'll give you a progress report in a day or two.

So Surprised

I honestly have no idea how to read my girls some days.  Today a cold, dreary, snowflakes come hit or miss and they lay 5 eggs.  What!

Then I try juggling them in my hand so I can get a good pictures of the..dropped my phone right on the biggest one.  Guess I'm having a fried egg sandwich.