Treats For The Boys

The goats love a good Christmas tree.  It is such a great treat for them.

They saw it coming!

I think they like the needles in the center best.

There is a little back story to this shot.  Inez, my one and only chicken, is free-range during the day.  Meaning she is free to roam the yard during the day.  It was a good thing I was out trying to get some good pics of the dogs when I see then herding Inez.  I walk around the bushes to get some video and see Gladys with Inez's left-wing feathers in her mouth.  tugging and pulling.  YIKES!!!  I made my first of many rescues I can imagine and set her on the fence and explained to her that it was okay to fly to get out of their way.  We will see tomorrow if she learned her lesson.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Now look who shows up at the Cluck-Thru!  We don't even need to call them.  Somehow they hear when we sit down at the table.  The kids love it and so do the animals.  There is always a treat at the end for the four-legged ones.

They Are Sharing

Trying to fatten everyone up for the winter...especially Inez.

Another One Bites The Dust

Chicken killing critter number two.  Ava, the official critter namer, says his name is Bingo.  Bingo had a great meal of a turkey neck so he can't really complain too much.

Inez lives to see another day...hopefully many more days but if she doesn't start putting herself to bed in the coop I can't guarantee her safety.  Tonight she thought she was having a sleep-over with the goats again.  She is one silly chicken!

Be Free

Monday night Mark decided that the boys could be free.  Meaning that they could go in and out of the pen whenever they chose.  They chose to sleep by the backdoor.  I slept on the couch to keep an eye on them.  Boogie got into the little trash can (that had a tight lid on it) and ate whatever he could find.  I don't even remember what was in it.  Then he used the can on its side as a pillow.  Crack me up.

Boogie figured out that all the fun was happening in the family room and wanted in.

They drank from the chicken waterer.  Ate most of the leave and mowed down all the weeds on the left side of the backyard.  I should have let them out years ago to eat the weeds.  Next fall they will earn their keep.  I'll never have to pull another weed!

This is the very first time that I have noticed Scoot has a heart on his side.

They love the freshly fallen oak leaves.

I am totally serious about the weed eating thing in the fall!  Might even rent them out if I could just figure out how to load them in the truck without them running down the street!

Silly Girl

We read this book today a few times.  This silly chicken reminded me of Inez.  Speaking of my lone chicken, she can't figure out where she wants to roost at night.  One night it is in the coop.  One night in with the goats.  And then there is always on top of the pergola.  We have both traps baited tonight in two different places in the yard.  I can hardly wait to see if we have a new friend tomorrow morning.

Getting my DVM

DMV...doctor of veterinarian medicine...ha, ha, just kidding.

I got a call from a friend at church.  She has a friend that is a new chickie-ma.  One of her chickens was attacked by a hawk.  They asked me to help.  So I go grab all my chicken books and start to research.

I love how this book lays it right out simply so this is what I went with.

Just in case you ever have this problem or someone you know...this is what would do.

The vet told me to get this when Boogie lost a horn.  But I read on the back and you aren't to use it on an animal that you eat or get food from.  I asked if the hen was laying yet and the answer was no.  If it were me I would go to Tractor Supply and ask what they would do.  Or call our farm vet...Dr. Patechell at Rolling Hills Veterinary Services..513-734-9400.

I'll let you know what I hear.

Book 'Em Dan-O

Caught you, you dirty rat!

So maybe it wasn't a raccoon after all.

A little story about our friend.  I love sharing nature with the yahoos in Wammyville.  Little creatures, big creatures, friendly creatures and not so friendly creatures.  This one is a not so friendly creature.  I set the cage out by the sliding doors in the family room.  Our spot for watching the animals that frequent the back patio.  After lunch I let them all have a look.  They loved it.  Adi was even able to share some of what she had learned in preschool about nocturnal animals.  Pappy told them about marsupials.  I just watched and listened. 

Ava was concerned about how he was going to find is mommy,  G-Ma, and his family.  She named him Thomas.  She also wanted to feed him some crackers that she found in her car.  Then she decided that a better name would be Ava.

Tonight the last bit of cat food goes in the trap to see what else is coming to visit.

Not Fans Of The Cold or Snow

This chicken is going to be the death of me.  It's cold.  She has a perfectly awesome cook but refuses to go in at night.  I'm beginning to think she has been traumatized by whatever that is stalking the chickens.  Maybe she knows her days are numbered if she goes in there at night.  But I think it is pretty safe.  I have set traps and caught nothing.  I still climb the ladder at night and put her to bed.  One night she tried to trick me.  She snuck in with the goats and though she would roost there.  No way sister, this is not a sleepover occasion.

The boys are ready to move to anywhere sunny. 

Please, mom, make the cold go away!

I'm Going To Get Them

They better not show up.

If I Ever Get More Chickens

And Now There Is One

Inez is now the lone survivor.  I didn't check on them this morning. And I am kicking myself all over the back yard. Then after church, I called them and there was one.  I found Lucky not so lucky in the nesting box minus her head.  And she wasn't even stiff yet.  Sorry TMI.

She is so mad at me she won't come to me or even look at me.  I even tried to sweet-talk her with some scratch and pumpkin seeds.  Nope, just walked away.

Look at that smarmy look!

I took care of business and then tried to figure out what happened.  My best guess is that I didn't get the latch fastened tight enough and a raccoon got it open.  I feel so bad.  So tonight when I put Inez to bed I made sure that everything was locked up tighter than a drum and I even put empty trash cans in front of the door and by the feeder.  Maybe whatever it was squeezed in the hole where the feeder tube is.  That is the only way I could see.  So hopefully in the morning when I get up Inez will be there happy with me again.  I will have her a special little treat and hope that gets me back in her good graces.  Now I worry about her this winter.  She won't have anyone to snuggle up to so she will stay warm.

This Silly Chicken

Inez is a loud one and one silly girl.  Now she thinks she will be safe if she roots on top of the pergola.  I was sitting enjoying a campfire and watching her.  I tried to get a video at several angles but she was a little skittish.  So I just parked it and patiently waited for her to do her stuff.

And there she sits.  Now when we go out to the hot tub we have to put our towels in a new place so she doesn't poop on them.

I just checked on her.  She is perched in the same place.  Tonight has been windy, rainy, and the temps are to drop below freezing.  I wonder if she will ever figure out that if she sleeps in the roost with Lucky is will be a lot warmer and safer.  Better start beefing up girl.

Molting Chickens and Fun Facts

I'd look at someone with a camera in my face too if I didn't have all my 'clothes' on!

The girls are molting.

I don't know why it is working out this way with all the nasty weather they say we are going to have this winter.  We are doing our best to fatten them up since there are only two of them and they don't like roosting together.

Inez is just starting her molt.

Lucky on the other hand, is well into hers.

She looks so bad.

These pictures make them look good.

The Wammyville families send treats for the Girls all the time.  I put them on a low birdfeeder so all the little wild critters that live in the backyard (one brown bunny, a family of chipmunks and a family of 4 squirrels)

They love a good clump of scratch.  So do I then they scratch up more weeds.  Definitely, a win, win!

Noe for some CRAZY FUN FACTS...

For my birthday, someone that knows me very well and I wish I could remember who it was, got me a Chickens magazine.  I love this magazine.  When we first became chicken farmers I had a subscription.

There is a section titled, 'Ch-Ch-Changes.'  The article describes the 6 ways that hens change as they get older.  I was blown away by some and others I have learned from reading and experience.

1.  As hens get older their legs get bigger and rougher.  Some even grow spurs.  Their bones get rigid, tougher skin and they become less active...that could describe me too!

2, They end to lay fewer eggs. The Girls would lay an egg apiece daily. Now we might get one every 4-5 days. The weather has a little to do with that also. They like the sun and grey days their switch pauses.

3. This one seems strange...the eggs are bigger and the shells are thinner. And the color becomes paler.

4. They begin to put on the pounds Like I said I can relate.

5. This is the crazy one! Spontaneous sex change! One of my girls seems to think she is a rooster. I have heard her try to crow twice. A hen has two ovaries. The one on the left is the one that produces the eggs. The one on the right is underdeveloped. Then those male hormones kick in. This change tells me that one of them has come to the end of their egg-laying days.

6. If there were eggs there is a tendency for them to become broody. Guess there is no chance of that!

The life expectancy of a healthy chicken can be more than 10 years (Mark's hopes this is not true) but the prime egg laying days are over by the time they turn four. So the days are short around here. The Girls are a little over 3 years old. I've tried to talk Mark into getting more but I don't see any new girls in my future.

Just A Lazy Kind Of Day

It looks like someone is molting.  She has already lost her tail feathers.

I found one of Lucky's tail feathers.

FYI...Inez is still roosting on top of the pergola.  I wonder what she plans to do when the weather turns nasty?

Oh No

Somebody is getting a little wing trim tomorrow first thing!

That is where she is sleeping tonight!

I don't think she can actually fly that high because today at lunch we saw her standing on top of the hot tub.  So I think she flies there and uses that as a stepping stone to the top of the pergola.  Inez is one crazy chicken.

Fairy Eggs

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a fairy egg looked like?  Today was the day that we are all going to find out.  These two little eggs have been in a bowl for over a month or two.  I was just waiting for someone to ask to open them  Marli was the one that wanted to know just what did it looked like.  So it became her job.  So without further ado...

She opened the longest egg first.  What she found was just regular insides only a lot smaller.

The second egg was a little different.  I think this one has been around longer.

There was a shell inside a shell

The Girls Are Still Helping

We leave the garden gate open so the girls will just mosey in and begin to scratch the dirt up.  Saves me from having to do so much of it and they leave some little droppings that are good for the soil too.

Work it, girl!

Now she is working on the strawberry bed.  Not to worry we had old plants and they have to be replaced next year.

Farmer Pappy just has to get a tiller to work it up a little more.  We have a good batch of compost that will be put in all the beds before planting time comes.

Looking like a million dollars.

We threw some scratch in there for the chickens to see if we could get a little more work out of them.