BIRDs (the new and old)

all together in the garden.  (or what is left of the garden!)

a new chapter in chickens have begun.
we let Kevin deal with her grief ( or whatever....) and brought in some new pullets in the first week of October.  It was interesting, bringing in the new birds, and I had to keep them separated for only 3 days before letting them spend time together.  Kevin was a tiny bit aggressive the first two days, but mellowed out soon after.
What I didn't foresee was that Kevin would get sick.  I don't know if it was bringing in the new birds or the hot/cold weather with lots of rain that did it.... but Kevin got a really bad respiratory infection that needed some antibiotics.  I kept Kev in a box during the daylight hours ( for two days), keeping a close eye on her.  Cleaning her, watching her food and water intake... but I also gave the antibiotics to all the birds~ in hopes of keeping them all healthy (healthier).

Kevin is now in the clear~ and the eggs should be edible soon.
so now.... we have 4 healthy birds.
Old and new living together.

The new birds are.... shall I say....
skittish.  afraid of everything. and dumb!
they can't figure anything out....
so, I am glad Kevin is around to show them the ropes....
because if I had to teach each one how to walk out a door....
or not to try and walk through chicken wire ( yes, they try and do that!).....

that said.... there is dispute on names...
but we believe they are going to be Almonzo, Laura and Mary....
but the jury is still out.
Of course.... you will know.... when we decide.

the old leading the new~ Kevin is being followed by Almonzo, Mary and Laura.

And then there was one.

A few weeks back, Sweetie met a saddened demise when a bird dog was doing what it was trained to do.
I attempted to her nurse back, but failed miserably.
and so we are down to one.

Our sweet Kevin.

I will be out to get new birds to add to the Coop of Good Fortune ( which, by the way, has NOT lived up to it's name) at the end of the month.  The chicken lady ( I think she has a first name...) says I need to let Kevin grieve the loss and come to a place of loneliness.   The uncertain part is Kevin seems to be loving the freedom of having the whole garden of worms and bugs all to herself.... I never see a tear shed, or a saddened look on her face.  
(yes, that is me mocking the idea of a chicken grieving).

We are now thinking of changing the coops name to Little House on the Homestead... and naming the new birds Laura, Mary and Almonzo.  
as always...
keeping it real here at the homestead.

saying goodbye

This may be a bit unpleasant of a post....
so I have given a warning before I write further...
please do not read on... if you dont like to say goodbye.


We had to say goodbye,
to a chicken.

I have always said, "these birds are not pets".  although, they have become somewhat of a part of our family.  

.

But, one bird... had to go.
Do you remember me saying that within my first year of keeping chickens that I have experienced the gamut of urban chicken keeping.  Well, this experience does not fall short.... trust me.
A while ago the birds had a huge moulting season.... uggg.
but after the moult, one of the birds  began to lay eggs without a hardened shell ( paper thin, even flimsy).  I tried everything from adding calcium, oyster shells, and even yogurt to her diet.. and her shells were still super soft.  The term, in the chicken farming world, is called "rubber eggs" (and the term is fitting~ they are just like rubbery slimy film).  With having 3 birds- I was having the hardest time figuring which bird it was~ I had an idea~ but still was not 100% sure... until this past week.

Having rubber eggs is a problem because the other birds begin to eat the eggs... thus gaining an appetite for the delicacy.  Well, who can blame them.. right... eggs are pretty darn delicious!  So, not only were we down the one egg from the "rubber laying" chicken but now the other birds are pecking at the good eggs....
causing my egg counts to be... at times... non existent.

Last night... I found out which bird was the "rubber laying" bird.... I literally watched it fall out from her.  It was both creepy and interesting.... but, without a doubt~ I had my bird.  Now, I had to decide on what to do.  After talking it through... we decided....
I had to get rid of her.
plain and simple.
I wont go into details on how or what we (my husband) did.  The hubby had to do it~ because the drama I would have created would have been to much for this house of boys (understatement!).  But... I have reminded myself~ "these birds are not pets... they are producers".
ALL this to say,
we now have two birds....
but, the great thing is.... I get to go and buy two more....  now experiencing the joys of combining broads.
oh, this life I live... is quite interesting. Don't you think?

Finally

FINALLY~ EGGS!

photo credit

your wondering.... what are you talking about?
and honestly, I have no idea what I am talking about....
but the hens decided to all stop laying for a while.
for a very LONG while.
One started to molt in September.... the others followed suit soon after.....
and it has been a very S.L.O.W. molt.
and the eggs stopped!

I believe we got one egg in December.
We got another 1 in early January.
and since September~ we have had no more than 5.

I have hated the fact that buying eggs at the market is now a monthly thing... especially when I have girls in the yard for that!  Its the same feeling I get when I need to replace a brand new pair of jeans that my son, so kindly, decided to slide into third base.... and rip up.  It makes me want to "GRRRR!"

When one has bird struggles- you seek out advice.... and at our local feed shop the owner has birds~ and struggles with the same thing. She said that with 20 bird~ she only had 7 eggs for the whole month of December.

The weather.
The dark. (even with a light in the coop)
The molting.
so many factors.....

as of this past week though.... there has been some ruckus in the coop, and the girls have started to sing again.  The past two days we have had 1 egg.
Imagine my excitement when today I walked out to find 2.
it was almost as if I could sing from a mountain top....( I have never been known to not be dramatic!).

Who knew that having chickens would create such excitement in one person.... much like the birth of your first child (ok, so not THAT exciting), but maybe when your child brings home their first 100% on a spelling test... Or when they finally start understanding multiplication tables (can you tell I have a 4th grader!).

So, all this to say.... We have eggs.... and I am "oh so happy" about it!

my garden

look at all that open space to fill next year....

The spring project has been completed.... as the playgym and swings were removed...

they were cut down in sections, and everyone pitched in.

The plan (next spring) is to build raise beds in the area and extend the size of our garden space.... almost three times larger!

Our chickens were given a space to roam, but our chicken wire was to low for two birds... who "flew the coop" many times throughout the days... not to mention the dog that could leap over it to share in the game of "Run Chicken Run" or a snack of cracked corn and clippings.  Bryan had to double the size of the chicken wire~ and so now it is not as much a chicken pen... but more like a state pen(itentiary).

visiting hours are from sun up to sun down

The sun has been shining, and the rains have been falling~ which have been great fuel for the garden.  It has flourished over the past few weeks....
We have had quite a few salads full of our garden greens.... and the peas get snacked on before they reach the back door.  O has been known to sit near the vines and just pick and eat (the little turkey!).

things are green and looking great!

ahhhh.... I love my garden.

gardening boy

tis the time of year...
where the winter fades and the spring gardening gets started.
This year we have another little helper alongside the hubby and I....
B has decided he wants to "help" plant beans.

This weekend we built two shade trellises for cucumbers to grow up and for lettuce to grow from under.  We used PVC pipe so that we could dismantle it and reuse it each year.... and once the starts come forth we will use garden wire to train the vines to trellis.  Much like this one....

see what we did!
the cucs will grow up the PVC, and
the lettuce will grow from underneath

The chickens have been given their little space around the coop in the back of the garden... but one little devious one- keeps finding her way out (even with her wings clipped!)... she continues to keep us on our toes.

the sneaky one!

So we have gotten our starts out from the greenhouse and have given them space to grow.  Carrots, onions, spinach, tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, squash..... and herbs.  Oh goodness!!!! It is Spring!

peas~ yummers!

devious garden destroyer #2

cabbage~ simple entertainment!

If you have chickens..... there are some things you do to keep them entertained while they remain "coop"ed up ( pun intended) in this kind of weather

• you throw in some tennis balls to let them peck them around.
• you set up some hanging CD's to allow them to spin them.
• you set up some straw to let them peck and scratch.

tis the time of year that they can get a  little "antsy" and start picking on their fellow house mates....
which in turn can end up a little tragic.... they tend to pinch and peck at each other~ and cause little "ouchies"

but this idea.... is one that can entertain us all.
hang a head of cabbage.  fabulous!
so this weekend.... I think I will try this and be entertained!

reading

I love this photo.

This was taken a few week after school started.

The school was having a "reading is everywhere" challenge where students and teachers were encouraged to photograph times when you are "caught" reading. This photo was O's idea. He mapped out what he wanted, how he wanted it designed and centered..... it was all him. I just point and clicked.

::I think we have a creative photographer on our hands!::

stripped.....

Today we said goodbye to our veggies, and began to prep the soil for a winter's rest......

one perk is that we have very very happy chickens!

They are loving the worms and bugs that are being tilled to the tops of the soil.

we interrupt this blog....

with some funny and shocking news from the Coop of Good Fortune...

we got a second egg from one of the girls.....

a second egg that is light colored, thin shelled, odd shaped

this photo is of Odin's hands... so it give you an idea of how large this egg is!

and had a surprise inside.

unfortunately I couldn't photograph it because my camera battery sucks! but.....

the surprise was a rarity of sorts....

it was an egg inside an egg.

at first we pondered the thought it was an embryo..... so we started dissecting it before I thought to photograph it..... (all while I was mumbling under my breath... "we had better not have another rooster!")

but as we cut into the second egg.... we found no yolk. It was weird... and at the time I was a tad grossed out..... but after searching the World Wide Web I found this site

http://www.poultryhelp.com/oddeggs.html

and it explained it all.

they called it an "fart egg" (I know one friend who will read this blog and giggle right now)

so, we are now adding another experience under our belts.... and moving forward with living with backyard chickens.

I hear this is "just all in a days work"......

now back to our regular blogging.

I know- I have promised you a wedding......

we have...

A PAID tenant!

Sweetie has gone and laid an egg.

WHOOT! WHOOT!

We are now open for Breakfast!

(for at least one person.)

waiting for eggs.....

Sweetie- our oldest chicken should be laying soon.

Any day now......

I am always making trips to the coop to "check on our progress".

the others are growing fast, getting their personality....

and we have given them names now.

I know we said we wouldn't name them until they started to lay eggs, but with 3 unnamed chickens... you can only "call the girls" so often.

so meet....

KP (short for Kung Pao)

she is the fattest and laziest.

MuShu

she is the shy one and smallest.

her and KP seem to always be together.

and Kevin.

(I know it doesn't go with the Chinese theme but

I have always wanted to name a female pet Kevin.)

Kevin is the more adventurous and social one out of the younger three.

She is also the one that likes to be picked up~ so you will always find her in the arms of a child.

the sign.

two weeks ago I created this sign for the Coop on BUILD A SIGN and spent less than $10 to have it printed up. I used their street sign template and I think I LOVE IT!

When the girls start "paying rent" I want to paint one that says "open for business".... and hang it from the door... or maybe even "now serving breakfast"....

how funny would that be?!?!

next step~ painting some designs...... (if only it would stop raining around here!)

catch-up #4. B

Title: The He and She of it all.... Part Deux

so..... back to my coop story.

where were we....

oh yea.

three new pullets (7 week old~ assumed age).

so, we bring home three new pullets.

as we let them roam the range....

we notice one start to "relax" and rest it's feathers.

now (one of the) tall-tale (or tall-tail in this case) signs that you have a rooster is their back end feathers stick straight up.

look at this photo, and tell me what you see.

yes.

that is right.

one of the three newbies.... was ANOTHER rooster.

so the next day... into a box he went,

returned to the store....

bringing home my LAST pullet from this place.....

the place where "sexing" is not quite the art mastered.

NOW, (you would think the drama would have ended)

think again.....

with an older hen already in the coop, bringing in newbies is not an easy task.

they get "pecked to death" well not to death ( you hope)... but defiantly peck on.

Sweetie went from having two men pushing her around to three newbies in her space.

What a trooper.....

but she took a few days to warm up to sharing her space.

We had to segregate the coop troops for a few days....

and then just left them to figure it out after 3 days of separation.

it took about 6 days...

but Sweetie is back to her sweet self, and is living at peace with three new "sisters" (we hope they are sisters).

PS~ if any of these newbies are not hens but men.... I have already concluded I will swap for scratch. I am not doing this again... this year.

My first season in chicken keeping I have experienced pretty much every scenario you could experience... other than the raccoon (thanks Simpson for the heads up!).

We have also concluded that we are not naming the girls until they start "paying rent"....

its just easier that way.

catch-up #4

Title: The Chickens... the He and the She of it all.

They were born in early February.

Brought home in mid March.

They were cared for and loved every day with the utmost for their well-being.

we lost one leaving us with 3....

and soon the others grew.

and grew.

the coop was finished.

and they moved into the new digs.

One day..... we heard a noise.

was it a cluck????

not sure.

so the days went on.... and the noise continued.... not at a constant~ but every. so. often.

it wasn't particular to the mornings....

but it was growing....

not a "coca-doodle-doo"... but (after a week) a "coca... something or other".

So I made a call....

she said" does it look different.... you can tell by how different they look"

I told her it didn't have saddle feathers, but some were starting to be pointed.... but it didn't look different..... "

that night I was resting on the couch when it came to me....

if it doesn't look different.... then maybe... just maybe.....

I have two roosters.

the next day, my suspicions were confirmed....

by not one...

but two different rooster crows..... ALL DAY LONG!

oh the timing these little guys have.

please tell me you see the humor of it all.

here they are in order.... the hen (Sweetie) and the men (Sesame and General)

we were able to return the two males.... and we got 3 newbies (at about 7 weeks).

but there will be more on that tomorrow, because trust me....

there is still more to tell!

catch-up #2

Title: All COOPed up!

While away on my floating vacation..... my hubby was finishing the casa de pollo... or in our neck of the woods... the Coop of Good Fortune.

The girls all look so good in their sweet new home.

Just in time too....

they have gotten big,

keeping them in a container in the garage was getting a little difficult.

there is one step left to do... and that is decorate.

I am now hunting for some fine details like red knotted tassels, a Fan or two, maybe even a paper lantern! I am dreaming up a sign as well... and maybe even a "daily specials" chalk board.... these creative wheels are turning baby!

also...

to end this post I will like to pay tribute to a bird lost.....

we are bird short.

our Delaware ~ Mandy ( yes the coolest named chick... Mandarin) had a parasite that she could not beat....

sadly, she was the most loved out of the birds...

because she would let the kids catch her, snuggle her, and cuddle (due to the fact that she WAS sick!)....

so, in tribute to our loss and her short lived life.... we will have white stamped our coop with her name....

I will get right on that.....

Coop Creation~ step 2

::COOP~ What comes next::

put up the walls.

set up the sides.

get a roof on.

and maybe a few nesting boxes.

this weekend the birds were out watching the dad build their home....

one may have put in a few beaks worth as well.

Coop Creation~ step 1

General at 6 weeks.

Notice her head feathers are starting to come in. She is our "big girl".

::What you need to know about setting up the coop::

First you must find a good place to have it

(be sure to think of the door access and the grumbles of neighbors).

We set ours up in the back of the garden space... towards the back of the yard and the furthest spot from all the neighbors. Ground has been broken.... framing is almost set to be put up we just need the rains to stop for a bit.

next- tell the girls all about their new home and share with them how much

they are gonna love it!

Maybe even walk the grounds together~ you know, explore the new digs.

But most of all~ stop for a photo op with mom and give a cute smile!