Clockwork

The original set of chickens were born the first week of February 2013 and they laid their first eggs on July 4^th, almost exactly 5 months after they were born.  The new chickens were born the first week of May and, like clockwork, they laid their first eggs today – October 1^st. 5 months. Must be the magic number. And to top it off, they were bluish greenish eggs from the Easter Eggers. 

First eggs laid by the original set of chickens last year

 

Eggs collected from the nesting box today!

 

The babies have grown so much in the last couple of months since the last post. They are finally big enough to fend for themselves and they have been fully integrated into the coop. But not without some excitement along the way.

I had my Dad create a divider in the coop so that the Izzie and O’Malley would be introduced to the babies but wouldn’t eat all of their food or peck on them too much.

 

It was a pain in the butt to clean the coop and constantly replace the two different types of food. I kept the babies on their side for as long as I could. But then it was time to integrate.  I ripped out the chicken wire and hoped for the best.  The next morning I remember checking on them first thing when I woke up – worried that one of the babies would be huddled in the corner or well I wasn’t quite sure. But all was fine.

Now when I let Izzie and O’Malley out in the yard, the babies would be able to join them.  At first the little ones would barely stray from the coop.  Scared of the unknown.  But I mean who can blame them? They aren’t stupid that’s for sure. When the first 3 months of your life are spent in a small cage under a heat lamp with very little exposure to the elements the big backyard with what seems like little safety with foxes lurking in the woods, hawks circling in the sky… that coop was home. But eventually they made their way further and further and realized their were bushes to hide in and bugs to peck out in the grass. 

Still staying close to the coop

 

We had a minor scare with Chickaletta – Savannah got her and mouthed her, basically Savannah was trying to carry her around like a pup.  But I still don’t like seeing the chicks like that.  I nursed her for a day and put her back in the coop.  Now Chickaletta is the ring leader for the babies.  She is the most interactive and always runs toward me when she hears the treats. 

All 7 chickens roaming along the fence on the opposite side of the yard

It was also funny to watch the babies figure out where they are allowed to sleep. Their first instinct was to jump up on the small roost – but they quickly learned that Izzie and O’Malley sleep there. Lena was up on the roost and O’Malley was up next to her just pecking away until she finally jumped down.  The big girls have never pecked any of the babies to the point they draw blood, so I have never had to interfere.  Just letting the natural cycle occur.

Overall, this experience has been much more interesting to watch how different the breeds really are. Jazzy is beautiful and looks so much like Spooks but yet, has a different personality.

The Easter Eggers are skittish and do not like to be held. They are fast and very lean compared to the Brahmas. The first eggs are much smaller than the brown eggs laid by Brahmas.  I’m curious to see what size and color the other babies lay. Lena, the other Brahma, has a much broader chest just like the other Light Brahmas.  She is sweet but also quite scared ever since the neighbor dog was trying to play with her and she got caught in a huge vine of weeds along the fence. 

Lena and Lady Gaga taking a dust bath in my mulch (Grant loves the mulch mess :)

And as I mentioned before, Chickaletta, the Buckeye has grown into a pretty chick with deep, rich auburn feathers.

These babies are definitely growing on me. And I am excited to have the others start laying too. But I don’t think they will every replace my original trio that was lost to the fox. And I’m not sure I could handle many more – I think this coop is at capacity! Stay tuned for another update as more eggs arrive.

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather. Peace, love and eggs.

Starting Over

It has been a few months since my last post and quite a bit has changed with the chicken situation.  On April 24th, three of my hens were attacked and killed by the neighborhood fox.  The worst part - the fox didn't even take the chickens - just snapped their necks and left them laying in the yard.  Luckily my husband came home and scared the fox off before he was able to get to the other two.  O'Malley and Izzie are the lucky survivors. I am convinced that Izzie has 9 lives - she survived a fox attack last year and then again this year.  I was happy when it wasn't just one of the chickens that had survived - they are birds and used to being in a flock so I was concerned that one bird would not have lasted much longer alone. 

We buried Lexi, Grey, and Spooks underneath their favorite tree in the back yard. 

I miss those crazy chicks every day.  In Memory of Lexi, Grey and Spooks. RIP 2-1-13 to 4-24-14.

 

However, after mourning my loss, I decided that it would be best to buy a few more to add to the flock.  I found a woman selling a variety of breeds out in Hamilton and decided to go for it.  I already had all of the supplies, so why not? Also, I had a few "sponsors" that wanted to purchase the chickens in return for their eggs once they start laying.  I wanted my own and so did Grant, so we ended up with 5 new babies!

 

I picked them up and threw them in the box. Such scared little ones!



We ended up with 2 Easter Eggers, 1 Buckeye, 1 Golden Laced and 1 Buff Brahma. 

 

The Golden laced Wyandotte is the same breed as Spooks and the Buff Brahma is the same type of breed as my Light Brahmas, just a different color.  They were born the end of April/beginning of May so they were all about a week old when I picked them up.  I was worried that may not survive, since they were so young - I picked my other chicks up when they were almost a month old.  So the survival rate is much lower the younger they are.  But they were eating and pooping, which is always a good sign.  They seemed to be getting bigger by the day! 

I left them in the same cage as long as I could.  I was scared to introduce them to Izzie and O'Malley.  Let's just say that those 2 have been pretty spoiled and will always be top of the pecking order, but I really just wanted to make sure these little ones would be able to fend for themselves.  Now they are fully feathered and since it is plenty warm outside, I didn't have to worry about the heat lamp like I did in the winter with the other babies.

I brought the babies outside a couple of times and let the big girls see them.  They didn't seem very interested.  In fact, they turned around and walked the other way - literally.  For the record, chickens are NOT dumb.  They know exactly who I am and where their home is and they did not like the new noises coming from the babies. 

 

 

Just last week my dad created a divider in the large coop outside.  It was time for the integration.  They had officially out grown the small cage.  So I threw them in there and hoped for the best. 

The new chicks have been in the large coop for over a week now and finally seem to have settled in after only a few minor scares - thanks to my neighbor for saving the escapee on the first day!!

So maybe you are asking - do the new babies have names to?? Why of course they do! I let my sponsors Chris, Lindsey and Lori, name their own chickens.  Here are the sponsor chickens.

Chris' chicken - Dr. Bob Dwyer. I have started calling her Doc D or just D for short. I don't want her thinking she is a boy with the name of Bob.  She is an Easter Egger and will lay bluish greenish eggs. 

Lindsey's chicken - Chickaletta, or as I call her Letta.  Little Letta is a Buckeye and one of the smartest chickens ever.  She is docile with a great temperament and loves people.

Lori's chicken - Lady Gaga (on the far left). Lady Gaga is also an Easter Egger and has the craziest, most beautiful coloring around her face.  It will be interesting to see if it stays as she gets older or if she grows out of it.

The other two are ours and as I mentioned before are the breeds which we have already raised. 

This is Jazzy, or as Grant calls her, SJ - for Spooks Jr.  I don't know if she can ever fill the space in my heart that I had for Spooks, but we shall see.  She is her identical twin, so it might be hard not to love her.

And this is Lena, the Buff Brahma.  She will have the same black coloring and feathers on her feet like the white ones, except she is orange. 
They have been fun and a lot of work, but totally worth it.  I don't know if this bunch will ever be as special as the first five...

Promise to post more regularly now that I have introduced the new chicks.  Will keep you posted! Hope you keep reading! Enjoy this awesome summer!

Grey: The Escape Artist

It has been far too long since my last blog.  However, the days have been long and cold and I was focused more on the survival of the chickens the last few weeks.  They dislike the snow and will not leave the coop when there is snow on the ground.  Needless to say they were literally "cooped" up for a couple of weeks - going stir crazy! I felt so bad for them.  I would open the coop door and they would just look at all the snow and give me this look, like you have got to be kidding me.  I feel their pain, in fact, I think we all do.  This winter has been the longest and coldest winter I can remember.  And I am SO ready for spring and so are the chicks. 

Anyways, once the snow melted last week. I opened the doors and it was like they had been freed.  They ran around the yard, pecking at the grass and pooping all over the place.  It was good to have them out again.

Can you find the chickens in this picture? There are 4 that I see.

 

 All my chicky babies out enjoying the sun!

And once they had their freedom, the egg production immediately went back up.  For awhile we were only getting about one egg a day.  But you have to realize that optimal laying conditions is 12 hours of sunlight a day.  Let's be honest, we haven't had those days in awhile... But after they had been out for a few days, I started getting 2 a day, then 3 and today I had 4 eggs! Very exciting.

But here is a funny story for you all.  Earlier this week, I let the chickens out before I left for work (around 7:30am) and was planning to put them back in the coop after work.  When I came home and went outside - I only saw 4. And then one appeared on the outside of the fence underneath the deck.  Hmmm I thought that is weird! Poor Grey, how did that happen? So I went and caught her and brought her back in with the others.  Not thinking much of it. 

Well then just yesterday I let them out early and went back out around noon to clean the coop.  It was starting to get sunny and the chicks came running towards me.  But only 4.  I did inventory and sure enough, Grey was missing AGAIN.  I called for her, no chicken.  Searched under the deck, looked outside the fenced area, out in the perimeter of the woods and NO evidence of a crime scene (aka a fox attack). I was starting to get sad. And mad at myself for not checking on them earlier. 

But then I remembered, as I was sitting at my desk (which is in the front room of our house and has 2 large windows that face the front yard) I had heard something and I actually opened the blind because it sounded like a human rustling in the bushes.  But I didn't see anything when I opened the blinds, but it dawned on me, maybe it was Grey.  So I walked up and looked around.  Didn't see anything.

Until I heard her little clucking noise.  Her white feathers looked like a pile of snow in the bushes! This is how I found her....

 

 

 

I tried to pick her up and she pecked me. Hard.  She was laying an egg in her own nesting box.  She had pushed her way through the dead bush and made herself a nice little nesting area, complete with leaves and straw like fronds. I left her alone and after several minutes she started clucking away, announcing she had laid an egg. 

The other chicks and Savannah were quite concerned.  Look at them all standing along the inside of the fence. 

She came walking back over like no big deal.... Can you see her in this picture? The small white blob on the edge of the mulch bed.  She was even further up and around the front of the house when she was laying.  I have NO idea how she found that bush or what made her venture out. 

 

And sure enough, I went to go check. 2 eggs.  One warm one, freshly lain, and one frozen one from earlier in the week when she had escaped. 

So today, I thought, I am going to watch her and figure out how she gets out.  Well I ran to the store and came back and she was outside of the fence again! Just walking around, trying to get back in.  I went to check the bush - another egg.  I have NO idea how she is getting out of the fenced in area and I have NO idea why in the world she wants to lay her eggs there. But I guess she is bound and determined to have it her way.  So I officially have an escape artist on my hands.  At least I know she doesn't run away?!? I mean she is definitely not dumb, she knows where the food and water are and she doesn't go too far. 

Anyways, as the snow begins to fall again, the 4 eggs gives me hope for a bountiful spring filled with sunshine and new baby chicks. 

Stay warm. Peace, love and chickens.

Chicksicles

Frozen chickens like whoa. With temperatures well below zero and with the wind chill, I was worried the chickens would freeze to death.  Tuesday morning it felt like -25 degrees (or something absurd like that) and I was just praying that they would all be alive when I went out to check on them before work.  Luckily I have no causalities to report. 

I have decided that they actually don't mind the cold weather, but HATE the snow.  With that being said, if they didn't have a dry, protected area to sleep in, I don't think they would have made it through the below zeros days/nights.  I did turn the heat lamp on in the coop during the day, but would turn it off at night.  Since my chickens are used to the cold weather, meaning that I do not leave the heat lamp on on a regular basis, thus allowing them to acclimate to the winter weather and build up a tolerance, they could withstand a couple days of extreme cold.  During the below zero days they would stay inside the new addition.  Check out pictures here, if you missed the last blog: Happy Year Link

Luckily this area provides much more space for them to walk around in and roost, and I had the heat lamp shining over towards the addition.  They would venture out when I would bring them fresh water and then hurry back inside.  They aren't dumb, that's for sure. 

The biggest issue I had during the below zero days was the water.  I could not keep any amount of water out in the coop for very long without it freezing.  The next item on my list is to look into water heating systems/elements so that I don't have to go out every hour taking them fresh water.  Surprisingly, chickens do drink a lot of water. 

The number one thing I was worried about was frostbite.  Everything I read, said that the biggest issue with extreme cold weather is the chickens getting frostbite, which can lead to death.  Here is a picture of one chicken(not mine) with frostbite...

 

You can see that his face is so swollen that his eye is swollen shut. The factors which can cause frostbite include: insufficient ventilation, waterers that allow a bird to dip its comb/wattles into the water, drafts, too much moisture, and extreme cold.  I made sure to check my chickens for any signs, but all seem to be clear. 

 

Since they have been stuck inside of their coop - they don't like to walk out in the snow, I bought them a "Flock Block", which is literally just a block of tasty treats which helps keep them occupied while "cooped up".  It is very hard, solid block of sunflower seeds, cracked corn, oyster shells, cane molasses, and lots of vitamins to keep them healthy and active.  They weren't sure about the big block at first... it was funny to watch them.  

Chickens inspecting the new block....

 

And today, I let them out of their coop for the first time this week.  And they were happy birds again! So glad they all made it through the FREEZING weather.  And you stay warm out there too! Coming soon: an update on new baby chicks!

 

A Happy Year

I can't believe that we have had the chickens for almost a year.  2013 was a year of change and many new things for me.  The chickens were just one of them.  The question I get asked the  most often is - "Why?" And my question back is "Why Not?"

And I have determined that "Why Not?" is the theme of my year... Why not figure out what you enjoy doing? Why not try something new? Why not challenge yourself? I have noticed that we get so caught up in what we are "supposed to do" or "supposed to be"... Speaking from experience, I graduated college and I was supposed to get a job that expected me to work at my desk for 45+ hours a week.  But maybe I wanted to do something different.  So Why not take the summer off, go back and learn something new and change my life path?  Well there were lots of reason WHY NOT to do that - money, insurance, stability, and the list goes on. But I decided I would figure it out as I went along.  I spent my summer learning the basics of Pilates, raising chickens, teaching swim lessons and barre classes and being a professional pool cleaner :)  And it was wonderful. 

For being so superstitious - 2013 turned out to be better than I ever expected.  There are so many wonderful people in my life that have supported me along this journey, especially my husband who puts up with my crazy chicken ideas.  Last weekend we added another "addition" to the chicken coop. 

Here are some pictures of the new room...

 This room is fully enclosed and has another roost for them to sleep on.  The hope is that this area will be warmer for the cold nights this winter and will provide more space that is covered and out of the elements - snow, rain, etc.  I plan to paint this addition in the spring. 

Another reason to add on - we are planning to get more baby chicks this spring, and we will offer other family and friends the opportunity to "sponsor" a chicken.  My aunt suggested that they would buy the chickens and pay for the feed, if I was willing to raise them.  So another new adventure will unfold in 2014.  If you are interested in sponsoring a chick - let me know! Once they start laying you will be guaranteed 6 eggs a week for each chicken you sponsor.  Terms and payment is still TBD. 

Thanks for everyone who has followed my blog this year - yet another successful endeavor for me. 

Here is a recap of the photos from 2013:

Final thought for 2013: Each day you only get 86,400 seconds - that's it.  And you will never get those seconds back.  So how will you spend each second of every day in 2014??

 

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!