Chickens and Tator (my dog)

I had such a long week and was sooo glad to be setting on the couch just relaxing and watching TV last night just waiting for the chickens to go to roost (so I could shut them up) then take a nice hot shower. I heard a small noise outside but I was so sore (being lazy) I just did not want to get up then the noise got louder, I ran outside to see feathers flying everywhere! I don't know why she did it but Tator (my little Yorkie) was chasing the chickens and pulling out feathers. You wold have though it was a pack of dogs not one little 5 pound one! I caught her put her back in the house so now the chickens were everywhere except where they should be (in their house) and scared to death! I got out some feed and tried to talk some of them into the hen house, that only worked with about 7, the rest I had to find (some were in the trees barn, in my grand daughters playhouse).....I finally got them all into the hen house and got them calmed down. I think with the work I have got accomplished this week and now climbing trees to get chickens, I can actually say without a doubt that the hot shower I took last night was the best most relaxing one I have had in a long time!  :) When I let the chickens out this morning most look like Purty (above) missing tail feathers..

some a little worse (Penny is missing feathers on her back) but at least they are all going to be okay. They are going about today like nothing happened, (may have forgotten already) like penny, still hiding her eggs even though I put her and the others up for a week in the hen house. On the up side though her and only two others are laying anywhere and everywhere the rest are laying where they should be, so their weeks stay in the hen house did work for most! :)

Rooster fights

We have three roosters (thought they were all hens in the beginning) :) anyway Sunny and Donnie lately have been getting into fights at the drop of a hat. When they fight this same hen comes running and steps in between them and they both (so far) walk away...

Chickens and their eggs

My grand daughter had a surprise today, when she went to her play house she had this waiting for her....

You would think (or at least I would) that if the chickens had a nice clean hen house with 8 nests, fresh clean hay added weekly they would lay where they should! I have 5 hens that will lay in the hen house, all the others I have to play hide and seek with every day. The barn is hard enough to find eggs in with all its nooks and crannies but I have even found them in the in the lilac bush! The funny thing is though while I am looking around, they follow me talking to themselves...I sometimes wonder if they know what they are doing....

Hens meeting their new roommates

The hens are so cute, something happens on the farm and they all know about it straight away and tell each other! Our first bunch of chicks are old enough to go into the hen house, so we set up a small pen next to the hens roost area so they can get used to the new comers before they are turned loose. First we saw one hen look into her house then she yelled and within two minutes we had two hens and one rooster

Then just a minute more and it was hard to walk around in the hen house! Chickens know everything that goes on! When I put the feed into the goat area the chickens are already there waiting... when the cows come up for their feed the hens have been there a good 15 minutes earlier waiting... a dog barks the hens come running to see what (if anything) is going on. I think if our hens could talk I would know if a pin drops around here. :)

Sorry two pictures totally different look, my I-Phone has a mind of its own sometimes!

A string and a chicken

I was leaving to pick the kids up at the end of the drive way when I noticed one of the chickens limping, upon closer inspection I found a string wrapped around both of her feet.

I needed Mom's help with this! she held lady while I cut the string it amazes me what these animals can find and get into! :)

Surprise Egg

I got a surprise this morning when I gathered the eggs. You may ask why a picture of this egg, it looks normal? It does look ok, but the shell is paper thin when I picked it up it doesn't even hold its shape and is almost see through. The first thing I thought of was are they getting enough vitamins, calcium etc, but the other hens eggs are ok so I don't think that's the problem. Time will tell maybe this is a once in a  long time event, could be because they some are this years chickens, or maybe the hens are trying to keep me on my toes! I did have a shock when I picked it up, I am sooo lucky I didn't squish it in my hand! Never a dull moment on a farm! :)

Pretty Baby

I had a surprise visitor today! it was rather cold this morning in the early am, but later in the day it warmed up.  :) Sooo taking every opportunity I can get (of what is left) of warm weather, I opened the doors. I wish I could have opened the windows, but darn it, I had already put plastic on them just yesterday!  I was out checking on the animals and when I came in to my surprise, someone was waiting (at the doorway) for me (our nosey chicken) Pretty Baby! she is always into something but this is a first with the house! At least we have wooden floors and I was not gone long, but after a though check no accidents were to be found. No one can say living on a farm is ever boring! :D

I told her to be nice and smile for the camera
before she went back out. I think she has a
very pretty chicken smile!

Day in the yard

Our chickens were happy to spend the day in the yard (under the watchful eyes of Chewy our Great Pyrenees). We have been having a little problem with ticks lately and these ladies are great at tick control and were happy to help!!

Eggs

Whohoo! Our chickens that were born in April are starting to lay! The two eggs are from last years chickens and they are the size of large eggs from the supermarket, but the egg in the middle is so tiny.  Sorry picture is kinda wonky could not get it rotated!  :)

Future Layers

Here they are the day I brought them home

I decided to try picking up our baby chicks from Orschelns this year instead of our usual mail order. Our usual mail order is Murray McMurray in Lebanon Mo. I have used them for many years now and have never had any problems, the chickens are always exactly how they advertise them! Its just this year with everything going on I decided to just get 20 little ones. I picked up an assortment of layers, Road Island reds, black australorps, Orpingtons, New Hampshire reds, Silver Laced Wyandottes,ets... I love to see a variety of colors when they are running around the farm (during the summer)

1 week old

5 weeks old

They are officially out of the baby pen and in the big girls pen. They seem to really like it they fly to the top of the fence (we have a top on it or they would be out) and run all the time. Here a couple are sunning themselves, but some of the others see me and are coming out to see what I am doing (no feed bucket in my hand) haha

Chickens

It feels so good to let the chickens out every morning now and watch them scratch for food, cluck and run around and enjoy themselves after being cooped up all winter. One of our chickens every other day lays a double yolk er.
Of course it is also good every day to gather the eggs, omega 3 here we come!