Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chickens. Show all posts

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Let's Just Get Along


I cracked up when I looked outside and saw Max hanging out with the chickens. He was having a nice moment in the sun and didn't mind a bit when they came by to do a little pecking. The only time he causes trouble with our ten hens is when we collect the eggs. Apparently he loves the raw egg more than Rocky Balboa. He tries to get them from our hands so he can make off with a snack.
That's life with Max.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

ding dong!

Well, I've fallen in love! I can't spend enough time watching our 10 little hens as they wander about our yard and have their little chicken day. There is even a little Comet hen who thinks she's my pet. She runs to me a-clucking & a-chatting every time I go out to feed them, etc. Love it!


Last week we had our first snowy day. Here are a couple of peeks at some of the snow we had last year. Here & here (I didn't handle it well) So, all of my 10 hens decided that they'd rather be in than out. This is the sight I saw when I went out to do a little errand running. I'd be ok with it, except for the poo. Chickens are good for lots of poo. Not so charming.

Friday, September 5, 2008

The Ladies


Our little flock of hens is doing so well. I am amazed at how entertained I am to watch them from my kitchen window. They are quite a little group. They have been feasting on our crickets for weeks. They follow me up the trail to go blackberry picking with me. They dart from here to there for reasons I don't know. Really, they are quite fun.

Little Guy, our kindergarten chicken is now about 18 mos old. She faithfully lays one egg each day. As the only survivor of our Kinder~flock, she holds a special place in my heart. Plus, she lived with Connor, the rooster~with~anger~issues, for months before he met up with that awful fox. (see Connor's story here.)

I can't wait until all of the girls are laying eggs. I'm guessing it won't be too long now. They are about six months old. When do they start producing? I know one of you has the answer.
Meanwhile, they walk by the window of the bubble lab while I'm soapmaking and I know all is right in the world.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Our Peeps

This year we decided to order 10 hens to raise for eggs. We hope they are all hens. They've been by a Chicken Sexer, so there's a high probability that they are girls. Fingers crossed. Chickens are a big thing in our town. I never realized how many people have a few chickens in their yard for eggs or (gulp) meat. We run into friends and neighbors at the store on order day and then 4 weeks later when the little chicks arrive. Gerry and the kids picked out the breeds (?) that we have. I know some... Rhode Island Reds, Bantams, Anacondas (no, that's a snake, but it's something like that.) Comets. Anyway, my need to nurture has kicked in and I am their primary caregiver. Four of the ten are about a week older, so we were nervous about flock integration. It's been smooth. They currently reside in a wood box in our upstairs laundry room with a heat lamp that keeps it about 85 degrees around them. (Don't tell Peter, but I put an old pair of his boxers in there for the chicks to cuddle on.)

Hopefully, in a few weeks they will be able to share the coop with Little Guy, our sweet white hen and the only remaining member of the Kindergarten flock. Unfortunately, Connor The Angry Rooster was killed by a fox about three weeks ago. As afraid as I was of that chicken, I was really sad when he died. I'm pretty sure that he was defending Little Guy when the fox got him. *sniff* Anyway, if things go well, she'll have ten little hens to care for and spend time with. Cross your fingers for us! I'm a bit too city for the whole thing!

In other chick news, I was headed outside to take some pics for etsy this afternoon. I looked up at the little Robin's nest, that's built on our light under the porch, to see if the mama Robin was up there and I saw 2 little Robin Chick beaks poking out over the lip of the nest. How very cute they are waiting for a worm or two!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Did I Mention the Chickens?

Here in Vermont, they call me a Flatlander, Citygirl, & a not-so-nice term for someone from Massachusetts. It's all tongue in cheek and I can take it. I'm glad to be from a cultured, well-heeled part of the world... I love Paul Revere, the Sox, the Pats & Faneuil Hall.

When Cora, our third baby, looked at me with beautiful mocha eyes and asked if we could take home some of the kindergarten chicks that hatched last year, I couldn't say no. That's too bad. I should have said no. Here's why: