Posts Tagged "Chickens"

It’s just too cold to play outside!  It’s only about 10° on a warm day!

We’re keeping the chickens in the coop where it’s warm.  Yes, there’s a heater going in there.  Everyone pretty much minds their own business and finds something to do to keep busy.  But, they really, really want to go outside!

The official spokeswoman of the flock, Ruby, decided to have a one on one chat with me.

We want out and we want out NOW!

I petted her little head, rubbed her little chest and explained that it was all for their own good!  Frostbite on bird legs and combs is not a good idea!

She still didn’t understand.  I knew she wouldn’t. She begged and pleaded and resorted to trying to escape through the open egg door, but she’s still staying inside til it gets warmer outside.  And I hope she appreciates that I’m going out in the cold to care for her, and pet her and take pictures of her.  I’m betting she wouldn’t do the same thing for me!

And then I look and . . look who’s watching me.

Lynn!  The mean chicken.  The worthless Ameraucana that is 10 months old and has not layed an egg yet!  She’s just watching to see if she can catch me not paying attention and then she’s going to sail across the food and water cans and peck me.  That’s ok . . I’m thinking . . gumbo!     But for now, it’s cold and I’m going in the house . .

What happened while we were sleeping?  We went into the coop on Christmas Eve . . everything was normal.  No one let us out on Christmas Day (and we weren’t happy about that!).   We were let out of the coop the day after Christmas and . . oh, my goodness . . everything was white!  This is what we see when we look out!  We’re scared!  We’re chickens!

I know chickens aren’t the smartest of God’s creatures.  Do you ever wonder what animals think?  I often wonder what the world looks like to Speck . . whose whole life is about 6″ off the ground.

Anyway, Vince decided to keep the chickens in the coop all day Christmas Day because it was so cold outside and we had the heater running in the coop.  I didn’t think it was a good idea keeping them inside all day but . . what do I know?  (Yes!  I do know the snow shovel should reside in the garage during the winter but we best not mention that ever again.)  Vince waited yesterday til it got a bit warmer and he used the leaf blower to blow the snow off the ramp to the chicken coop.  Then he had to use a hair dryer to heat the door because it was frozen shut.  Finally, he was ready to let the chickens out.  They came rushing onto the little porch, looked at all the white stuff and did exactly what I would have done . . turned around and went right back inside the coop.

One would walk out on the porch, looked around and go back inside.  In a minute, another one would come out and do the same thing.

Finally, a couple of them decided to brave the elements and walk out of the coop, down the snowy chicken stairs and into the snowy run.  Notice Ruby’s leading the way.  She’s just the best chicken!  One of those worthless Ameraucanas is almost as brave as Ruby.

Once they decided the snow was non-threatening, they loved it.  They scratched around . . had snow flying everywhere.  They stayed out in the run til normal bed time and went back into the coop as scheduled.

As cold as it is, the fresh snow is so beautiful.

But, this is what it looks like at my back door.  Thank goodness, we come into the garage and not directly into the house from the back door.

This little guy is the smartest of all though.

The minute Speck hears the heater come on, he races to the nearest vent and gets as close to it as he can.  Some of the vents he’s able to lay right on and some he just has to snuggle up against.  He loves to stay warm and snug.  Getting him out in this snow is requiring extra treats . . for me . . not him! 

There was an addition to my stash this week . . even though I didn’t do it.  I promise . . I didn’t do anything . . I just opened the door when the UPS man rang the doorbell!

A friend sent me the cutest kit to make a chicken quilt.  It’s a great quilt and it will be perfect for the chicken fabric I’ve been dying to use for a backing.  She also sent a big piece of fabric with eggs — brown and greenish blue eggs . . just like I get from my chickens! Puts me back into negative numbers again but I haven’t counted the fabric for the four patches (which were on my design wall last week and are still on my design wall), so I will end the year in the positive . . I hope!

Used this Week:  0 yards
Used year to Date: 456.50 yards
Added this Week: 10 yards
Added Year to Date: 457 yards
Net Used for 2009:  -5.50 yards

Anyone else want to share a stash report?

Finally!  A second Ameraucana is laying.  There are four of them.  One . . Smokey . . has been laying consistently for a couple of months.  Everyone told us, and the research we had done said the chickens would start laying when they were about 5 months old.  Not true!  The Red Stars started laying when they were just a bit over four months old.  The Ameraucanas . . late bloomers.  Smokey started laying at about six months.  It took eight months for the second Ameraucana to start laying and there are two that still haven’t layed.

And guess who’s so prompt about telling me why she’s so much better than those other chickens! Oh, Ruby!  Pleeeeze!  I know you’re a better hen, I know your eggs are bigger and better.  I know all that . . stop saying “I told you so!”

These are the eggs I got one morning this week.  The little avocado greenish looking egg in the back is the new layer.  The greenish blue one in front is Smokey’s egg.  See the little ridge around the middle?  All her eggs have that.  Wonder why!

Just to show you that Ruby is right . . her egg is in the middle.  Ameraucana eggs on each side.  The weird thing is . . though I haven’t weighed the chickens, the Ameraucanas probably weigh a good 25% more than do the Red Stars, and the Ameraucanas lay those wimpy little eggs.  The price I pay to get colored eggs I guess.

Don’t turn your back and walk away in a huff . . you know you’re my favorite chicken!

Seriously, I’m so happy with my chickens and I’m so glad we got them.

Have I said lately how much I love my red star chickens?  Not only are they egg laying machines . . there’s hardly ever a day I don’t get 6 brown eggs from six red hens, but they are sweet!  Really, they love being petted and “talking” to me.  The Ameraucanas . . 4 of them and they all lay green to blue eggs.  I might get 3 blue eggs per week.  Pathetic little whiners those Ameraucanas are!  Only one of them (Lynn) is still mean and the other three will let me pet them but they’d just as soon not have anything to do with me. Just different personalities.

In the morning, the chickens all seem so busy.  They’re looking for bugs and going about whatever business chickens have each day.  Late in the afternoon, they slow down and the red ones are always happy to hop up in the nest and visit with me.

Ruby had something on her mind  .  . come closer . . let’s talk!

Ever heard the story about the Little Red Hen? I feel like we’re doing all the work and those Easter Eggers are just . . they’re just not producing eggs like we are! Oh, Ruby . . I can’t help it that those Ameraucanas are lazy and not carrying their share of the load around here.

They think they’re so special because they lay those weird green eggs! Oh, Ruby . . you lay more eggs in a week than they do in a month!

They’re worthless, I tell you! Oh, Ruby . . don’t worry.  Vince wants to smoke them all but we like you the best so please don’t worry about those lazy, whining, pecking Ameraucanas!

Who would ever having thought keeping peace in the chicken coop would be so difficult? 

Chicken!  Yesterday it was windy . . very windy.  The kind of windy that reminds me I’m too close to Kansas!  I was in the kitchen working and from there I can see the chicken coop/run.  It was a gorgeous sunny day but I noticed there were no chickens in the run.  They love a sunny day.

Where were they?  Could they have escaped?  Could the big, bad wolf have gotten them?  They were there this morning when I let them out . . at daylight I might add!

Opened the door to the coop and . . there they are!  They’re afraid of the leaves that are blowing around.  Look at Ruby trying to get her big fat face in the picture!  She’s such a camera hawg!

You have to admit, she’s a pretty chicken.  Just look at her.  And look at mean old Lynn down there (with the arrow) looking up at her.  I’ll bet Lynn is thinking  . . if only I were a beautiful chicken like Ruby!

It’s to pretty to stay cooped up in the coop!    So, I go about convincing them to come outside and play.  Who’s afraid of leaves?  Just a leaf blowing around!  (Me after dark but don’t tell the chickens, ok?)  Great!  Here comes a red one.  She’s such a brave little chicken!

Look at that.  Six red chickens.  That’s all the red chickens I have.  My red chickens are so sweet . . I just love those girls.  Those four Ameraucanas . . I won’t ever get them again but I kinda like three of them but they’ll never been sweet chickens like the red ones are.

Look who’s at the top thinking about coming out to play . .

That’s Smokey and Lynn!

But, one little gust of wind and a few leaves swirling around and . .

There they go . . back into the coop.  It’s too scary for them out there with all those noisy leaves.  That’s ok . . they can stay inside if they want.  Maybe today it won’t be so windy and they can play outside without those frightening leaves!