February 2017 Egg Production
We came into February with 7 hens left, 6 of them laying, the Ameraucana had not started laying. On the 16th, Cloud, the white Ameraucana which had been laying the blue eggs was gone. There were many piles of white feathers in the yard, with a trail heading to the south to the main road. […]
Salsa Sunday
With lots of snow on the ground this morning, it was clearly a day to be indoors. So Salsa Sunday. First up in the food processor, onion, garlic, jalapeño peppers and a few spices. Then added to the pot for cooking. Next up the tomatoes, peeled and ready for processing. After processing, the tomatoes […]
New Chicken Cam
We have been using a dlink 930 webcam to monitor our chickens and brooder. From various times we have looked in on the chicken run, checked out the roosting order in the hen house, and even kept an eye on the hens as they started laying eggs. Currently we are watching the new chicks in […]
The Boys Chicks
The same day as our chicks arrived, we went and picked up the boys. We thought they would like to have their own chickens and that the best time to combine with our flock was right from the start. In Arkansas, it seems you must purchase a minimum of 6 chicks at a time. Seems […]
2017 Spring Chicks Arrived
So the day arrived. We expected chicks in on Thursday, but Friday was the day. The chicks arrived at the post office and off we went. We carried the box home, carried it to the chicken house and placed it in the brooder box under the red heat lamp. All during transport, the […]
January 2017 Egg Production
First of January, we ordered new chicks from Cackle Hatchery. The 4th was another loss. The fox snatched the RIR pullet. On the 8th I saw the fox grab the Ameraucana pullet and headed down the hill toward the lake. I walked down the hill to see if I could find anything. To my surprise, […]
Predator Problems – Possums
The Opossums have been the problem predator with the younger chicks, one having found its way into the brooder last fall and killed several of the 2 month old chicks. With new chicks arriving this week, the plan was in place to head off the possums. Beginning last week the trap has been set out […]
2017 New Chick Arrival Preparations
The new chicks were ordered from Cackle Hatchery on January 1st, 2017. Seems ages ago now but they are almost here, due to ship with a February 22nd ship date. In preparation for the event, we have been building a new and much larger chicken house. We are re-using our brooder box from last year, […]
Sophia Red
It is difficult for us to tell some of the hens apart, which one is which? Particularly with the Barred Rocks. The Wyandottes too are are very similar in appearance, but the differences are a bit easier to tell. Except when they are all moving about with the rest of the flock, they sort of […]
December 2016 Egg Production
Crazy month this December. A few big swings in temperatures, some chicken chasing going on, and the presence of a fox all made for some changes. Production pretty steady until the 11th, which brought about a drop. The 10th was visitor day, and a couple of the young boys took great delight in chasing the […]