Keep an eye on your girls!

 One of the best things about having animals, is the time that you take to sit back and enjoy them having fun.  It brings a smile to your face, lowers your blood pressure, and calms you right down.  You also learn about their personalities.  Each chicken I have is completely different from each other in personality, and yet they all get along.  Birds of a feather, right?!?

I have six girls right now, all egg layers.  Moth is appropriately named, because she is drawn to trouble like a moth to a flame.  Penny is my little sweetheart.  She is named after the copper coin because of the color of her feather.  She loves to be held and will trip you up if you try to walk past her without giving her a hug or a pet on the back.  Fig is similar in colors, although a bit more independent.  The hugs, she can take it or leave it.  Shadow is the leader of the pack and usually the first to lay an egg. My chubbiest girl is Thistle and her buddy is Moth. Moth hates to be touched.  She looks at me like I'm a complete stranger.  Fern is another sweetheart.  She used to lay brown eggs until this past winter.  Then it appeared that she was molting, but she wasn't recovering very well.  She grew very thin and would sway when she walk, which gave the appearance of being drunk.  I tried everything for her.  Nothing seemed to work, until I tried Gatoraide.  I would give her a cup of it everyday.  Until this point she wasn't eating or drinking, but the Gatoraide she would drink.  Then I started giving her freeze dried grubs.  She loved it!  She never gained her full weight back, but she is the most regular in laying eggs.  The funny thing is...her eggs are now white.

That's the thing.  If I hadn't learned their personalities and had some time to watch them, I might have lost Fern.  I saw there was a problem, tried a few things, and finally it worked.  So, I guess the moral to the story is by watching your chickens, you give to them and in return, they give so much more to you.

If you would like to watch more of my videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

Save those eggshells

Most of us have eggs in the fridge, but have you ever wondered if the shells have a usefulness beyond holding your breakfast?

Eggshells are full of calcium and they can be used in a number of ways.  But first you need to prepare them.  I keep a little bowl that I throw my eggshells in every time I crack one open.  When I get a couple (or more), I just pop them in the microwave for 1 minute.  You can also bake them in the oven if you prefer.  The idea is to dry them out without browning them.  Once cooked, I crush them up as fine as I can get them.  There are so many ways you can do this.  Depending on what I'm using them for, I just crush them in my hand.  They can easily be smashed between 2 plates, or if you have a mortar and pestle, this would work as well.  

Now you have your crushed eggshells ready.  If you already have chickens, you can add a handful of crushed shells to their feed.  Don't worry about the amount since they will just eat what they need.  Chickens need the calcium in order to make a hard shell.  You can tell that they are in need of calcium if the shells crack or crush way too easily.  

Shells are also great in your garden.  You can sprinkle them around your plants to deter any slugs or cutworms from killing your plants.  Tomato and pepper plants will especially benefit from the calcium in the shells.  Just add a small amount to the hole when you plant your tomatoes.  You can also use the shells for plant starters.  Prop the shells up in an egg carton.  Fill them with dirt and a seed or two.  When the plants are big enough to be transplanted, you can put the whole thing in the ground. 

Free ranging your chickens

 So many people this year have decided to start raising chickens.  They give you a bounty of eggs, which of course taste a million times better than store bought.  Plus you have the added benefit of one less thing to leave the house for.  

You bring the chickens home from the store, but what should you do with them?  Where do you put them once they are old enough to be out in the yard?

Of course they are going to need a little home to come to for safety and warmth at night.  They need a place to lay their eggs.  They also need a run so they can come out in the day.  Putting a fence around a small area next to their home is a great solution.  You can keep an eye on them.  Your assured that they will lay their eggs in a spot where you can find them, and for the most part, they are safe.  But after a while, and it will happen fast, the grass will all disappear.  They eat everything. Now, it's not as fun for them.  If it rains, it starts to become miserable.  Who wants to spend their day walking around in the mud?

Let them out!  During the day, they can get the sun that they desperately need.  Running through the yard and spreading their wings gives them a wonderful chance for exercise.  And when this happens, your chickens will be happy.  Don't worry.  Your chickens will come back to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes, and they will come home to sleep in the house you built.  Just make sure there is plenty of food and water near their house, so they always associate this area with home.  

When the chickens have a chance to run around, they can scratch around for delicious bugs to eat as well as the grass.  This will cut down on food costs.  They will also have a chance to take dirt naps.  They make a hole, climb in and shake that dirt right into their feathers.  This isn't just for fun, although I do think it's the best part of their day.  The dirt helps to control any lice or mites that they might get, as well as minimize the oils in their feathers.  

You see, their are so many benefits to letting the girls out, but here's another one:  it's so much fun to sit and watch them play.  It's better than television.  

How to water your chickens

When raising chickens, there are so many options to consider.  Can they survive outside in different climates?  How should they be protected at night?  Should their food have antibiotics or should it be organic?  Here is another concern that many of us, don't consider.  Where do they get their water?



We all want to provide clean water for our chickens.  We change their water regularly.  We clean out their waterers and keep them sanitary.  But what about the water itself?  Where do you get it?  Do you fill it inside the house?  Do you use an outside gardening hose?  Most hoses today do not have the same drinking regulations as the pipes that go into the house.  So they are full of chemicals used to protect the life of the hose, not the life of the animals that drink from them.  Many hoses even contain BPA.  According to the Mayo Clinic: for humans, exposure to BPA is a concern because of possible health effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.

If you are eating eggs from your chickens, here are some options:  you can fill water containers from inside the house; you can remove the hose and fill directly from the spigot; or a costlier option is to look for hoses that do not contain these harmful chemicals.

Just remember that what goes into your fine-feathered friends, also goes into you and your family.

Are chickens happy?

They seem content don't they?  Running around the yard, sticking together, happily clucking and pecking and playing.

Well, recently I changed their nesting boxes from wooden ones that were falling apart after only one year, to plastic ones.  It seemed like a great idea.  Plastic will last and I can clean it.  So I purchased two of them.  My chickens tend to lay in only one or two boxes anyway.  There's no reason to get more than two.  Then I threw in some straw.  The next day...no eggs.  The day after...no eggs.  It is winter, and we have had a couple of cold fronts, so I figured maybe they are on hiatus.  Then I got to thinking.  Even when I only had two chickens, one would lay once in a while.  Surely with six girls, someone should be laying.  But where are they?


So, I decided to take a stroll through the yard.  I looked everywhere the girls like to play.  Over the bank...no eggs.  In the bushes...no eggs.  I turned to walk back, then out of the corner of my eye, there they were.  In the garden.  A pile of 9 eggs blue and brown.

It occurred to me that they weren't satisfied with the new nesting boxes.  Not enough straw on the floor of it.  Last night I filled it with straw.  A nice cushy bed.  This morning what do I see?  Eggs!

Frugal Friday

One thing people will tell you when your raising chickens is that you need to buy, buy, buy.  It's true you need feed, but what about grit, or oyster shells?  Your told to supply your chickens with calcium, which is needed for a nice hard shell on the egg.  But what else do you have in your very own kitchen that can do the same thing?  Martha Stewart once had a show on chickens, and she takes the shells from shrimp and lobster, bakes them in the oven, grinds them in the food processor and sprinkles that on the ground for the chickens to peck at.

What about us poor folk?  Or frugal?  Look in your fridge.  It's there.  Eggs!!! Until your chickens are laying, your probably buying eggs at the store.  Every time you use one, save the shells.  I pop mine in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Crush them with my hand and give them to the girls.  It's fabulous, and you get the hardest shells.  Not to mention, your recycling and in a way, composting.  Save your money for where it counts.  Like shoes.

Chickens have curves too!

With everything there is a learning curve.  Yes, there are experts to talk to, shows to watch, books to read, and podcasts to listen to.  But still the learning curve lingers.  I panic.  I want to know everything now and get it correct, right from the start.  But that's not the way life is.  I've had chickens for 2 1/2 years.  Still, I keep learning.

Every night I put them to bed.  Scoot them all into their little house, give them water for the night, tell them to have sweet dreams and shut the door.  This works great.  Since I put them to bed at a certain time, I know if they get out and fly away, they will be back at that time.  I'm not kidding.  Once, one of my girls got out, and literally seconds later was chased by the neighbor's dog.  She flew away.  Across the field.  Wings soaring threw the air.  She didn't even look back.  My heart sank.  All day I watched for her.  Then, at bedtime, there she was.  Standing by the back door waiting to go to bed.  I've often wondered what she did all day.

Then yesterday.  Life came up.  Bedtime passed.  Darkness fell over the land.  Gasp!  I forgot the girls.  I ran out, flashlight in hand.  Only to discover, they had put themselves to bed.  All that was left, was to say goodnight and close the door.  Just another reason why animals are instinctively wise.  It makes me wonder why they need me at all.  Because I sing to them, maybe?

A sad day to be a chicken

This was a sad weekend.  I never even got to my homework for wire wrapping class.  That's how sad it was.  I woke up Saturday and let out the chickens so they could play and run around and eat.  One came out, then the other, then the third...yea.  Where was she?  Where was the last one?  I'm sad.  The day before, she looked like she was trying to lay her first egg.  She sat most of the day.  I was so excited to see her little egg.  Just like an expectant grandparent.  But it never came.  She was so beautiful.  Yes, chickens are beautiful.  She looked like gems.  Shades of amber, ruby, and a drop of turquoise.  She was such a sweetheart.

This is why when people go to buy a chicken to raise, I believe they should always buy two or more.  Reason being, and I have many, so many things can go wrong.  Usually when you buy chickens, they are babies.  Having two or more allows them to cuddle and keep warm at night, until they are old enough to handle the outdoors.  Secondly, if one should happen to die (mine was only 8 months old) you still have one left.  For the third reason, I could never have a rooster in my neighborhood.  (It would drive my neighbors crazy and since they are all nice enough to let me have chickens, I don't want to do anything to disturb Shangri-La).  Sometimes you accidentally get a rooster mixed into the batch of layers, and you have to give it away.

On a brighter note, chicken's sister started laying officially this weekend. Blue eggs.  Now you see why I was so excited to see the other girls' eggs.  Not blue on the inside, just the shell.  It was robin's egg blue.  She is ever so proud.  So was I.  I gave them all extra attention and treats today.

Have you thought of...

Have you ever thought of raising chickens?  They are pretty easy.  They need a house, and an area to run around and play.  They will even clean it for you.  Mine have a little house with laying boxes inside.  The boxes are filled with hay.  nice to sit on.  and the eggs are less likely to crack when they are dropped from a squatting position.  (it happens)

Anyway one of my girls is molting.  Feathers everywhere.  I knew I needed to clean out their laying boxes.  I took too long.  This morning the big girl was in there kicking all the old hay and feathers out of her box.  She gave me a look.  I lowered my eyes.  sigh.  Yes, it's my job.  I should have done it.  I finished it for her.  I also filled the hanging food tub and left.  When I came back to fill their water, it was all kicked over.  Big girl gave me another look.  Another sigh.  But that's why I came back.  I'd hate to think of the scolding she would give if she could speak.  hands on hips.  "you should have done it sooner.  What are you waiting for?"  But all in all we are a good team.  I feed them.  They feed me.  Today I was gifted with my first blue egg.

On another note:  Is anyone out there, interested in doing a knit along with me?  Let me know.  I'll pick the pattern, and periodically we can update each other with how we are doing.  Successes, failures, what have you.  Drop me a line.

The eggs are coming! The eggs are coming!

The storm came and watered all my newly planted petunia's and some today already have have flowers opened.  That's how fast they are.  But today I'm on to bigger and better things.  Pine Needles.  We have these pine needles that are about six or seven inches long.  They are everywhere and it's about time I do something with them.  So I'm going to collect a bunch, and soak them for a couple hours.  It's should make them more pliable so they don't splinter.  Then I plan on weaving with them.  I'm going to use raffia with it to hold it all together.  I don't know how much of the pine needles will show through.  But we'll see.

On the poultry side of things.  My chicken is molting.  For a while now, I've been wondering where are the eggs?  Does she need more food, more water, more vegetable scraps?  Is it too hot out?  (I say yes, I'm a cold girl) I even thought she was depressed.  (she has 2 new roommates this year.)  But no, it has become blatantly obvious.  She is molting.  Her tail feathers are everywhere.  Yesterday the last bunch finally feel out in a pile.  Now I can see she is growing the  cutest tail.  Molting takes several weeks and chickens usually do not lay during this period.  So now that I see what the problem is, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel  and it's bright orange-yellow like the yolk of an egg.  The eggs are coming!!!

the discovery

It rained all night.  Two "hurricanes" are closing in.  Well, tropical storms.  Same difference.  Just slower.  So I ran to the store.  Got the essentials.  Chicken feed, toys for the puppies, and for me?  Art supplies and a pizza.  I decided to purchase some heavy duty beading thread.  I've been using thread from my great grandmother.  Now that's vintage!  So I went to a rather well known art supply store.  Picked up some more  beads (yes I needed them), new needles (I broke one yesterday) and my thread.  Get to the register.  Hear the price gasp.
Why so high?
I estimated the price in my head.
That's really high.
I stood, credit card in hand.  How bad do I want this stuff?
Bad!
The clerk looked at the price.
"Well, your thread is $9."
NINE DOLLARS?
Yup.
That's $18 for 2.  (I'm good at math)
I put one back.
But I must have looked panicked.  My typical trademark.  So she gave me a 40% off coupon.
PHEW!
That's why I got the pizza.  COMFORT.
So what to do today?  Gardening is what I wanted to do.  Add to the compost pile.  Clean the chicken coop out.  Oh Chicken laid an egg yesterday.  I think we are up to 2 this week.  Sad.

So I will continue with beading and I'm thinking the herringbone stitch.  I had so much fun making my ring yesterday, that last night I made another.  I just love the feel of the cool smooth beads between my fingers.  Knowing that I'm making something I might be able to use helped the panic to dissipate and the desire increase.  Today I'm going to try flat herringbone.  And I think it will take more than just a day but we will see.  Just when I learned that there are different beading stitches, now I hear there are variations on each stitch.  The more I learn, the more I discover I KNOW NOTHING.  But that's what this is about.  I'm going to learn.  And now I have the right thread.  A new online video and a new hope.

Chickengate

The chicken debacle is over.  Apparently chickens are affected by many things.  Molting?  No egg!  Too cold?  No egg!  Too hot?  No egg!  This could be a problem.  Where I live, it's hot all the time.  I hope the eggs don't back up inside them.  They could blow up like Violet on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.   Your chickens are enormous. What's wrong with them?  They won't lay, it's too hot.  Every day is a new learning curve.